Honey roast pineapple

Try this all easy, value for money dessert for the whole family that is ready in minutes and you will be left wanting for more. It's so simple you make it again and again and again.

Prep time: 5minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Total time 35mimutes
Serves 6

All you need is a pineapple
3tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of clear honey
1teaspoon lemon juice

Vanilla or or brandy whipped cream/ ice-cream to serve

Cut off the top and bottom ends of the pineapple
Slice the fruit into six equal segements and arrange on a baking tray skin side down
Brush on the honey then sprinkle the sugar follow by a drizzle of lemon
Place in pre-heated oven @ 180 degrees Celsius
Bake for 30minutes or until the pineapples have turned a golden colour.

Remove from oven, allow to cool down a bit the serve with either ice-cream or chantilly cream.

Tuile baskets

When I'm feeling lazy but want something nice that does not need too much attention and labouring I revisit my note pad for some tested recipes. We had a nice day today, warm and beautiful, although I didn't enjoy it (I was working so could only see the sunshine through windows). I wanted to celebrate the beautiful spring day with my children.

Please scroll down to my previous tuile cones for recipe.

Tuile basket with berries and haargendaz ice-cream

Brekky for the lil ones

Normal people don't wake @0445hours to go in the kitchen to cook. They sleep and wake up to get ready for work. I am not normal and my children are on cereal strike so I had to get up and prepare breakfast.

They will have their fruits cut up for them and have juice and off to school. With this kind of workout I don't need the gym.

Enjoy your breakfast, love mommy

PRAWN AND ZUCCHINI STARTER

Prawn and zucchini starter with mint and lemon dressing and horseradish and creme fraiche sauce

YOU NEED
(3) For the prawns
200g raw king prawns, cleaned and deveined
1 garlic clove crushed
1tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Salad leaves of choice

Heat up oil then add the garlic and prawns and fry till prawns are nice and pink, season to taste

(2) For the zucchini fritters
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2cm width lengthwise
100g tempura flour
100-120mls tonic water or normal ice cold water
Plenty salt

Wash the zucchini after cutting, place in a sieve or colander then sprinkle with the salt and let rest for half an hour
Mix the flour with tonic water and whisk till lump free
Dip the zucchini in the batter and fry in hot oil I small batches till crispy and light golden.

(1) Dressing
20g fresh mint leaves chopped
2tbs lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
1tbs horseradish
2tbs creme fraiche
Blitz the mint leaves, lemon juice and olive oil until smooth then set aside

Mix the horseradish and creme fraiche and season with salt and pepper and set aside.

(4) Drizzle the mint sauce at the bottom of the plate, arrange your salad and prawns then a scoop of creme fraiche on top or on the side as desired.

(Sorry folks it's a bit mixed up but I have numbered the steps for you.

Mature your own beef at home

Here is a free tip that will transform your meats and pack them with flavours, all in the comfort of your home. Plan your dinners at least three days in advance especially for Sunday roasts. If you thing you re having lamb or beef, then buy your joint on a Thursday, unwrap it, make room in your fridge or cold room. Place the joint on a rack and cover loosely with kitchen paper or if you are organised like me 😜, use a muslin cloth. On Sunday morning, remove meat from covering and from the kitchen and prepare as per liking according to recipe being used.

This extra maturing of your meat allows it to render all the water and not only re-gain that deep marbled gorgeous colour but tenderises it and boosting the natural meat flavour of yumminess. Normally I then rub in some Dijon mustard to my beef joint but today I just want it plain with a little rubbing of salt, pepper and olive oil.

Extra matured wing rib of beef (see the colour intensity? 😋)

With a little bit of seasoning and olive oil

Lazy Friday

I wanted something simple today as my house is still a hub of builders. What better to make than a simple yummy chicken pasta. With the help of my gorgeous son, dinner and dessert were done in no time.

Chicken and pea pasta

Follow the recipe but make sure you use juice of 1 lemon not the whole lemon.

My son at work

Simple pleasures from the young chef

Simple foods: Sunday leftovers

Simple foods: Sunday leftovers: In my quest to waste reduction and positive frugality, I decided to use my leftover chicken from Sunday. What else to go for that is filling...

Sunday leftovers

In my quest to waste reduction and positive frugality, I decided to use my leftover chicken from Sunday. What else to go for that is filling for all the family, and not only nut riots but delicious too. I chose to go for the typical chicke pie which I dressed up slightly different from the norm and added a few twists. Of course I was hoping to have a second leftover in the form of pie so I can my working lunch from it (no such luck). Everything was gone, from the side vegetables, to the pie Ann the way to the baby potatoes clean plates all over.

I made my puff pastry (as I always do) and this time I seasoned the pastry with a little salt and pepper then decided to add some fresh thyme leaves (from my window sill) and the result was marvellous. The first comment I received was "this pie is really yummy and the leaves inside makes a lot of difference". Eureka, original recipe from my micro kitchen. What's more I cheated on the pie prep time by 1/2an hour (there I was thinking there is no shortcut to pastry making as the professionals always tell us). The pastry was beautiful, buttery, flaky with all the puff layers visible (8 layers to be precise). Am I that sad that I actually count the lines?

Puff pastry being rolled out (you can see the fresh thyme leaves that are scattered and embedded within)

Chicken pie (reconstructed leftovers, yummy)

For the puff pastry

225g plain flour
30g dripping or lard (I don't eat pork so I substitute lard with dripping)
150g unsalted butter at room temp
Handful fresh thyme leaves (optional)
1/4tsp salt
150ml ice cold water

How

Mix together flour, salt and cubed dripping and roughly mix using your fingertips till the mixture starts to stick together but make sure you leave the dripping bird still visible.
Add the cold water and quickly work the flour mixture to a rough dough
Gather dough together and wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes (crucial part)

Remove dough from fridge and roll out to 12 by 25 cm
Sprinkle a generous amount of flour on work surface
Loosely wrap butter block in cling film and gently flatten almost just short of pastry measurements.
Fold into an envelope and allow to rest for 10minutes in the fridge
If like me you are pushed for time and your pastry is still workable, roll it out in one direction to 25by 50cm
Fold dough into 3/3 with top and bottom parts meeting in the middle. Turn dough to 180 degrees and fold into a book.
Gently press the edges and press one end of the dough with your finger (as a reminder that this your first fold).
Chill for 30minutes (in my case 20)
Repeat process two more times and after third time pastry is ready for use.

For my chicken I added celery sticks, chicken stock, medium sized leek, 100mls Madeira and 150mls of double cream to thicken the sauce towards the end.

TRY IT.

Puff pastry salmon

Try this easy to prepare puff pastry salmon recipe, which
Leaves your salmon, moist, tender and flavourful. I just wanted something different and did not want the same old ways of cooking salmon.

The recipe required soured cream and I hate it, soft cheese and I needed my mascarpone cheese for dessert. My husband hates garlic so I threw that out from the recipe too. I substituted sour cream with a tablespoon of double cream and soft cheese with Greek yoghurt. Recipe required bread soaked in milk and I hate the idea so I opted for freshly made bread crumbs (why use ingredients you don't like just because the recipe says so? Experiment, play around and enjoy).

 

1 sheet puff pastry (or make your own like I did), 3 salmon fillets, 3 tbs Greek yoghurt, 1tbs thick cream, handful chives, few leaves parsley (both leaves finely chopped) fresh bread crumbs (from 3 slices of white bread) 1 tsp butter and salt and pepper to taste. Egg yolk to seal and the pastry. I made six parcels you can always double the ingredients and roll out your pastry a bit more thinner. Mix all ingredients except bread crumbs and yolk.

Place fillet onto pastry, layer with the cream mixture then top with bread crumbs, fold pastry into a parcel and seal with egg yolk. Brush top of pastry with egg to give a shine, bake in preheated oven at 150deg Celcius for 30minutes. 

Puff pastry salmon with baby potatoes, baby greens and white sauce.

amarula flavoured meringue

I'm used to making the traditional meringue which is just egg whites, sugar and corn flour but today decided on something different. I am a renowned lover of Amarula which I use in most of my baking now sometimes to substitute vanilla extract. The result was a pavlova to die for as the amarulla gave it this exotic taste. Hmmm.

meringue nests ready for the oven

Finished product

You Need
3 free range egg whites
175g caster sugar
50g icing sugar
1tsp amarulla (opt) or vanilla extract

You will also need a clean baking tray, baking parchment and clean stainless steel bowl
Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celcius

How
In a clean bowl, place the egg whites and whisk until eggs are stiff with firm peaks ( ready when the egg whites do not fall off when you tip bowl upside down).
Add sugar 1tbs at a time and whisking for a few seconds before the next sugar
Add the icing sugar and continue nje whisking then whisk in the amarulla of using.
Meringue should be stiff, with firm peaks and not fall of when you lift the whisk.

Apply a small amount of meringue to the corners of the parchment paper and fix to the tray
Scoop meringue into the middle of the tray and spread into a nest (you can do this by placing a round plate onto the paper and drawing a circle around it as a guide)

Place meringue into the preheated oven and bake for 60minutes.

Decorate meringue with whipped cream and choice of soft fruits preferably berries and finish off with a berry coulis or compote.

Ultimately brilliant beef stroganoff

Last night I had beef for my Sunday dinner, the wing rib was so big I decided to divide it and leave some for another day. So today I decided to use my now 30 matured beef and boy did I enjoy it. I usually buy 28day matured beef for my Sunday roasts and then left it in the fridge for a further 24 hours before using. It helps to tenderise the meat and bringing out its deeper colour with the marbled lines coming through.

Extra matured beef

400g sirloin or rump steak thinly sliced, 150g chestnut mushrooms (quartered), 1 large echalion shallot chopped, 1 clove garlic crushed, 2tbs butter, 2tsp tomato purée, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 4tbs white wine, 1tbs white wine vinegar, 150mls chicken stock 1/4tsp freshly ground pepper and some salt to taste. 150mls double cream or Creme fraiche 

Beef stroganoff served with rice and steamed asparagus 

Put a tablespoon of butter in the hot pan and slide in the beef and fry for about 5minutes. Remove the beef from pan and set aside.
Using same pan, pour in the oil and add remaining butter in the pan, add the shallot and sauté for 3minutes, add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for a further 3minutes until the mushrooms are tender.
Add the White wine vinegar, followed by the wine then the purée and mustard, reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes before putting back the meat. Add the cream and simmer for a further 5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.

Serve immediately with mashed potatoes, pasta or rice.

Asparagus and Hollandaise sauce

Today I decided to have asparagus as a start to my evening meal. My children were expecting quail eggs so to find a balance and please everyone I decided to save the eggs into the asparagus AND IT WORKED!

I am going to share with you the recipe for my hollandaise sauce which is a take on the classic recipe and Delia Smith's foamy sauce. It's dead simple you will be left wondering why you have never tried this before.

2 egg yolks, 2 bay leaves, 3 peppercorns, 1tbs White wine vinegar, 1tbs lemon juice and 2 egg whites. You also need 100g salted butter melted and cooled. Simmer the vinegar, lemon juice, peppercorns and bay leaves together until liquid has reduced to one tablespoon. Blend the egg yolks in a food processor for a few seconds then pour in the vinegar mixture in a slow steady stream while the blender is still running. Do the same with the melted butter until mixture starts to thicken.

Whisk the eg whites until they form soft peaks, fold in egg white into hollandaise sauce a tablespoon at a time until all is incorporated and sauce is foamy, light and airy yet smooth.

Chill until ready to use and serve with asparagus or quail eggs or in this case both. 

Easy peasy pizza recipe

There is nothing satisfying and fulfilling as making your own pizza from scratch and when you eat it, it tastes ten times more than those delivered stuff that come in cardboard boxes. The best part is that you get to use up all the tiny bits of meats you have been throwing in the bottom of the freezer.

My pizza base is easy to make and will give you that thin Italian base, top it up with an already veg loaded passata and you are good to go.

225g plain flour, 2tsp yeast, 2tsp sugar, 11/2tsp salt, 150ml tepid water and olive oil for greasing. Mix all the dry ingredients and make a well in the centre and then add the water and mix to a rough dough. Place dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10minutes till dough is elastic and soft.

Oil the palms of hands with oil and massage the dough and oil the bowl also. Place dough in the bowl  and cover with cling film before placing in a warm place for about one hour. Dough should rise and double as in above pic. 

Divide dough into four equal balls

Grease the pizza stones, roll out the balls and place in thee stones. Put 2tbs of passata onto each pizza and spread all over pizza with back of spoon. Add your toppings and bake till the meats are cooked

Beef and chicken, chicken and prawns, chicken and sausage pizzas accompanied by beer battered prawns and calamari. 

Ultimate Beef Burger

Tonight I wanted something simple and fun, I did not want to spend much time labouring in the kitchen therefore chose to have my ultimate beef burger for dinner.

 So I took out my ribeye steak and put it into my food processor, 2 slices of bread blitzed
Few basil leaves and freshly picked thyme leaves.
3 large potatoes peeled and cut lengthwise into medium sized chips.

400g minced ribeye steak with 2 tbs fresh breadcrumbs, 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper, same amount crushed chilli and salt. Handful basil leaves and 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves. Mix all ingredients well.

Divide the ground beef into six balls and shape into burgers or or press down using large press rings. Allow to rest before grilling for about ten minutes  at 200deg Celcius.

Fry some chestnut mushrooms and one sliced red onion until tender and soft, sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar and set aside.

Par boil some medium cut potatoes for 3minutes, then deep fry for 8 minutes. Assemble your burger, add some salad and dinner is served. Easy Peasy.

Pappardelle pasta: Easy mid week dinner

Simple easy pasta dinner, ready in 10minutes just serve with some crusty bread and you all set for the evening.

Pappardelle pasta with baby spinach in tomato and  sweet garlic sauce?

200g pappardelle pasta
200g tomato and garlic sauce
1 small zucchini
Handful baby spinach leaves

400g chicken breast cubed.
2 knorr chicken stock cubes
1tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Crush the chicken stock and use it to coat the chicken
Heat pan on moderate heat, add oil and fry the chicken for 3minutes till well browned.
Add about 200mls water and reduce heat and simmer chicken for 15minutes till cooked through and set side.

Boil pasta in salted water on medium heat for 3minutes
Add the chopped zucchini and boil for a further 2minutes
Add the the spinach for the remaining 3minutes then drain off all the water and set your pasta aside.

In a pan, heat up the sauce for 3 minutes then add to the pasta and mix, top with some shaved zucchini, add chicken then sprinkle with grated parmigiana cheese.
Serve immediately with some crusty bread

.

Tuile cones

Tuile cones filled with lemon curd and whipped cream, raspberries and raspberry coulis.

3 large egg whites

150g caster sugar

100g melted and cooled butter

100g plain flour

1tsp vanilla extract

Whisk egg whites
lightly then add the sugar and whisk well

Add the butter and whisk until smooth and mixture is well combined

Add the flour and vanilla extract and whisk again, batter should be smooth with no lumps and not foamy.

Most recipes would ask you to chill your batter at this time but I always work on time and I find that the results are still the same whether I have chilled the batter for 20 minutes or 4hours.

Drop a tablespoon of the batter onto the Teflon and spread round thinly with the back of the spoon. Make 2 to 3 biscuits at a time 

Bake in middle shelf for 10minutes

When done remove from oven and shape as desired whilst still hot.

Repeat process ensuring that Teflon is cold before putting the next batch to void melting the batter.