vineri, 30 septembrie 2011

Chocolate chunk pecan cookies

Another recipe from Good Foods BBC :D

200g dark chocolate, broken into squares, 100g butter, chopped, 50g light muscovado sugar, 85g golden caster sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 egg, beaten, 100g whole pecans, 100g plain flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Melt 85g chocolate in the microwave on High for 1 min or over a pan of simmering water. Beat in the butter, sugars, vanilla and egg until smooth, then stir in three-quarters of both the nuts and remaining chocolate, then the flour and bicarbonate of soda.
Heap 12 spoonfuls, spaced apart, on 2 baking sheets (don't spread the mixture), then poke in the reserved nuts and chocolate. Bake for 12 mins until firm, then leave to cool on the sheets. Can be stored in a tin for up to 3 days.

joi, 29 septembrie 2011

miercuri, 28 septembrie 2011

Celery soup with blue cheese

30 gr of butter, 1 head of celery, 2 onions, 2 spoons of flour, 1.2 litre of vegetable broth, 75 gr blue of cheese (spicy Gorgonzola, Stilton, Roquefort), black pepper, chives, salt

Peel, wash and cut into small cubes the celery and the onions. In a wide pan melt the butter, add the celery and onions and cook for about 4 minutes. When the onions are translucent, add the flour and cook for another minute. Pour the broth little by little and mix well, let it simmer for 30 minutes, until the celery is soft. Crumble the cheese, add it to the soup, season it with salt and pepper, put in in the blender and mix well. Serve sprinkled with chives and eat it with croutons.

luni, 26 septembrie 2011

Egg-free cheese & bacon quiche

For the pastry: 225g plain flour, 100g butter, 25g Parmesan, grated, pinch of cayenne pepper
For the filling: 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 large onion, finely sliced, 200g chopped smoked streaky bacon, 2 tbsp egg replacer, 2 tsp plain flour, 300ml double cream, 4 tbsp milk, 85g mature cheddar, grated

Either by hand or in a food processor, mix the flour, butter, cheese and pepper with enough cold water to combine, then knead lightly until smooth. Roll out the pastry and line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Cover with cling film and chill for 30 min. Any leftover pastry can be frozen for up to 1 month.
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Remove cling film, line with greaseproof paper, fill with baking beans and bake for 15 min until the sides are crisp. Remove beans and paper, then return pastry to the oven and cook for another 5-10 min until lightly golden. Cool.
To make the filling, heat oil in a pan. Cook the onion until soft and the bacon until browned. Scatter over the pastry base, discarding excess fat, followed by half the cheese. Whisk the egg-free substitute, flour, cream and milk together and pour into case. Scatter remaining cheese on top.
Lower the oven to 150C/130C fan/ gas 2 and bake the quiche for 35-40 min, or until the filling is set and the top brown. Stand for 10 min before removing from the tin.

Thanks Good Food BBC ;) You can replace the egg replacer with 2 eggs if you want a normal quiche...

marți, 13 septembrie 2011

joi, 8 septembrie 2011

Courgette, potato & cheddar soup

500g potatoes, unpeeled and roughly chopped, 2 vegetable stock cubes, 1kg courgettes, roughly chopped, bunch spring onion, sliced - save 1 for serving, if eating straight away 100g extra-mature cheddar or vegetarian alternative, grated, plus a little extra to serve, good grating fresh nutmeg, plus extra to serve

Put the potatoes in a large pan with just enough water to cover them and crumble in the stock cubes. Bring to the boil, then cover and cook for 5 mins. Add the courgettes, put the lid back on and cook for 5 mins more. Throw in the spring onions, cover and cook for a final 5 mins.
Take off the heat, then stir in the cheese and season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Whizz to a thick soup, adding more hot water until you get the consistency you like.
Serve scattered with extra grated cheddar, spring onions and nutmeg or pepper. Or cool and freeze in freezer bags or containers with good lids for up to 3 months.

luni, 5 septembrie 2011

Ryan Sheridan - Stand up tall

Saw him in March as opening act for The Script...
He's pretty good, isn't he ;)