Linguine with mushroom, prosciutto and garlic cream sauce

400g fresh linguine, 3 garlic cloves, chopped, olive oil, 6 slices prosciutto, chopped, 500g chestnut mushrooms, trimmed and sliced, 250ml white wine, 300ml double cream, 50g Parmesan, grated, 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large deep frying pan. Add the garlic and mushrooms and a big pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes on a fairly high heat, stirring often. Add the prosciutto and cook for another couple of minutes. Pour in the white wine and then let reduce by half, it should take about 5 minutes. Add the cream and reduce a little. Remove from the heat, add half the cheese and all of the parsley.
Cook the pasta following the pack instructions. Drain then add the pasta to the mushroom pan and toss everything together. Serve with the rest of the cheese.

Pancetta & cheddar tart with thyme & paprika pastry

As always, a big thank you to Good Foods UK

150ml full-fat milk, 3 eggs, 250ml double cream, 200g pancetta or bacon lardons, 100g button mushrooms, sliced, 100g mature cheddar, grated
For the thyme & paprika pastry: 200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ¾ tsp thyme leaves, 100g butter, chilled and finely diced

Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.
Sift the flour and smoked paprika with a pinch of salt. Grind the thyme in a pestle and mortar to release the flavour then stir into the flour mix. Add the diced butter to the flour and rub together lightly with the tips of your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 2-3 tbsp water gradually bringing everything together to make a dough. Form into a disc then wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Dust your work surface with flour then roll out the pastry into a rough circle, turning every now and again to keep the circular shape. Use the tin (a 24cm (3-4cm deep) tart tin) as a guide to check you have rolled the pastry big enough. Ideally you want a little bit of overlap to prevent shrinkage. Lift up the pastry onto your rolling pin then carefully unfold onto the tin. Ease the pastry carefully into the tin. Use the side of your little finger to make sure the pastry is pushed into the corners and flutes of the tin. Cut a circle of greaseproof paper big enough to line the tart case then scrunch the paper up to make it pliable. Line the tin with this then fill with ceramic baking beans or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes then take out the beans and paper and cook for another 5 minutes or until the base has dried out. Turn down the oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2.
Trim the overhanging edges of the pastry with a small serrated knife while still warm. Whisk the milk, eggs and double cream. Fry the pancetta and mushrooms in a non-stick pan until both are slightly golden. Stir them into the egg mix while still hot then mix in the cheese. Pour the mix into the baked tart case. Cook for 40 minutes until just set. Cool a little in the tin and serve warm.

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Pasta with cream champignons

250 g Penne Rigate, 200 g mushrooms, 1 zucchini, 1 small onion, 20 g butter, 1/4 l water, 1 sachet MAGGI fix & fresh cream mushrooms, 100 g gorgonzola, 1 bunch parsley

In a saucepan, cook the pasta as directed on the package. Clean and slice the mushrooms. Wash and clean the zucchini, halve it lengthwise and cut into slices. Peel the onion and cut it into cubes.
Heat the butter in a saucepan. Sauté onion in it. Add the vegetables and sauté for 10 minutes.
Pour in water, add the Maggi Mix, bring to a boil. Add the cheese, and blend it until it has melted.
Add the drained pasta, season to taste, chop finely the parsley and sprinkle over the plate.

Malt Chocolate Cheesecake

It was my niece's birthday today so I decided to make a special cake for her. And because I don't know how to use her oven I made one without fire (or almost without).

It's easy to make and very, very tasty :D
Thanks as always to Good Foods UK for the recipe, I made a slight modification, I added also dark chocolate for a 3 layer cake:

200g malted milk biscuits, crushed to crumbs, 100g salted butter, melted, 5 tbsp caster sugar, 2 x 300g tubs full fat soft cheese like Philadelphia, 300ml pot double cream, 200g white chocolate, melted, 200g bar dark chocolate, melted, 200g bar milk chocolate, melted, 2 tbsp malt or Horlicks powder, 37g bag white Maltesers

Line base and sides of a deep, 22-23cm loose-bottomed round tin with baking parchment. Mix the biscuits, melted butter and 2 tbsp of the sugar, then press into base. Chill while you make the filling.
Divide cream cheese and cream evenly between 3 bowls. Add the white chocolate to one, the dark chocolate to another and the milk chocolate, malt and remaining 3 tbsp sugar to the last. Beat each with an electric whisk until smooth.
Spread the milk chocolate mixture evenly in the tin. Wipe round the edge to give a smooth edge. Spoon the white chocolate mix over the top and gently smooth. Spread the dark chocolate over the top, decorate with Maltesers and chill for at least 5 hrs until firm.

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Peach tiramisu

1 can (425 ml) peaches in syrup, 4 eggs, 100 gr sugar, 500 gr mascarpone, 5 cl peach schnapps, 1 pack sponge fingers, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Drain the peaches, collect the syrup. Puree the peaches, separate the eggs. Beat the egg yolks with sugar until you obtain a fluffy cream. Add the peach puree and the mascarpone.
Mix the peach syrup with the schnapps and douse the sponge fingers in this mix. In a square form put a layer of sponge fingers, a layer of cream, another layer of sponge fingers and the rest of the cream. Sprinkle with cocoa powder and put it in the fridge for 3 hours.

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Pancakes filled Italian style

150 g flour, 2 eggs, 250 ml milk, salt, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tomatoes, 150 g (5 pieces) champignons, 1 leek, 250 g minced meat, 200 ml water, 50 ml cream, 1 sachet Maggi Tortellini Tomate Basilikum, 50 g grated cheese

Make a pancake mix with the flour, eggs, milk and salt and leave it to rest for 10 minutes. Fry the pancakes in a nonstick pan.
Wash the tomatoes and cut into small cubes, clean the mushrooms and slice them, wash the leek and cut into rings.
Sauté the meat in hot oil, add the leek and fry with the champignons. Pour in cream and water, add the Maggi mix and bring to a boil.
Let it cool for 5 minutes, spread on the pancakes, sprinkle with diced tomatoes and cheese, roll the pancakes and put them in the oven for another 10 minutes. Serve with a salad.

Creamy chicken stew with mustard

300 g chicken breast fillets, 2 shallots, 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, 150 ml water, 50 ml creme fraiche, 50 ml white wines, 6 tablespoons MAGGI poultry sauce, 1 tablespoon mustard, 2 tablespoons chives

Wash the meat and cut it into cubes. Chop the onions into small cubes. Heat the oil and beown the meat, add the onions and saute till the onions become translucent. Add the water, cream and wine and the poutry sauce. Let it boil for 5 minutes, add the mustard and season to taste. Sprinkle the chives on top and serve with rice or potatoes.