Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Lasagne

Every kids favourite meal. Dripping in grease and melted cheese. Full of carbohydrates and protein.
Serve with a salad to make this dish healthier.

Lasagne
Equipment
·      Pot and lid
·      Sieve
·      Sharp knife and chopping board
·      Small fry pan
·      Measuring cups/spoons
·      Oven dish
·      Mixing bowl
Ingredients
·      Lasagna pasta, 2 cup
·      Salt, a pinch
·      Beef mince, 1 ramekin
·      Onion, ½ sliced
·      Garlic, 1-2 cloves, crushed and chopped
·      Tomato puree, 2 tsp in ½ cup water
·      Oil, a small squirt
·      Seasonings (salt/pepper)
·      Butter, 25g
·      Flour, 2 Tbsp
·      Milk. 1 cup
·      Cheese, 3 Tbsp
·      Herbs, pinch
·      Breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup
Method
1.    Preheat oven to 1750C.
2.    Bring a pot ¾ full of water to the boil. Lid on.
3.    Add a pinch of salt.
4.    Add the pasta, stir and bring back to the boil.
5.    Boil, uncovered for 15 minutes or until pasta “al dente”. Drain through sieve and leave in mixing bowl.
6.    Heat up the fry pan with a little oil (medium heat).
7.    Add the onion and fry until soft.
8.    Add the mince, garlic and seasonings and cook through (5-10 minutes). Add tomato puree with water. Leave to reduce on low heat.
9.    Place the butter in the pot and melt.
10.  Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes until frothy.
11. Take off the heat and add the milk, stirring all the time. Return to heat.
12. When the sauce is thick, add the cheese and herbs. Mix through and remove from the heat.
13. Layer the pasta, meat and sauce in the oven dish.
14. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top and bake for 15 minutes.


Sunday, November 24, 2013

Sweet Pumpkin Pie

This is a traditional Halloween dish (see Jack- O- Lantern).
Make sure you dry out your boiled pumpkin before mashing it. Excess water will make your mix too runny.
Bake until the pumpkin filling is set (you can't wobble it).

Pumpkin Pie

Equipment
·      Pie dish (flan ring)
·      Sharp knife and chopping board
·      Small pot and lid
·      Sieve
·      Whisk/ potato masher
·      Measuring cups/spoons
Ingredients
·      Sweet pastry, 1 sheet
·      Pumpkin, 300g (boiled and dried)
·      Eggs, 2, beaten
·      Condensed milk, 2 Tbspn
·      Castor sugar, ¼ cup
·      Cinnamon, ½ tsp
·      Ginger, ¼ tsp
·      Cloves, pinch
Method
1.    Cut out the base of the pie from the pastry, mold into shape in the pie dish and then use the excess pastry for the sides. Chill in the fridge.
2.    Peel the pumpkin with the knife, cut into cubes and boil in 1 cup of water until soft (about 10 minutes).
3.    Drain the pumpkin through the sieve, dry on paper towels then puree with whisk or potato masher in a mixing bowl. Allow to cool down a bit.
4.    Mix the egg, milk, sugar and spices into the pumpkin puree.
5.    Pour into the pastry base and bake at 1800C for 30 minutes. A knife should come out clean.
6.    Cool on wire rack.


Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Filo Parcels/Triangles (Mince & Vege)

A perfect finger food. You can change the filling to suit.
Be careful handling the Filo Pastry, don't let it get wet or dry out.
I served these with Sweet Thai Chilli sauce.

Filo Triangles (Mince and Vegetable)
Equipment
·      Oven tray
·      Small fry pan
·      Mixing bowl
·      Wooden spoon
·      Measuring cup
·      Chopping board and knife
·      Pastry brush
Ingredients
·      Filo pastry (4 sheets- 2 per person)
·      Butter, 25g, melted in ramekin
·      Cheese, 1 Tbspn
·      Mince, 1/4 cup
·      Frozen Mixed vegetables,1/2 cup
·      Onion, ½ sliced
·      Seasoning (small pinch of salt, pepper, herbs, curry powder)
·      Oil for frying
Method
1.    Slice the onion and fry in a little oil until soft.
2.    Add the mince first, brown then add the mixed vegetables into the fry pan and cook until soft.
3.    Mix this together with the cheese and seasonings in a mixing bowl. Allow to cool.
4.    Melt the butter in a measuring cup in the microwave.
5.    Lay out the filo pastry and brush each sheet lightly with butter, using the pastry brush.
6.    Lay the 2 sheets of pastry on top of each other and cut 4 strips (down the long side).
7.    Place a small amount of filling on the bottom of the pastry and fold triangles up the strip.
8.    Place folded side down onto a greased oven tray and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 1900C.


Sunday, November 17, 2013

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake.

Oooh, what a rich dish. Three types of full fat dairy products in this Cheesecake; butter, cream and cream cheese.
Make sure the Gelatine is well dissolved in hot water before mixing it in to the other ingredients.
Allow to set in the fridge for at least an hour.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake (set method)

Equipment
·      Small round tin
·      Baking paper (to fit in the bottom of tin)
·      Measuring cups/spoons
·      Small mixing bowl
·      Rolling pin
·      Chopping board
·      Whisk/ egg beater
Ingredients
·      Biscuit crumbs (from 6 biscuits)
·      Butter, 50g, melted
·      Cream cheese, 2 Tbsp
·      Icing sugar, 1 heaped Tbsp
·      Cocoa powder, 1 tsp
·      Lemon juice, 1/2 tsp
·      Vanilla essence, ¼ tsp
·      Gelatin, 1 tsp
·      Hot water, 4 tsp
·      Cream, ¼ cup, whipped
·      Chocolate chips, 1 ramekin, heated in microwave.

Method

1.    Crush up the biscuit with the rolling pin on the chopping board.
2.    Melt the butter in a measuring cup in the microwave and then mix it with the biscuit crumbs.
3.    Line the bottom of the tin with the baking paper.
4.    Pack the buttery biscuit crumb into the bottom of the tin.
5.    Place into the fridge.
6.    Beat the cream cheese, cocoa and icing sugar until they are soft.
7.    Mix the lemon juice, vanilla essence and hot water together.
8.    Dissolve the gelatin in the lemon juice mixture. Heat in microwave if necessary.
9.    Stir the gelatin mixture in with the cream cheese mixture.
10. Fold in the whipped cream.
11. Add the heated chocolate chips to this mix and pour into the chilled base from the fridge.
12.  Return to the fridge to set for 20-30 minutes.
13. Carefully remove from the tin, cut up and serve.