Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Fish Cakes.

Fish cakes
Equipment
·      Pot and lid
·      Chopping board
·      Sharp knife
·      Peeler
·      Potato masher (1 per table)
·      Mixing bowls
·      Measuring spoons/cups
·      Small frying pan and fish slice
·      2 Plates and 1 Bowl for crumbing
Ingredient
·      Potato, 2-3 peeled, boiled and mashed
·      Tinned fish, 1 Tbsp
·      Onion, 1/4, finely diced
·      Mixed herbs, pinch
·      Salt, good pinch
·      Parsley, a sprig, finely diced
·      Egg, 1, beaten
·      Breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup
·      Oil for frying
·      Flour, ¼ cup, for moulding fish cakes.
Method
1.    Wash, peel and wash the potatoes before cutting them up and boiling them.
2.    Drain the potatoes when they are soft. Mash when they have dried out a bit.
3.    Dice up the onion and lightly fry in a little oil until soft
4.    Mix the fish, onion, parsley, herbs and salt in a bowl. Add the mashed potato and mix well.
5.    Set up the 3 crumbing bowls (flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs)
6.    Divide the mix into 6-8 even portions. Shape into rounds.
7.    Carefully dip each fish cake into the flour, then the beaten egg and finally coat with breadcrumbs. Place on a plate.
8.    Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the fish cakes until golden brown on both sides.
9.    Drain on a paper towel.
10. Serve with Tartare sauce.

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake.

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 7 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/ Arrowroot, 1 tsp
·      Hot water, 3 Tbsp
·      Cream, ¼ cup, whipped
·      Chocolate chips, 1 ramekin.
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/Arrowroot in the lemon juice mixture. Heat in microwave if necessary.
9.    Stir the Gelatin/Arrowroot mixture in with the cream cheese mixture.
10. Fold in the whipped cream.
11. Add the 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.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Grilled Steak with Garlic Mushroom sauce.

Grilled Steak with Garlic Mushroom sauce
Equipment
·      Small fry pan
·      Chopping board and sharp knife
·      Measuring cup/spoons
·      Tongs
·      Serving plate
·      Ramekin for sauce
Ingredients
·      Rump steak, 2 portions, needs to be trimmed of fat and silver skin
·      Mushrooms, 2, sliced
·      Garlic, 1 clove or ¼ tsp, crushed and diced finely
·      Cream, 1/8 cup (3 Tbspns)
·      Seasonings (salt/pepper/herbs)
·      Butter for mushrooms.
·      Oil for frying
Method
1.    Slice up the mushrooms and crush/dice the garlic.
2.    Heat up the small fry pan (medium heat) and add butter.
3.    Quickly add garlic, then mushrooms.
4.    Toss and fry until soft.
5.    Add the cream, reduce the heat and simmer until thick.
6.    Pour out the sauce into a mixing bowl and keep warm. Season if required.
7.    Clean the fry pan and reheat.
8.    Wait until the pan is hot before adding a small amount of oil.
9.    Fry the steak one piece at a time, waiting for the blood to come through before turning over.
10.  Test for “degrees of doneness” before removing from pan. Poke the meat with your finger.
11. Rest the meat on a plate for 5 minutes before serving with the sauce.


Things to remember when cooking steak:
·      The steak should be at room temperature before cooking (bring out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking).
·      Trim the steak of fat and silver skin.
·      Heat up the pan to medium hot.
·      Add a little oil. Grilled, not deep fried.
·      Season the steak after cooking.
·      Flip only once. Wait for the cooking juice to come through before flipping.
·      Cook to correct Degrees of Doneness
1.    Blue (very rare)
2.    Rare
3.    Medium rare
4.    Medium
5.    Well done
6.    Very well done
See the pictures below for a better idea. Also use the finger poke test. Fatter steak will take longer to cook in the middle.

·      Resting the meat for 5 minutes after cooking allows the muscle fibers to relax which means the meat is more tender and easier to cut/chew. This should be applied to all meats after cooking.








Sunday, February 18, 2018

Sponge Cake.

Sponge Cake
Equipment
·      Large mixing bowls
·      Whisk
·      Measuring cup/spoons
·      Cake tin (round or square)
·      Sieve
·      Baking paper or flour dusting
·      Cooling rack
·      Wooden spoon or spatula

Ingredients
·      Eggs, 3
·      Sugar, 3/4 cup
·      Flour, 3/4 cup
·      Baking powder, 1 tsp
·      Salt, pinch
·      Butter, 25g, melted
·      Cream, 1/4 cup, whipped
·      Jam, 1 Tbspn

Method
Oven on to 1750C.
1.    Beat the eggs and salt together.
2.    Add sugar and beat until thick and foamy.
3.    Sift flour and baking powder together.
4.    Carefully add to egg mixture.
5.    Fold in the butter.
6.    Pour into a greased and lined deep cake tin.
7.    Bake for 20-30 minutes or until cake springs back.
8.    Drop the cake on the bench to knock out some of the air and trap the rest.
9.    Leave for 10 minutes to cool down in tin before turning out onto a cooling rack. Carefully cut in half.
10. Whip the cream.
11. Carefully spread the jam on the top of the sponge.
12.  Serve with the cream.


Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Marinated Chicken and Potato Salad.

Marinated Chicken with Potato Salad

Equipment
·      Wooden chopping board
·      Sharp knife
·      Tongs
·      3 Pots (per table)
·      Enamel dish for chicken
·      Oven tray
·      Peeler
·      Sieve
·      Large Mixing bowl
Ingredients
·      Chicken breast (one per pair) or legs (2 per pair)
·      Selection of marinades (acids, sauces, seasonings)
·      Potatoes, 1 large or 2 medium or 3 small per group
·      Spring onion, 2 lengths of stalk
·      Eggs, 2
·      Mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp
·      Salt/pepper, to taste
Method
Oven on to 1800C
1.    Mix up marinade (no more than ¼ cup) and pour into the enamel dish. Roll the chicken in the marinade and leave on your workstation.
2.    Fill up a pot ½ full of hot water and bring to the boil (high heat). Add a pinch of salt.
3.    Wash, peel and wash the potatoes. Dice up (1-2 cm2 ) and place in pot.
4.    Boil potatoes until just soft (10-15 minutes).
5.    Slice up spring onion while waiting.
6.    Drain the potatoes through a sieve and let cool down.
7.    Place the eggs in the clean pot, cover with hot water and bring to boil.
8.    Boil for 8 minutes and then run under cold water for 2 minutes.
9.    Peel the eggs and dice up.
10.  Add cooled potatoes, egg and spring onion together in a bowl with the mayonnaise and mix together.
11.  Roast chicken in oven for at least 30 minutes on the oven tray. Cook until no more blood can be seen and the flesh is white. Use the tongs to turn the chicken over.
12. Remove the chicken from oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Make sure the chicken is cooked properly by inspecting the flesh around the bone. Serve the chicken on a mound of potato salad.