Sunday, November 30, 2008

Summer Berry Trifle

Ingredients (serves 10)
1 x 85g pkt Aeroplane quick-set strawberry & raspberry jelly crystals
14 bought jam rollettes, cut into 1cm-thick slices
80ml (1/3 cup) apple juice or sweet sherry
2 x 250g punnets strawberries, washed, hulled, halved
2 x 150g punnets blueberries
500ml (2 cups) Pauls premium vanilla custard
250ml (1 cup) thickened cream, whipped
Method
Prepare the jelly following packet directions. Pour into a large container and place in the fridge for 1 hour or until set. Coarsely chop.
Place half the rollettes in the base of a 3L (12-cup) capacity serving bowl. Drizzle half the apple juice or sherry over the rollettes. Top with half the jelly and one-third of the combined strawberries and blueberries. Spoon over half the custard. Repeat with the remaining rollettes, apple juice or sherry, jelly and half the remaining strawberries and blueberries. Top with the remaining custard.
Spoon the cream over the trifle and top with the remaining strawberries and blueberries. Place in the fridge until required.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Trditional Christmas Pudding

Ingredients (serves 10)
200g butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup ginger-lime marmalade
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups fresh white breadcrumbs
1 quantity All-purpose fruit mince (in related recipe Fruit mince tartlets)
brandy custard (see related recipe), to serve

Method
1. Grease an 8-cup (2-litre) pudding basin. Line base with a circle of baking paper.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and marmalade until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition (don't worry if mixture curdles).
3. Sift flour, cinnamon and nutmeg into a bowl. Stir half of the flour mixture into butter mixture. Stir remaining flour mixture and breadcrumbs into fruit mince. Add butter mixture to fruit mixture. Mix well. Spoon into pudding basin.
4. Cover pudding top with a circle of baking paper. Cover with a double layer of foil. Secure with un-waxed kitchen string (make sure handle across the top is not too tight, or it will leave indentations). Fold the foil up over the string to ensure it doesn't touch the water during cooking.
5. Place a trivet or upturned saucer in the bottom of a large saucepan. Stand basin on top. Pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up sides of basin. Cover saucepan with lid and boil over medium-high heat for 3 1/2 hours, adding more boiling water every 30 minutes.
6. Remove saucepan from heat and allow pudding to cool in water. Remove and wrap in a towel and store in a cool, dry, dark place. Serve pudding warm with brandy custard.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Spicy Chicken and Lentil Yoghurt Salad

Ingredients (serves 4)
4 single chicken breast fillets
2 tsp piri piri seasoning
Olive oil spray
1/4 cup (70g) reduced fat natural yoghurt, plus extra to serve
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 x 400g cans brown lentils or chickpeas, Edgell brand, drained, rinsed
1/4 cup (45g) Sunbeam currants
1/4 cup fresh continental parsley leaves
1/4 cup shredded fresh mint
Salt & freshly ground pepper
Lemon wedges, to serve
Method
Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the piri piri seasoning. Spray a large non-stick frying pan with olive oil. Heat over a medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6 minutes each side or until cooked through.
Whisk the yoghurt and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth.
Place the lentils, currants, parsley and mint in a large bowl. Stir in the yoghurt dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the chicken into thick slices and serve on the lentil salad with lemon wedges and some extra yoghurt.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Orange & date tart

Ingredients (serves 6)
250g plain flour
110g pure icing sugar
110g unsalted butter, chilled
1 egg
16 fresh dates, pitted, halved
5 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
450ml cream
1 orange, zested
Cardamom syrup
10 green cardamom pods
1 orange, zested
6 oranges, juiced
225g caster sugar
2-3 tbs brandy
Method
Preheat oven to 190°C. Place flour and icing sugar in a food processor and process to combine. Add butter and process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add egg and process until a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out pastry on a floured surface and use to line a 26cm tart pan with removable base. Line pastry with baking paper and fill with rice or pastry weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove paper and weights and return to oven for 10 minutes until crisp and golden. Place halved dates in pastry case.
Reduce oven temperature to 160°C. Beat egg yolks and caster sugar in a bowl until combined. Stir in cream, then strain. Stir in zest and pour over dates. Bake for 30 minutes or until just set. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, to make the syrup, use a mortar and pestle or rolling pin to lightly crush cardamom pods. Remove seeds and discard pod. Place seeds in a pan with remaining ingredients and cook over low heat, stirring, to dissolve sugar. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool before serving with the tart.

Chicken caesar baguettes

Ingredients (serves 8)
8 slices prosciutto
1 tbs olive oil
4 single chicken breast fillets, halved horizontally
1 x 45g can anchovy fillets, drained
250g (1 cup) good-quality whole egg mayonnaise
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 (about 340cm each) large baguettes (French breadsticks)
3 baby cos lettuces, leaves separated, washed, dried
80g shaved parmesan
Method
Place the prosciutto in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes each side or until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel. Set aside to cool. Break into medium-sized pieces.
Heat the oil in the frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Set aside for 5 minutes to rest. Thinly slice diagonally across the grain.
Coarsely mash the anchovies. Combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and anchovies in a bowl.
Cut the baguettes lengthways (do not cut all the way through) and spread with the mayonnaise mixture. Divide the lettuce, chicken, prosciutto and parmesan among the baguettes. Press to close. Cut each baguette crossways into 4 portions. Use kitchen string to tie at regular intervals to secure filling. Serve.