Saturday, June 22, 2013

The BEST EVA carrot cake

This cake is to die for!!

Serves 8

Ingredients:
350g light soft brown sugar
3 large eggs
350ml sunflower oil
350g plain flour
7.5ml/2tsp baking powder
5ml/1tsp bicarbonate of soda
10ml/2tsp ground cinnamon
5ml/1tsp ground ginger
350g carrots, grated
75g chopped walnuts

For the icing:
350g icing sugar
50g soft butter
5ml/1tsp vanilla essence
150g cold cream cheese
walnut halves and a little ground cinnamon to dust

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 170oC. Grease 3 x 20cm/8inch sandwich tins.
2. Place the sugar, oil, and eggs in a large bowl and beat together until the mixture is smooth and thickened.
3. Sift over the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and ginger then fold in until well mixed.
4. Fold in the carrots and walnuts. Divide the mixture between the prepared cake tins. 
5. Bake in the middle of the oven for 30-35minutes or until the middle bounces back when lightly pressed. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. For the icing: sift the icing sugar into a large bowl, add the soft butter and vanilla essence. Use an electric beater on low, to beat this until it is well mixed. 7. Add the cream cheese and briefly beat together again until just combined. Don’t over beat or it will become runny.
8. Divide the icing between the three cakes, spreading it evenly over the top of each. Stack the cakes one on top of the other. Top with the walnut halves and cinnamon. Store in a cool place.



Nutella filo cigars with vanilla cream dip

These are great with coffee after a dinner party and sooooo easy!

Makes 12

Ingredients:
For the cigars:
1/2 pack of filo pastry
A jar of Nutella (you may not use the whole jar)
25g butter

For the vanilla cream dip:
100ml double cream
1 Tblsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Icing sugar, to serve

Method:
1. Heat the oven to 200oC. Line a baking tray with with baking paper.
2. Melt the butter. Take the filo pastry and cut it in half - into 2 rectangles about 16 x 19cm.
3. Take 1 rectangle and brush it lightly with melted butter. Spoon a tablespoon of Nutella along the short side of the pastry. Fold in the sides and roll up the pastry, to make a cigar and place on the lined baking tray. Continue to do this with as much of the pastry as cigars you want.
4. Brush the rolls with a little more butter and bake for 10minutes or until the pastry is a light golden colour. Leave to cool. (These can be stored in an airtight container lined with kitchen roll for up to 2 days.)
5. To make the vanilla cream dip, whip the cream lightly with the sugar and vanilla. 
6. Arrange the cigars on a serving dish and sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve the vanilla cream dip in a side dish.

Pesto chicken stew with cheesy dumplings

I am not a great fan of pesto usually but this is divine! You can also make it without the dumplings if you are in a rush...

Serves 8

Ingredients:
2 Tblsp olive oil
12 - 15 chicken thighs, skin removed and bone in
200g smoked bacon lardons or chopped bacon
1 large onion, chopped
4 celery sticks, chopped
3 leeks, chopped
4 Tblsp plain flour
200ml white wine
1 litre chicken stock
2 bay leaves
200g frozen peas
140g fresh pesto
Small bunch basil, chopped

For the dumplings:
140g butter
250g self-raising flour
100g Parmesan, grated
50g pine nuts

Method:
1.  Heat the oil in a large casserole dish and brown the chicken until its golden all over. Do this in batches and set the chicken aside. (While you wait for it to brown, chop the onion, celery and leeks.)
2. Add the lardons to the pan and fry for a few minutes. Add the onion, celery and leeks and sauté over a medium heat for 8-10minutes until the vegetables have softened. Stir regularly. Stir in the flour, season and cook for a few couple of minutes.
3. Gradually stir in the wine and then the stock. Return the chicken to the pan with the bay leaves and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 1.5hours or until the chicken is tender.
4. Heat the oven to 200oC. Add the peas, pesto and basil to the stew. 
5. To make the dumplings, rub the butter and flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the grated cheese and add 150ml water (slowly) and mix together to form a light and sticky dough. Break off into walnut-sized lumps and shape into small balls. Roll the tops of the dumplings in the pine nuts so a few stick to the outside, then place the dumplings on top of the stew and scatter the stew with the remaining pine nuts.
6. Put the dish in the oven and bake for 25minutes until the dumplings are golden brown and cooked through.

Serve with mashed potato and some other vegetables on the side.





Thursday, June 13, 2013

Coffee and walnut cake

This is one of Nigella's recipes and is so delicious! The is a favourite amongst the guys...

Ingredients:
For the sponge:
50 g walnut pieces
225 g caster sugar
225 g soft butter (preferably unsalted)
200 g plain flour
4 tsp instant coffee granules (dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water)
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
4 large eggs
1 - 2 Tblsp milk

For the icing:
350 g icing sugar
175 g soft unsalted butter
2 ½ tsp instant coffee (dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water)
approx. 10 walnut halves (to decorate)


Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease two 20cm cake tins.
2. Put the walnut pieces and sugar into a food processor and blitz to a fine nutty powder.
3. Add the butter, flour, coffee, baking powder, bicarb and eggs to the sugar mix and process to a smooth batter.
4. Add the milk and continue beating to loosen the cake mixture.
5. Divide the mixture between the 2 cake tins and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
6. To make the icing, mix the butter and icing sugar. Add the coffee and continue mixing until the icing is smooth.
7. Once the cake is cool, place 1 sponge layer on a serving plate and spread with half the icing. Place the second sponge on top and cover the top with the remaining icing. Gently press the walnut halves onto the top of the cake.

Chippy Chicken

This is a delicious, quick and easy dinner. This is an adapted Ina Paarmen recipe! Also this can be easily increased to feed more people.

Ingredients:
Chicken pieces (according to the number of people you are feeding)

For 6 pieces of chicken,
3 Tblsp butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small packet cheese and onion chips

Method:
1. Put the oven on 200oC.
2. Place the chicken portions skins side up in a single layer in a roasting dish lined with foil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Mix the butter and garlic and dribble pour evenly over the chicken.
4. Crush the chips and sprinkle over the chicken.
5. Bake for about 1 hour until brown and cooked.


Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Orange and passion fruit loaf

Ingredients:
Loaf:
225 g butter (preferably unsalted)
225 g caster sugar
Zest of 2 oranges
3 Tblsp orange juice
4 large eggs
225 g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

Syrup:
30 g caster sugar
3 Tblsp orange juice (the rest of the juice from 1 orange after the 3 tablespoons used in the loaf)

Glaze:
3 passion fruits
200 g icing sugar

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180oC.
2. Line and grease a 23 x 10cm loaf tin.
3. For the loaf, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the orange zest, then beat in the eggs one at a time.
4. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and beat until incorporated.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 50-55minutes. The loaf should have risen and be a golden brown colour and a skewer inserted into the load should come out clean.
6. While the loaf is baking, make the syrup but putting the orange juice and caster sugar in a pan and simmer for a few minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.
7. When the loaf comes out the oven, make a number of holes using the skewer and pour over the syrup. After about 10-15 minutes, remove the pan from the tin.
8. To make the glaze, scoop the seeds out the passion fruit and press through a sieve. Retain a tablespoon of the seeds. Mix the juice, icing sugar and seeds until smooth and 'ice' the loaf, letting it drip down the sides.