Choux Pastry for Profiteroles, Cream Puffs and Eclairs

Ingredients

240ml milk
240ml water
220g butter
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
340g bread flour or plain flour
310g eggs or 9 large eggs

1. Line a baking tray with grease proof paper and pre heat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. In a large saucepan bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to the boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
3. Remove from heat, add the flour all at once and stir vigorously to combine. Return the pan to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 3 minutes.
4. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat briefly on medium speed with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs, 2 at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.
Or
5. If you don’t have a mixer, then prepare to put in some elbow grease like I did. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and beat for several minutes until it has cool slightly. Then add in the eggs, 2 at a time and beat until the mixture is smooth. As you mix the eggs, the mixture will look lumpy and it will separate. Don’t worry, just keep on mixing – fast! By now your arm should feel like its going to fall off – it’s a good thing, just think of it as exercise. The mixture will get thicker and thicker as you add the eggs and your arm will get sorer and sorer.
6. When ready, the mixture should be thick, sticky and pale yellow in colour (like thick custard). You can either use a piping bag or use a tablespoon to shape the mixture for baking.
7. Bake in a 200 degrees oven until it starts to puff and colour, then reduce the temperature to 160 degrees and cook until brown and there are no droplets of water on the pastry. The pastry should be completely dry. This should take around 25mins.
8. Cool on a rack and cut a small slot into the pastry and pipe in the filling.

Chocolate Cream
Thicken cream, beaten until thick
Cocoa powder to taste
Icing sugar to taste
¼ block dark chocolate, finely grated

After mixing the cocoa powder and icing sugar into the cream, fold in the grated chocolate.

Black Sesame Cream
Thicken cream, beaten until thick
3 tbsp black sesame
Icing sugar to taste

Toast the sesame and finely ground it in a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle like me, use the end of a rolling pin and a small deep bowl (eg. an individual soufflé dish). Mix all the ingredients together.

Spiced Orange Cream
Thicken cream, beaten until thick
2 tbsp mixed peel, chopped finely
3 tsp runny honey
¼ tsp cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves

Mix all the ingredients together.

Orange and Poppy Seed Cake

Ingredients

1/3 cup poppy seeds
3/4 cup milk
200g butter, soften
1 tbsp orange rind
3/4 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup orange juice

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Combine the milk and poppy seeds in a small bowl.
3. In a larger bowl beat the butter, sugar and orange rind until creamy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time and beat well.
5. Sift flour and baking powder into the egg mixture and stir lightly.
6. Add the orange juice and the poppy seed and milk. Stir to combine.
7. Bake for 55-60mins for a cake or 45mins for cupcakes.

Orange Icing
Ingredients

1 cup icing sugar
80g butter, soften
1 tbsp orange juice

1. Combine the orange juice with several tablespoons of the icing sugar.
2. Once combined, add the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth.

Naughty, Naughty Chocolate Brownies

Equals lots and lots of chocolate! Not to be eaten if you are on a diet.
Photo can be found on my facebook.

Ingredients

180g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
180g white cooking chocolate, chopped
80g extra dark cooking chocolate, chopped
3 x regular size chocolate bars (bounty, cherry ripe and mars bar work best), chopped
150g butter, chopped
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups plain flour

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees.
2. Place 180g of dark chocolate and butter in a small saucepan. Stir and melt over low heat. Take it off the heat as soon as the mixture is combined and glossy.
3. Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl, gently beat the eggs and sugar together. The mixture will become thick and the sugar will not dissolve at this stage.
4. Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the eggs and stir to combine.
5. Sift and add the cocoa, flour, baking powder and stir to combine. This mixture will become very thick.
6. Fold through the extra dark chocolate, white chocolate and chocolate bars.
7. Line a medium sized square/rectangular cake tin and pour the mixture into the tin.
8. Bake for approximately 50mins or until cooked. Cool and cut into squares.

Beef Stewed in Red Wine

Another yummy winter dish, best served with mash potatoes. Serves 2

Ingredients
500g of stew/casserole meat (ask your butcher), cubed
1 bottle red wine
1 cup water
1 paper bag of button mushrooms
1 clove garlic
1 white onion
1 tbsp tomato paste
bay leaf
1 bunch chopped parsley
1 pinch of rosemary
plain flour

1. Heat some oil in a large pot or casserole dish. Pour some plain flour onto a plate and season. Lightly coat the meat with the flour and pan fry in the oil. Once all the sides are brown, remove and put in a bowl to catch the juices.
2. Add some more oil and brown the garlic and onion until translucent. Add browned meat and its juices. Add the water and half a bottle of the wine. Add bay leaf and tomato paste, stir.
3. Cover and simmer on a low heat for approx. 2 hours. Check every half hour to see if you need to add more liquid. If so, keep on adding the wine a little at a time.
4. Meanwhile in a small pan, saute the mushrooms in abit of oil and salt. Saute until the liquid has evaporated.
5. After 2 hours, take out the bay leaf then add in the mushrooms, parsley and rosemary to the pot of stewed meat and cook for a further 30mins. You will know when it is ready when the gravy is reduced.

Devil's Food Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Photo coming soon!

Ingredients
288g white sugar
175g plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
118g melted butter
250ml warm water
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl, whisk the eggs then add in the melted butter and whisk to combine. Add in the water and vanilla, stir.
3. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combine.
4. Pour the batter into a greased cake tin and bake for 30mins.
5. When cooked, lay out on a baking rack to cool completely before spreading with ganache.

For the ganache
150ml thick cream
300g of dark cooking chocolate

1. Melt the chocolate until smooth. Keep the chocolate warm by sitting the bowl on top of a large pot of hot water.

2. Pour the cream into a small pot and on a low heat until the cream start to bubble. Immediately, take it off the stove and add to the melted chocolate. Whisk to combine. The ganache should be thick and glossy. Spread onto the cake and serve.

Shepard's Pie

Nice warm dish in time for winter! Make the filling and topping at the same time.

Ingredients
500g beef mince
2 large carrots, diced finely
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 can of tinned whole tomatoes
2 medium white onions, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp tomato paste
8 large desiree (or another mashing potatoes)
3/4 cup milk
bay leaf
hand full parsley, chopped
3 springs oregano, chopped
paprika (optional)

Filling
1. On a low heat and with abit of oil in a large pan, lightly brown the garlic. Then add onions and cooked until onions are translucent. Add the mince and cook unti brown.
2. Add the carrots, then the peas. Stir in tinned tomatoes, breaking up the whole tomatoes as you stir. Add in tomato paste and bay leaf. Cook until liquid has reduced.
3. Once the liquid has reduced, take out the bay leaf and add the parsley and oregano. Season to taste.

Topping
1. Peel and quarter the potatoes (this will hasten the cooking process). In a large pot boil potatoes with a pinch of salt. When the potatoes are soft, drain and return to the warm pot. Mash the potatoes, adding in abit of butter.
2. Put the milk in a cup and heat in the microwave until warm. Add the warm milk to the potatoes and season. To make mash potatoes fluffier, beat it with an electric mixer until smooth.

To assemble
Preheat an 180 degree oven. In a deep dish, cover the whole dish with the filling then roughly top with the mash potatoes ensuring the filling is all covered. Sprinkle some paprika on top for some colour (optional). Bake in the oven for 20mins or until the potatoes have slightly browned.

Fig and Baby Spinach Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients
1 bunch baby spinach
2 fresh and ripe figs
Fetta cheese (to taste)
1 handful Walnuts (toasted)
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

1. Chop the walnuts into quarters and toast in a pan. Remove from pan when walnuts become golden.

2. Quarter the figs.

3. Arrange in a serving bowl the spinach and figs. Scatter the fetta and walnuts. Dress with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.