Sundried Tomato and Olive Bread Recipe

Ingredients

500g Strong flour
15g salt
55ml olive oil
20g fresh yeast
275ml/ water
170g black olives pitted and chopped
55g sun-dried tomatoes

Method

Mix all ingredients, apart from the olives and tomatoes, in a large bowl. Take care not to put the yeast in direct contact with the salt when they are first added to the bowl.

Knead well with your hands and knuckles until the dough is elastic, smooth and shiny. Cover with a piece of
cling film and leave to rest for 1 hour.

Divide the dough into two and into each half, add half of the olives and sun-dried tomatoes.

Mould both the dough’s into rough round shapes and push down firmly. Sprinkle white flour lightly over the top and mark them with a cross.

Place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper (silicone paper) and prove for 1 hour in a warm place.

Bake at 220C for 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Bon Appétit

Cauliflower Soup with Walnut Pesto

 

Ingredients

 1 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
¼  large leek, white part only, washed well & finely chopped
125g butter
1 ½  heads of cauliflower, leaves removed and roughly chopped
3 liters vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Method

Gently cook the onions and leeks in the butter until soft.

Add the cauliflower & vegetable stock and bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. Blend in a liquidiser until smooth and pass through a strainer if needed. Correct the seasoning and finish with a drizzle of walnut pesto.

Walnut Pesto

Ingredients

1 cloves garlic, crushed

167g basil leaves
167ml olive oil
14g pine nuts, roasted
25g Parmesan cheese, grated
27g chopped toasted walnuts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Blend all the ingredients in a blender and season to taste, then add 27g chopped toasted walnuts

 

I love baking fresh bread to go with soup, it's quick and easy and somehow it seems to make eating soup that much better.

 

Bon Appétit

Caramel Ice Cream Recipe

This recipe is super easy and once the ice cream is made, it goes SO well with the Pecan and Bourbon tart recipe that I have posted. Serve the tart warm and put the ice cream on top of the piece of tart, and enjoy

Ingredients

600ml Milk

900ml Double cream
750g Caster sugar
720g Pasteurised egg yolks
 
Method

 

Make a caramel with 500g of the sugar, when a good colour is achieved add the double cream and re-boil, then add the milk. 

 

Meanwhile make a sabayon with the egg yolks and 250g of the sugar. In a heatproof bowl whisk the egg yolks, sugar and a tablespoon of water together over a pan of simmering water until thickened and frothy. Pour the hot caramel mixture onto the sabayon and whisk well, pass through a fine chinois and chill

 

Bon Appétit

Pecan And Bourbon Tart Filling

Ingredients

10 eggs

650g  dark brown sugar
900g golden syrup
10g salt
400ml bourbon
350g melted butter
20ml vanilla essence
1000g chopped pecans

 

Method

Pre-Heat the oven to 170ºc full fan. Have a lightly pre baked tart shell ready.

Mix all the ingredients together, pour into the tart shell and bake until just set.  Cool in the fridge and then cut it into 12 pieces and serve at room temp.

This dessert goes so well with caramel ice cream. It is one of my favourites

Bon Appétit

Ginger Cheese Cake Recipe

Crust:
300g Ginger Biscuits
125g Unsalted butter melted

Method 

Preheat oven to 180’c

Crush biscuits and melted butter in a mixer.
Spread firmly at the bottom of a lined tin. Bake crust for 15 minutes until set, remove and cool.

Filling: (Ingredients)

3 Cups/710g Smooth cottage cheese
1 Cup/237g Thick Sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon rind
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup cream
3 tablespoons flour
4 Eggs
¾ cups castor sugar
3 tablespoons ginger in syrup, finely chopped

Method:

Gently beat the cream cheese and sour cream together. Add the lemon rind, lemon juice, cream and flour.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together and add it to cream cheese mixture beat gently till smooth.

Preheat oven to 180’c

Pour filling into pre-baked base. Bake for 25 minutes then reduce temperature to 140’c and continue baking for 20 minutes. Take the cake out and dot in the ginger and syrup. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the cheesecake has set.

Sour Cream Topping

500ml sour cream
3 tablespoons castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method

Gently stir all the ingredients together.
Pour over cake while warm and leave in the oven for one hour turned off.

Cool and put into the fridge.

Chocolate Fudge Brownie Recipe

 

Makes 1 tray

Ingredients

250g            unsalted butter
112.5g          dark chocolate
5                  whole eggs
375g            caster sugar
56g              plain flour
56g              strong flour
6g                baking powder
62.5g           cocoa powder
150g            pecan nuts, chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 175°c full fan/ gas mark 4.

Line big baking tray with grease proof paper

Melt the butter and chocolate together over a Bain Marie.  Meanwhile whisk the eggs and sugar until doubled in volume.

Sieve together the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder together.  Chop the pecans not too small.

Gently mix the chocolate and butter into the egg mixture, if you used a kitchen aid, then make sure the bowl has enough space in it to hold all the ingredients. Once the chocolate and butter have completely mixed into the eggs and sugar, fold the sieved flour mixture and the pecans

Pour the mixture into the tray and bake for 17 minutes do not open the oven door when the brownies are cooking.  Leave to cool in the trays in the fridge overnight.

When you cut the brownie the centre should be almost the same consistency as chocolate fudge.

When I serve these at functions, or for dinner parties, I usually make a Chantilly cream with either a dash of hazelnut or a berry essence. This adds depth to the taste when serving. If you really want to make a simple brownie be a blow away dessert, serve them with fresh berries. I prefer either raspberries or blackberries.

Bon Appétit

Cinnamon Muffin Recipe

Ingredients

250g Butter
225g Caster sugar
4 Whole eggs
250g Strong flour
15g Baking powder
20g Ground cinnamon

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C

Cream together the butter and sugar smooth. Add the eggs (which have already been beaten) to the creamed butter mix. Mix it enough to make sure all the ingredients have combined together.

Sieve in the flour and baking powder and cinnamon, fold it into the egg and butter mix, making sure all the dry ingredients get incorporated in the wet ingredients. Pipe the mix into prepared muffin trays that have been greased and bake them for 7-8 minutes, to test if the muffins are cooked all the way through, stick a skewer into the centre of a muffin, and if the skewer comes out clean, then the muffins are ready

 Bon Appétit