Chocolate Sauce

This is a great accompaniment for ice-cream or brownies or chocolate fondant.

1000ml Cream

500ml Milk
600g Chocolate
Vanilla Pod

Method:

1. Add the milk and cream to a pot and bring to the boil
2. Add the vanilla pod and the chocolate and stir until all are fully combined
3. Strain and allow to cool.

Ice-Cream Base

This is a nice recipe and it actually works, it makes Vanilla Ice-cream but of course you can add whatever flavour you want to it but make sure you add extra cream so it still has its smooth texture and will be easy to scoop. This recipe will make 2.5 litres of ice-cream.

TOP HINT: Make sure to check out the department stores after the holiday season just as the sale starts, I managed to find an ice-cream maker original price 90 euro and it was reduced to 40! - Bargain!

1700ml Cream
1500ml Milk
2 Vanilla Pods
800g Castor Sugar
800g Egg Yolks

Method:

1. Combine all of the ingredients except the egg yolks
2. Bring the mix to the boil
3. Cool gently 
4. Add the milk/ cream mixture to the egg yolks and whisk vigorously
5. Return to the pot and cook until thickened
6. Strain and cool.
7. Then add to the ice cream maker, the one I have says to chill the bowl for 24 hours then churn the ice cream, done in 20 minutes and it's great. However if you don't have an ice-cream maker, you have to stir it while it is freezing to stop the ice crystals from forming.
8. Once you have the basics you can add your flavours to this, although what is nicer then homemade creamy vanilla ice-cream? Well....chocolate ice-cream. 

Shepherds Pie

Shepherds pie, is such a classic a great way to fill you up on a cold day, especially this time of the year, you can make it the night before so then all you have to do is put it in the oven and heat it. Serves 4.

Olive Oil 
700g Lamb Mince 
1  Carrot - finely chopped
1  Onion - finely diced
Fresh Rosemary
Fresh Thyme
2 Cloves of Garlic 
Salt
Pepper
Worcestershire Sauce 
Tomato Puree 
75ml Red Wine 
75ml Chicken Stock 

Potatoes:

660g Rooster Potatoes
35g Milk 
75g Butter 
Salt
Pepper
Egg Yolks (2)
35g Parmesan Cheese 

Method:

1. Boil some water, throw some salt and your potatoes in, and set a timer for 15 minutes – start on your filling.  
2. Upon the timer going off, take your potatoes out and strain the water off. 
3. Put potatoes back into the pan, or into a medium mixing bowl.
4. Mash the potatoes with their ingredients from above and keep warm (your filling should be about done by this point)
5. Pour Olive Oil into a hot, rather large pan, then add meat. 
6. Stir meat as if your life depends on it for a few minutes so it’s nice and brown, and broken into very small pieces. 
7. Add your Rosemary, Thyme, and Garlic, then stir some more. 
8. Quickly add your Carrot, and Onion, stir a little longer. 
9. The idea at this point is to get everything to a minced consistency.
10. Add Worcestershire Sauce, stir, add Tomato Puree, stir, add Red Wine and sweat down for a minute or two. 
11. Add chicken stock and cook for 3 more minutes.
12. Scoop your meat mixture into a deep casserole or other oven safe dish and then spoon the mash over the top. 
13. Spread the mash over the top of the mix with the bottom of the spoon and then sprinkle a generous portion of Parmesan cheese over the top. 
14. Poke the top with a fork several times to give it a peaked look and stick it in the oven at 200 degrees/ gas mark 6 for 18-20 minutes to brown the potatoes and set the pie. 

Pumpkin Soup

I was carving pumpkins for Halloween, and decided I was going to make a pumpkin pie and try out an American classic but halfway through stewing my pumpkin I decided that I would prefer soup - it's cold outside and everyone loves a bit of soup when it is cold outside! Serves 4. This recipe is slightly edited as I didn't roast the pumpkin but it makes it so much easier than scooping it out of the pumpkin.

1 Pumpkin - cut in half remove seeds
2 Small Onions - Rough Dice
2 Carrots - Rough Dice
1 Chicken Pot
Salt
Pepper
25g Butter
Cream
Parsley - To Garnish
Olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 6/200 degrees and put the pumpkin on a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper and roast until soft about 15-20 minutes.
2. Preheat a saucepan and add the onions and carrots, cook for a few minutes then add the butter and put the lid on, leave for 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally. 
3. When the pumpkin is cooked, scoop out the flesh and add it to the sweated vegetables.
4. Blitz with a handgun and pass through a fine strainer.
5. Add to a clean saucepan and bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Adjust the seasoning.

Swiss Roll

I love Swiss Rolls i think they look great you can have whatever flavour you want i went with strawberries and creme Chantilly, but you could do chocolate and cream if you wanted. This makes 1 large swiss roll (no really it is quite large)

Swiss Roll Sponge

10 Eggs

226g Plain Flour

280g Caster Sugar

1 Tablespoon Liquid Glycerin

Vanilla Flavoring

Method:

1. Weigh all ingredients carefully, prepare tins or sponge by lining with baking parchment and lightly brushing with melted butter and dusting lightly with flour.
2. Sieve the flour onto a sheet of greaseproof paper.
3. Place the eggs, sugar and glycerin in a mixing bowl, beating over warm water for five minutes until the mixture has reached a temperature of 37-38 degrees.
4. Transfer the mix to machine and whisk until thick and creamy.
5. Carefully fold in the flour taking care to avoid lumps in the mixture.
6. Pour on to prepared trays, spread the mixture evenly to about 9mm in thickness using a palette knife or scraper.
7. Bake in a hot oven at 232 for about 8 -10 minutes.
8. Remove from oven, allow to cool, turn over onto sugared paper, the tops may be covered with a slightly dampened cloth to avoid edges drying or cracking

Thai - Crispy Chicken with Basil

I decided to do something different and this dish is great, the oyster sauce and the fish sauce will last for ages in your cupboard its worth buying them you find them quite often in ethnic dishes. This recipe serves 2.

500g Chicken Breast, Thinly Sliced

1 Medium Onion, Thin Wedges

4-5 Garlic Cloves 

1 Red Pepper, Bite Size Pieces

4-5 Small Red Bird’s Eye Chili*         

½ Tsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Fish Sauce              

2 Tbsp Vegetable/Chicken Stock

2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce          

2 Handfuls Basil leaves

* this chili is really spicy if you don't really like spice go for a regular chili!

Method:

1. Mix the chicken, garlic, chilies, fish sauce, and oyster sauce in a bowl.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a wok over a medium heat.
4. When the oil seems hot, drop a few basil leaves into it.
5. If they sizzle immediately the oil is ready.
6. Fry three quarters of the basil leaves until they are crispy.
7. Lift out and allow to drain, discard the oil.
8. Heat oil in the same wok ad stir fry half of the chicken.
9. Add stock and sugar to the wok, then the pepper and onion, and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
10. Stir in the fresh basil leaves.
11. Taste, adjust the seasoning if necessary.
12. Garnish with the crispy basil.

Scallops and Black Pudding

This is the type of fusion food that is common in Ireland you wouldn't normally a mix of meat and fish on the same plate. The flavours in this really compliment each-other. The only thing is I dont know if you can get black pudding in most other countries you could substitute for venison sausage or a spicy Italian sausage (you have to grill it so it has to be a fresh meat sausage) This is a single serving, usually I would say 3 scallops depending on the size is equal to a portion;

2/3 Scallops

1 Slice each of Black & White Pudding

I heaped tablespoon of Red Onion Marmalade

Pesto

Olive Oil

Red Onion Marmalade:

2 Red Onions

Glass of red wine

Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Caster Sugar

1. Cracked Black Pepper
2. Water 

Method:

1. Heat a ridged grill pan and cook the slices of pudding. On the same pan, sear the scallops for 1 minute on each side
2. Place the onion in the centre of the plate, stack the pudding and the scallops neatly on top and drizzle with the pesto.
3. Marmalade: Slice the onions and sauté in oil over a low heat for several minutes. Season with the pepper, add the sugar, water and wine and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes until it reaches a shiny, jammy consistency.
4. Pesto: Blend together 4oz Basil leaves, 1 teaspoon Pine Kernels, 4oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 4oz Grated Parmesan Cheese. If the consistency is too thick, add a teaspoon of cold water.

Cupcake Adventures; Mighty Mini Attacks

This week was the beginning and the end of the shortbread, I was finally done with the wedding favors but on with the Scottish themed shortbread - so shortbread with a variety of decorations to the Highland cow, to a thistle to a Scottish terrier, it was different getting to be very creative with the shortbread this week, all good things must come to an end though. Shortbread week ended and it was an attack of the Mighty Mini Cakes and the even Mightier Mini-Mini Cakes, it was a fierce battle some were fruit cakes which meant I had to face the dreaded marzipan - even thinking about it is horrifying, everything about marzipan is just wrong - I'm digressing. The Mini Cakes and the mini-mini cakes needed to be iced and then decorated, some were to be with a Scottish theme so with thistles and flags, some terriers, and some roses I also decorated some with flowers, stars and Happy Birthday just for the general public. This week though ended on a cupcake high with the "Wicked" themed cupcake tower, which was vanilla cupcakes with green decorations and it was on a black iced board with a green ribbon.

That's on for this installment of Cupcake Adventures tune in next time!

Black Bream with Basil and Peas ‘Bonne Femme’

This fish dish is great, Sea Bream can be quite expensive but if you buy it from a fishmongers and not a supermarket you would get a much better deal. Great for a Friday night dinner and the peas that accompany it are so good! This recipe serves 6

6 Black Bream Fillets, Skin On, About 175g Each

Small Handful Of Basil Leaves

 

Peas 'bonne femme':

250g Unsmoked Bacon Lardons

Olive Oil, For Cooking

Few Sprigs Of Thyme

150g Pearl Onions

Sea Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

600g Fresh Or Frozen Peas

Method:

1. Remove any small bones from the fish fillets with tweezers. Score the skin of the bream fillets at 1cm intervals.
2. Season with salt and pepper and place a few basil leaves on the flesh side.
3. Place each fish fillet on a large piece of cling film and drizzle with olive oil.
4. Wrap up to enclose the fillets in the cling film, twisting the ends to seal.
5. For the peas bonne femme, fry the lardons with a little olive oil for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
6. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Add the onions and thyme to the pan and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender.
7. In the meantime, bring a large pan of water to the boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer.
8. Add the wrapped bream fillets and gently poach for about 10 minutes until the fish is opaque and cooked through. If the centre is not cooked through, poach for a further 2-3 minutes.
9. Add the peas and crispy bacon to the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until the peas are tender. Season well.
10. Divide the peas. Unwrap the bream fillets and place on top of the vegetables, skin side up. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Cake adventures - June 2012

I have now completed my first month of cake adventures there has definitely been highs and lows, but it has all
been new and exciting adventures. After a well deserved break (in my opinion) I will be returning to Scotland after my brief reappearance in Dublin where I once again reclaimed my role as head chef!

Just a few words on cake adventures as I sit here in Starbucks in Dublin airport gloating over the fact I got through security with a bagful of Irish classics in my hand luggage! I have some soda bread, some homemade brown bread, a selection of soups, some chocolate and butter, I know what your thinking "surely chocolate tastes the same in Scotland" - no it doesn't it's a bit sweeter there, well to me!

Thinking about the nice weather there was a bit in Dublin this weekend unlike Scotland where the rain is the only thing you can be sure about but I will adapt I will return in 2 months with webbed feet I'm sure!

The cake adventures this month have been plentiful if I think about how much I got to do - some photos I have posted to my Facebook and how much I have learnt in only one month I can only imagine what I will get to see and do is very exiting for a young Irish girl to go to Scotland they expected me to come to work all "top of the morning laddy" and I expected them to wear kilts all the time and have bagpipes as a ringtone - they don't which is a bit disappointing!

Scotland has definitely been a change but something I'm not going to forget anytime soon, will keep you posted on how things are going.

Tune in next time for the next instalment of CAKE ADVENTURES!!!!!!!