Birthday Cake :)

For my second ever attempt at cake, I was fully chuffed with how this turned out. I made the cake 4 days in advance and it lasted just fine thanks to the tips over at :

http://www.thekitchn.com/expert-advice-how-to-wrap-stor-151924

The cake mix itself was a lovely mix to handle, made super smooth by double cream, whole fat milk and oddly (to my mind) adding the flour last of all. Once mixed I baked, in a greased cake tin covered in tin foil to ensure an even rise across the top of the cake.

The filling is freshly whipped cream and rich cherry jam made by my friends grandma, I tried to make my own strawberry jam for the filling but it didn't go to plan and I ended up with a pan of solid red sugar :(

For the topping I went for a rich chocolate icing with a ring of strawberries and mini eggs around the rim. The centre piece is lazy icing (using instead green bootlace sweets) to make a shiny shamrock.

Looked a lot more impressive than it does in the photos in reality.

Creamy Creme Brulee

Gorgeously simple to make and better tasting than any shop bought one I ever tasted. Simply vanilla pod (or extract), double cream, egg yolks and caster sugar.

I always assumed these would be incredibly difficult to pull off, but this batch worked a treat first time. As long as you keep a watchful eye over your cream mix in the pan and then make sure you cook the individual brûlées in a bain marie (Deep baking dish filled with hot water), not much can go wrong.

Chill them in the fridge for a day or two, then crack out your blowtorch and

caramelise the tops - THE FUN BIT

Curry Enchiladas

Ever been stuck what to do with left over curry... this is my solution - Enchiladas

Mix your left over curry and rice together in wrap in Tortilla's into as many parcels as you so desire.

Instead of salsa topping I used a Tikka sauce reduced down with spinach and strips of courgette into a thick curry drizzle. Top with mozzarella and bake until crispy and your house smells of curry.

Really transforms last nights feast into another style of food to avoid the monotony of eating the same meal two nights running. 

Decadence in the hole

Believe it or not this is my take on the traditional toad in the hole.

The sausages were split and infused with stilton then wrapped in bacon.

Baked in a large dish until half cooked before being smothered in super thinly sliced onion; then of course, drowned in batter.

Half way through baking I added a bread and mexican hot cheese crust which turned out better than I could have imagined.

HUGE Pizza

For this huge sharing platter I scrapped the oven trays in favour of tin foiled oven shelves. I made a whole heap of dough, gave it a good 20 minutes of kneading to increase its elasticity so it would easily roll over the huge makeshift trays 

The close up holds the secret to this great pizza. The tomato base is tinned tomatoes reduced with spinach and Worcester sauce. The pizza is topped with mushrooms, red onions, white onions, sausage, pineapple, feta cheese and mustard.

 It is a great way to get everyone involved in cooking and turn dinner into a social event.

Meaty Chilies

Ever wanted to make an outrageous side dish for a BBQ or party. These are cheap, look amazing and have one hell of a kick to them..... Seriously HOT !!!!

Easy to make and mega, mega hot. Take your chillies, take the tops off, deseed (easily done with the handle of a teaspoon) and stuff with a cheese of your choice.

To make your meaty covering, take your mince, break an egg in it, add a bit of cornflour for bonding then pulverise with your hands into a smooth consistency.





I then marinaded them in the fridge for a few hours in a mix of reggae reggae sauce and my home made sweet mustard ketchup.

Bake for 15-20 mins until bubbling and oozing then eat with friends so you can laugh at each others reactions to the HEAT !!

Posh chish n fips

Zesty, hereby breaded haddock with chive n' parmesan crushed new potatoes, pea and mint puree and a home made tartare sauce.

 Took as long as it looks like it took to make, but it was absolutely delicious, a real treat for yourself.

It starts with a hefty ingredient pile as you can see, its a fairly expensive option, especially if you use fresh fish which i did here.

The crust was a mix of lemon zest, chives, bread and black pepper blitzed together. I was surprised that the mix went a bright lime green colour.


The tartare is a blend of mayonnaise, capers, lemon juice, gherkins, black pepper and diced shallots.


The pea and mint puree is cooked peas, hot water and fresh mint leaves, this was my first attempt at a puree and i put too much mint into it. So if you try it go very easy with it.

I would recommend trying this or something similar when you have time, it was incredibly rewarding and super tasty.

Triple Variety Garlic Roll

Triple Variety Garlic Roll 

A sheet of light fluffy dough, cut into 3 Strips. Smothered in Garlic butter, Cheese's, Spinach and Cracked Black Pepper. Roll them up like an overflowing cigar and bake for 20 mins at 190.

Top right; we see the fruits of the cooking. On the left we have a Vegan one for a friend, oil, garlic and Spinach still give it a distinctive taste. In the centre there is a similar version with garlic butter instead of oil and Fiery Dragon Cheese in stead of no cheese. (shout out to A+B Meats - Brighton - best butchers ever). Finally on the right we have a copy of the middle one with parmesan not spicy cheese.

This gorgeous looking cross section of the parmesan rolly roll is all it takes to spur me to make these again. These buns make a lovely accompaniment to any dip-able meal. We enjoyed these with a delicious beetroot and butternut squash risotto.

Chinese

Ten variety fried rice & kung-po chicken

 Surprisingly spicy, nutty, chicken.... cant really go wrong.

The rice is fried with egg, pork, peas, prawns and of course buckets of soy sauce. It is a beautifully simple blend of flavours. Definitely going to keep that recipe at the front of my mind for a while.

Now the Kung-Po chicken - It is very easy to cook, admittedly it requires some ingredients that you wont just have laying around. 'Unsalted' roasted peanuts aren't the easiest thing to lay your hands on, try a greengrocers. The ginger, sherry (poor mans substitute for Chinese cooking wine) and soy create a sharp taste which is met by the fire of 2 red chillies. The peanuts are a lovely way to bulk up the meal with protein and flavour.

Posh Quiche

Salmon + Asparagus Quiche

An expensive but impressive dish. The simple flavours of salmon, chilli, lemon and asparagus compliment each other vey nicely. The whisked egg and cream turned out light and fluffy and is covered in a bubbling layer of red Leicester. 

Doughy, Meaty Goodness

Meatball Balls + Dough Balls = Meat Balls ?

Reduce your tinned tomatoes with spinach and your choice of healthy herbs, add cream cheese or mascarpone if your feeling extravagant.

Its a pretty messy affair getting meatballs and sauce wrapped in pizza dough, but after you've messed up the first 2 (can you spot the leakages above), it is an extremely tasty filling meal. A good one to woo someone with.

The dip on the side is just a quick mayonnaise mix i did; green pesto and crushed chilies gave it a rather un inviting colour so I added red food colouring (not sure if helped)

King Burger

Super Indulgence Family Feast

Using a soft round tiger loaf as a bun, filled with the usual burger salad items.

The burger is 2 patties stuffed with diced chillies and mozzarella (i did another version with peanut butter and pineapple inside).

This monster is topped with honey grilled bacon, chorizo, mature cheddar cheese, smothered in American style mustard and my home made BBQ sauce.

This is easy to make and relatively cheap for what you get, easily feed six with this big'n.

Even this guy approves

Yorkshire Puds

Best Yorkshire Puddings Yet

Using a mix of plain and self raising flower and leaving the batter to cool over night in the fridge is the secret to these beauties. Fill with any saucy dish, serve with a roast or add sugar to the batter and use them as desert cups.

Classic - Steak & Ale Pie

Steak & Ale pie - Hobgoblin pie

Time consuming but surprisingly simple, this pie is always a nice hearty cockle warmer. Flavoured with your everyday staples - Tomato puree, oregano, Worcestershire sauce etc. and the unique full bodied taste of a whole can of Hobgoblin reduced down to thick gooey stew.

Nice served with Honey & Mustard mash or Apple & Bacon mash and some nice green veg never goes amis.

Spaghetti Bolognese Baguette

Spaghetti Bolognese Baguette

A very rich, spinach heavy, beef bolognese with spaghetti; woven into a rosemary lattice baguette. 

Quite an undertaking. its not a quick easy one this, but when you open the oven to see a golden sauce oozing french stick; Definitely feels worth it. 

This one fed three of us.