Any Chance of Seconds

Melt-in-your-mouth chocolate nut cookies

teabag1 — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:06:06 +0000

All time classic cookies from our guest chef Eleanor Priestley – Believe me these are excellent

325g Self Raising Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
125g Demerera Sugar
250g Caster Sugar
220g Butter
2tsp Vanilla Essence
1tsp Salt
2 Eggs
200g Cadburys Milk Choc (or dark / white if you prefer) 200g nuts (pref.
walnuts, pecans or cashews)

- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C / gas mark 3
- Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, butter, salt, vanilla essence and eggs together using a hand mixer until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs
- Smash the chocolate and nuts separately in a pestle and mortar
- Add the chocolate and nuts to the main mixture until evenly distributed
- Make a dough using your hands
- Split into 12 and roll into the shape of a golf ball
- Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and put in the oven for
12-15 mins

Enjoy!!

Wimbledon Special

teabag1 — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:50:38 +0000

Ingredients
175g unsalted butter , softened
175g golden caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1½ tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
175g self-raising flour

Filling & Topping
4 tbsp strawberry jam
284ml carton double cream or whipping cream
2 tbsp icing sugar , sifted
200g Fresh strawberries

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and base line two 18cm sandwich tins.
2. Beat all the cake ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth. Divide between the tins and level out. Bake for 20-25 minutes until they are well risen and spring back when lightly pressed. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes then turn out onto a rack and peel away the paper. Cool completely.
3. Spread the jam onto the base of one sponge. Lightly whip the cream with the icing sugar and spread half of it over the top of the jam. Thinly slice the strawberries and cover the cream with a layer of the slices. Sandwich the other sponge on top. Spread the remaining cream over the top with a palette knife and cover with the remaining strawberry slices.

Bilkish’s Biryani

teabag1 — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:19:30 +0000

Makes for 6 to 8 people

Ingredients
• 2 large onions sliced
• 1 lb boneless chicken in 1 inch cubes
• 1 teacup yoghurt
• 200g chopped tin tomatoes
• 2 fresh tomatoes sliced
• 3 teaspoons heaped coriander/cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon red ground chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red flake/crushed chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 11/2 teaspoon salt (To taste)
• 3 medium peeled potatoes & quartered
• 11/2 teacup brown lentils (optional)
• 3 teacup tilda basmati rice
• 3/4 teacup oil (vegetable oil)
Method

1. In 1/2 teacup of oil, fry the sliced onions until golden brown and then add the chicken cubes. Cook for 5 minutes until light brown and keep stirring.
2. Add the yoghurt, tin tomatoes, coriander and cumin powder, chilli powder, turmeric and salt and stir well. Cover pot and cook for 30 minutes (on medium to low heat) until the chicken cubes are tender. Add more salt and chilli powder if required.
3. Thereafter, add the sliced tomatoes and cook for further 5 minutes. Ensure there is sufficient sauce and is not too dry (if dry add little yoghurt or tinned tomatoes)
4. Once the chicken mixture is done, leave to cool down.
5. Dip fry the quartered potatoes in oil until light golden brown, remove from oil and leave to cool.
6. Wash the brown lentils and boil in sufficient water for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender, then drain and cool.
7. Wash rice and cook in salted boiling water until tender but not overcooked. Drain and allow to cool.
8. In a sufficient sized pot, place foil paper covering the inside of the pot.
9. Drizzle 2 tablespoon of oil at the bottom of the pot.
10. Begin to layer, starting with a third of the brown lentils, followed by third of the rice and half of the chicken mixture and half of the fried potatoes.
11. keep repeating the layering (Step 10)and ensure the top layer is covered with rice.
12. Drizzle the top layer with a quarter teacup of oil and two cups of water, then cover pot and steam on a low heat for 11/2 to 2 hours.
13. Ensure chicken/ potatoes are fully cooked.
14. When serving, use big serving spoon to remove all layers and place in a serving dish.

Carrot Cake

teabag1 — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:11:36 +0000

For the cake
7 oz (200 g) wholemeal self-raising flour
3 level teaspoons mixed spice
1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
6 oz (175 g) dark brown soft sugar,
2 large eggs
5 fl oz (150 ml) sunflower oil
Grated zest 1 orange
7 oz (200 g) carrots, peeled & grated
4 oz (110 g) sultanas
2 oz (50 g) pecan nuts – toasted; chopped
You will also need 2 x 8 in (20 cm) sandwich tins, 1½ in ( 4 cm) deep, bases lined with baking parchment.

For the syrup glaze:
Juice 1 small orange
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 oz (75 g) dark brown soft sugar

For the topping:
1 x 250 g tub mascarpone
1 x 200g tub fromage frais, fat free
1 rounded tablespoon golden caster sugar
2 oz (50 g) desiccated coconut

Method
1) Toast all the pecan nuts in a hot oven for approximately 5 minutes, then reduce heat to gas mark 3, 325°F (170°C).
2) To make the cake, whisk the sugar, eggs and oil together in a bowl, check that there is no sugar left un-dissolved. Now sift the flour, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda into the bowl, tipping in the bits of bran left in the sieve. Then stir all this in gently, followed by the remaining cake ingredients.
3) Divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins and bake the cakes on the centre shelf of the oven for about 30 minutes. They should be nicely risen, feel firm and springy to the touch when lightly pressed in the centre, and show signs of shrinking away from the sides of the tin. If not, re-test in 2-3 minutes.
4) To make the syrup glaze, mix together the fruit juices and sugar in another bowl and then, when the cakes come out of the oven, stab them all over with a skewer and spoon the syrup evenly over the hot cakes. Leave the cakes on one side to cool in their tins, during which time the syrup will be absorbed.
5) Meanwhile, make the topping by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Then cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
6) When the cakes are completely cold, remove them from the tins. Spread one-third of the filling over one of the cakes, place the other on top, then cover the top and sides with the remaining icing. Scatter the remaining toasted pecan nuts over the top.

Poached Salmon and Russian Salad

teabag1 — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:28:10 +0000

A classic Russian salad dressing is delicious with grilled or poached salmon.

Ingredients (serves 4)
Russian Salad Dressing:
3 tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Tomato Ketchup
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Capers (chopped)
3 pickled gherkins (chopped)
Freshly Chopped chives
1 teaspoon sugar
ground black pepper

Salad
4 Salmon fillets
2 small oranges
1 Romaine lettuce
Black Olives
Cherry Tomatoes
300g new potatoes
1 tablespoon pine nuts

Method
1 For the Russian dressing blend together the mayonnaise, white wine vinegar and ketchup in a bowl.
2 Stir in the capers, gherkins and chives.
3 Add sugar and black pepper to taste and chill for 30 minutes.
4 Chop the potatoes into 2 inch chunks, place in a saucepan of water and bring to the boil for 16 minutes until tender.
5 Place salmon in an ovenproof dish under a medium grill for 8 minutes.
6 Meanwhile, loosely chop the lettuce, tomatoes, olives and oranges and place in a salad bowl.
7 Add the cooked salmon and potatoes to the salad.
8 Scatter the pine nuts over the salad.
9 Serve with Russian Dressing in a side dish garnished with additional chives.