Blog

Category: Dessert

Area: French

Ingredients:

• 250g Plain chocolate
• 175g Butter
• 2 tablespoons Milk
• 5 Eggs
• 175g Granulated Sugar
• 125g Flour

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line the base of an 8 in round spring form cake tin with baking parchment
Break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of gently simmering water and stir until it melts. (or melt in the microwave for 2-3 mins stirring occasionally)
Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream together with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little flour if the mixture begins to curdle. Fold in the remaining flour with the cooled, melted chocolate and milk. Mix until smooth.
Spread the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 50-55 mins or until firm in the centre and a skewer comes out cleanly. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely.

Category: Chicken

Area: Jamaican

Ingredients:

• 1 whole Chicken
• 1 chopped Tomato
• 2 chopped Onions
• 2 chopped Garlic Clove
• 1 chopped Red Pepper
• 1 chopped Carrots
• 1 Lime
• 2 tsp Thyme
• 1 tsp Allspice
• 2 tbs Soy Sauce
• 2 tsp Cornstarch
• 2 cups Coconut Milk
• 1 tbs Vegetable Oil

Instructions:

Squeeze lime over chicken and rub well. Drain off excess lime juice.
Combine tomato, scallion, onion, garlic, pepper, thyme, pimento and soy sauce in a large bowl with the chicken pieces. Cover and marinate at least one hour.
Heat oil in a dutch pot or large saucepan. Shake off the seasonings as you remove each piece of chicken from the marinade. Reserve the marinade for sauce.
Lightly brown the chicken a few pieces at a time in very hot oil. Place browned chicken pieces on a plate to rest while you brown the remaining pieces.
Drain off excess oil and return the chicken to the pan. Pour the marinade over the chicken and add the carrots. Stir and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Mix flour and coconut milk and add to stew, stirring constantly. Turn heat down to minimum and cook another 20 minutes or until tender.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Chinese

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Chicken Stock
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Sugar
• pinch Pepper
• 1 tsp Sesame Seed Oil
• 1/3 cup Peas
• 1/3 cup Mushrooms
• 1 tbs Cornstarch
• 2 tbs Water
• 1/4 cup Spring Onions

Instructions:

In a wok add chicken broth and wait for it to boil.
Next add salt, sugar, white pepper, sesame seed oil.
When the chicken broth is boiling add the vegetables to the wok.
To thicken the sauce, whisk together 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 Tablespoon of water in a bowl and slowly add to your soup until it's the right thickness.
Next add 1 egg slightly beaten with a knife or fork and add it to the soup slowly and stir for 8 seconds
Serve the soup in a bowl and add the green onions on top.

Category: Beef

Area: Dutch

Ingredients:

• 100g Butter
• 150g Flour
• 700ml Beef Stock
• 30g Onion
• 1 tbs Parsley
• 400g Beef
• Pinch Salt
• Pinch Pepper
• Pinch Nutmeg
• 50g Flour
• 2 Beaten Eggs
• 50g Breadcrumbs

Instructions:

Melt the butter in a skillet or pan. When melted, add the flour little by little and stir into a thick paste. Slowly stir in the stock, making sure the roux absorbs the liquid. Simmer for a couple of minutes on a low heat while you stir in the onion, parsley and the shredded meat. The mixture should thicken and turn into a heavy, thick sauce.

Pour the mixture into a shallow container, cover and refrigerate for several hours, or until the sauce has solidified.

Take a heaping tablespoon of the cold, thick sauce and quickly roll it into a small ball. Roll lightly through the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Make sure that the egg covers the whole surface of the bitterbal. When done, refrigerate the snacks while the oil in your fryer heats up to 190C (375F). Fry four bitterballen at a time, until golden.

Serve on a plate with a nice grainy or spicy mustard.

Category: Pork

Area: Dutch

Ingredients:

• 1.5kg Potatoes
• 2 leaves Bay Leaf
• 2 Shallots
• 3 tbs Butter
• 750g Kale
• 2 Sausages
• 500ml Milk
• Grated Nutmeg
• Pinch Salt
• Pinch Pepper

Instructions:

Wash and peel the potatoes and cut into similarly sized pieces for even cooking.

In a large soup pot, boil the potatoes and the bay leaves in salted water for 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.

If you're not using a bag of ready-cut curly kale, wash the bunches thoroughly under cool running water to get rid of all soil—you wouldn't want that gritty texture in your finished dish. Trim any coarse stems and discard any brown leaves. With a sharp knife, cut the curly kale into thin strips.

Peel and chop the shallots.

In a frying pan or skillet, melt 1 tbsp. of butter and saute the shallots for a few minutes before adding the curly kale and 2 tbsp. of water. Season and cook for about 10 minutes, or until tender.

Warm the milk on the stove or in the microwave.

Drain, shake and dry the potatoes with kitchen towels before mashing with a potato masher or ricer. Working quickly, add the warm milk and the remaining butter. Season to taste with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Mix the cooked curly kale through the cooked mashed potato mixture.

Top with slices of the smoked sausage and serve hot with your favorite mustard or gravy.

Serve and enjoy!

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 250g Plain Flour
• 135g Butter
• 400g Golden Syrup
• 150g Breadcrumbs
• Zest of 2 Lemons
• 1 beaten Eggs

Instructions:

First make the short crust pastry: measure the flour into a large bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (alternatively, this can be done in a food processor). Add about three tablespoons of cold water and mix to a firm dough, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and put a heavy baking tray in the oven to heat up. Grease a deep 18cm/7in loose-bottomed fluted flan tin with butter.
Remove about 150g/5½oz of pastry from the main ball and set aside for the lattice top.
Roll the rest of the pastry out thinly on a lightly floured work surface and line the prepared flan tin with the pastry.
Prick the base with a fork, to stop the base rising up during baking.
Place the reserved pastry for the lattice top on cling film and roll out thinly. Egg wash the pastry and set aside to chill in the fridge (the cling film makes it easier to move about). Do not cut into strips at this stage. Do not egg wash the strips once they are on the tart as it will drip into the treacle mixture.
To make the filling, heat the syrup gently in a large pan but do not boil.
Once melted, add the breadcrumbs, lemon juice and zest to the syrup. (You can add less lemon if you would prefer less citrus taste.) If the mixture looks runny, add a few more breadcrumbs.
Pour the syrup mixture into the lined tin and level the surface.
Remove the reserved pastry from the fridge and cut into long strips, 1cm/½in wide. Make sure they are all longer than the edges of the tart tin.
Egg wash the edge of the pastry in the tin, and start to make the woven laying lattice pattern over the mixture, leave the strips hanging over the edge of the tin.
Once the lattice is in place, use the tin edge to cut off the strips by pressing down with your hands, creating a neat finish.
Bake on the pre-heated baking tray in the hot oven for about 10 minutes until the pastry has started to colour, and then reduce the oven temperature to 180C/350F/Gas 4. If at this stage the lattice seems to be getting too dark brown, cover the tart with tin foil.
Bake for a further 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden-brown and the filling set.
Remove the tart from the oven and leave to firm up in the tin. Serve warm or cold.

Category: Lamb

Area: Russian

Ingredients:

• 50g Lamb
• 120g Prunes
• 1 tbs Lemon Juice
• 2 tbs Butter
• 1 chopped Onion
• 450g Lamb
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 600ml Vegetable Stock
• 2 cups Rice
• Pinch Saffron
• Garnish Parsley

Instructions:

Place the raisins and prunes into a small bowl and pour over enough water to cover. Add lemon juice and let soak for at least 1 hour. Drain. Roughly chop the prunes.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large pan, add the onion, and cook for 5 minutes. Add cubed lamb, ground lamb, and crushed garlic cloves. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until browned.

Pour 2/3 cup (150 milliliters) of stock into the pan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, or until the lamb is tender.

Add the remaining stock and bring to a boil. Add rinsed long-grain white rice and a large pinch of saffron. Stir, then cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender.

Add the drained raisins, drained chopped prunes, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat through for a few minutes, then turn out onto a warmed serving dish and garnish with sprigs of flat-leaf parsley.

Category: Dessert

Area: American

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Miniature Marshmallows
• 3 cups Chocolate Chips
• ½ cup Peanut Butter
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 ¼ cups Peanuts

Instructions:

Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with wax paper or foil, and coat with non-stick spray.
Pour ½ cup of the miniature marshmallows into the bottom of the lined baking dish.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave the chocolate mixture in 20-second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until the chocolate is melted.
Add the vanilla extract and stir well, until smooth.
Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chopped almonds or peanuts, and set aside.
Fold 1 ½ cups of the miniature marshmallows and the remaining chopped nuts into the chocolate mixture.
Transfer the chocolate mixture into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Immediately top with the reserved chopped nuts and the mallow bits or additional miniature marshmallows, if using.
Refrigerate for 4 hours, or until set.
Remove the fudge and wax paper from the pan. Carefully peel all of wax paper from the fudge.
Cut the fudge into bite-sized pieces and serve.

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 25g/1oz butter
• 8 thin slices bread
• 50g/2oz sultanas
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 350ml/12fl milk
• 50ml/2fl oz double cream
• 2 free-range eggs
• 25g/1oz sugar
• grated, to taste nutmeg

Instructions:

Grease a 1 litre/2 pint pie dish with butter.
Cut the crusts off the bread. Spread each slice with on one side with butter, then cut into triangles.
Arrange a layer of bread, buttered-side up, in the bottom of the dish, then add a layer of sultanas. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon, then repeat the layers of bread and sultanas, sprinkling with cinnamon, until you have used up all of the bread. Finish with a layer of bread, then set aside.
Gently warm the milk and cream in a pan over a low heat to scalding point. Don't let it boil.
Crack the eggs into a bowl, add three quarters of the sugar and lightly whisk until pale.
Add the warm milk and cream mixture and stir well, then strain the custard into a bowl.
Pour the custard over the prepared bread layers and sprinkle with nutmeg and the remaining sugar and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C/355F/Gas 4.
Place the dish into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the custard has set and the top is golden-brown.

Category: Lamb

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 100g Butter
• 900g Lamb
• 3 Lamb Kidney
• 2 medium Onions
• 4 sliced Carrots
• 25g Plain Flour
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 500ml Chicken Stock
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 900g Potatoes

Instructions:

Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Heat some dripping or butter in a large shallow casserole dish, brown the lamb in batches, lift to a plate, then repeat with the kidneys.
Fry the onions and carrots in the pan with a little more dripping until golden. Sprinkle over the flour, allow to cook for a couple of mins, shake over the Worcestershire sauce, pour in the stock, then bring to the boil. Stir in the meat and bay leaves, then turn off the heat. Arrange the sliced potatoes on top of the meat, then drizzle with a little more dripping. Cover, then place in the oven for about 1½ hrs until the potatoes are cooked.
Remove the lid, brush the potatoes with a little more dripping, then turn the oven up to brown the potatoes, or finish under the grill for 5-8 mins until brown.