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  • Rocky Road Fudge

    Rocky Road Fudge

    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.

  • Bread and Butter Pudding

    Bread and Butter Pudding

    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.

  • Lancashire hotpot

    Lancashire hotpot

    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.

  • Tonkatsu pork

    Tonkatsu pork

    Category: Pork

    Area: Japanese

    Ingredients:

    • 4 Pork Chops
    • 100g Flour
    • 2 Beaten Eggs
    • 100g Breadcrumbs
    • Fry Vegetable Oil
    • 2 tbs Tomato Ketchup
    • 2 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
    • 1 tbs Oyster Sauce
    • 2 tblsp Caster Sugar

    Instructions:

    STEP 1
    Remove the large piece of fat on the edge of each pork loin, then bash each of the loins between two pieces of baking parchment until around 1cm in thickness – you can do this using a meat tenderiser or a rolling pin. Once bashed, use your hands to reshape the meat to its original shape and thickness – this step will ensure the meat is as succulent as possible.

    STEP 2
    Put the flour, eggs and panko breadcrumbs into three separate wide-rimmed bowls. Season the meat, then dip first in the flour, followed by the eggs, then the breadcrumbs.

    STEP 3
    In a large frying or sauté pan, add enough oil to come 2cm up the side of the pan. Heat the oil to 180C – if you don’t have a thermometer, drop a bit of panko into the oil and if it sinks a little then starts to fry, the oil is ready. Add two pork chops and cook for 1 min 30 secs on each side, then remove and leave to rest on a wire rack for 5 mins. Repeat with the remaining pork chops.

    STEP 4
    While the pork is resting, make the sauce by whisking the ingredients together, adding a splash of water if it’s particularly thick. Slice the tonkatsu and serve drizzled with the sauce.

  • Lasagne

    Lasagne

    Category: Pasta

    Area: Italian

    Ingredients:

    • 1 tblsp Olive Oil
    • 2 Bacon
    • 1 finely chopped Onion
    • 1 Stick Celery
    • 1 medium Carrots
    • 2 cloves chopped Garlic
    • 500g Minced Beef
    • 1 tbls Tomato Puree
    • 800g Chopped Tomatoes
    • 1 tblsp Honey
    • 500g Lasagne Sheets
    • 400ml Creme Fraiche
    • 125g Mozzarella Balls
    • 50g Parmesan Cheese
    • Topping Basil Leaves

    Instructions:

    Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Use kitchen scissors to snip the bacon into small pieces, or use a sharp knife to chop it on a chopping board. Add the bacon to the pan and cook for just a few mins until starting to turn golden. Add the onion, celery and carrot, and cook over a medium heat for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, until softened.
    Add the garlic and cook for 1 min, then tip in the mince and cook, stirring and breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for about 6 mins until browned all over.
    Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 min, mixing in well with the beef and vegetables. Tip in the chopped tomatoes. Fill each can half full with water to rinse out any tomatoes left in the can, and add to the pan. Add the honey and season to taste. Simmer for 20 mins.
    Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. To assemble the lasagne, ladle a little of the ragu sauce into the bottom of the roasting tin or casserole dish, spreading the sauce all over the base. Place 2 sheets of lasagne on top of the sauce overlapping to make it fit, then repeat with more sauce and another layer of pasta. Repeat with a further 2 layers of sauce and pasta, finishing with a layer of pasta.
    Put the crème fraîche in a bowl and mix with 2 tbsp water to loosen it and make a smooth pourable sauce. Pour this over the top of the pasta, then top with the mozzarella. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top and bake for 25–30 mins until golden and bubbling. Serve scattered with basil, if you like.

  • Chocolate Souffle

    Chocolate Souffle

    Category: Dessert

    Area: French

    Ingredients:

    • 142ml Single Cream
    • 25g Caster Sugar
    • 100g Dark Chocolate
    • 25g Butter
    • drizzle Butter
    • 50g Caster Sugar
    • 175g Dark Chocolate
    • 2 tbs Double Cream
    • 4 Egg Yolks
    • 5 Egg White
    • 2 tbs Double Cream
    • to serve Icing Sugar

    Instructions:

    Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7 and place a baking tray on the top shelf. For the sauce, heat the cream and sugar until boiling. Remove from the heat, stir in the chocolate and butter until melted, then keep warm.
    Brush 6 x 150ml ramekins with melted butter, sprinkle with the 2 tbsp caster sugar, then tip out any excess. Melt the chocolate and cream in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, cool, then mix in the egg yolks. Whisk the egg whites until they hold their shape, then add the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking back to the same consistency. Mix a spoonful into the chocolate, then gently fold in the rest.
    Working quickly, fill the ramekins, wipe the rims clean and run your thumb around the edges. Turn oven down to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6, place the ramekins onto the baking tray, then bake for 8-10 mins until risen with a slight wobble. Don’t open the oven door too early as this may make them collapse.
    Once the soufflés are ready, dust with icing sugar, scoop a small hole from their tops, then pour in some of the hot chocolate sauce. Replace the lids and serve straight away.

  • Japanese Katsudon

    Japanese Katsudon

    Category: Pork

    Area: Japanese

    Ingredients:

    • 1 tbs Vegetable Oil
    • 1 large Onion
    • 1 chopped Pork
    • 150ml Vegetable Stock
    • 1 tbs Soy Sauce
    • 1 tsp Mirin
    • 1 tsp Sugar
    • 2 Beaten Eggs
    • 200g Sushi Rice
    • Chopped Chives

    Instructions:

    STEP 1
    Heat the oil in a pan, fry the sliced onion until golden brown, then add the tonkatsu (see recipe here), placing it in the middle of the pan. Mix the dashi, soy, mirin and sugar together and tip three-quarters of the mixture around the tonkatsu. Sizzle for a couple of mins so the sauce thickens a little and the tonkatsu reheats.

    STEP 2
    Tip the beaten eggs around the tonkatsu and cook for 2-3 mins until the egg is cooked through but still a little runny. Divide the rice between two bowls, then top each with half the egg and tonkatsu mix, sprinkle over the chives and serve immediately, drizzling with a little more soy if you want an extra umami kick.

  • Provençal Omelette Cake

    Provençal Omelette Cake

    Category: Vegetarian

    Area: French

    Ingredients:

    • 10 Eggs
    • 1 tbs Olive Oil
    • 2 finely chopped Courgettes
    • 3 finely chopped Spring Onions
    • 4 Red Pepper
    • 1 clove peeled crushed Garlic Clove
    • 1 Red Chilli
    • 300g Cream Cheese
    • 6 tblsp Milk
    • 4 tbs Chives
    • 2 tbs Basil
    • to serve Rocket
    • to serve Parmesan

    Instructions:

    Break the eggs into two bowls, five in each. Whisk lightly and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a pan, add the courgettes and spring onions, then fry gently for about 10 mins until softened. Cool, then stir into one bowl of eggs with a little salt and pepper. Add the roasted peppers to the other bowl of eggs with the garlic, chilli, salt and pepper.
    Heat a little oil in a 20-23cm frying pan, preferably non-stick. Pour the eggs with courgette into a measuring jug, then pourabout one-third of the mixture into the pan, swirling it to cover the base of the pan. Cook until the egg is set and lightly browned underneath, then cover the pan with a plate and invert the omelette onto it. Slide it back into the pan to cook the other side. Repeat with the remaining mix to make two more omelettes, adding a little oil to the pan each time. Stack the omelettes onto a plate. Make three omelettes in the same way with the red pepper mixture, then stack them on a separate plate.
    Now make the filling. Beat the cheese to soften it, then beat in the milk to make a spreadable consistency. Stir in the herbs, salt and pepper. Line a deep, 20-23cm round cake tin with cling film (use a tin the same size as the frying pan). Select the best red pepper omelette and place in the tin, prettiest side down. Spread with a thin layer of cheese filling, then cover with a courgette omelette. Repeat, alternating the layers, until all the omelettes and filling are in the tin, finishing with an omelette. Flip the cling film over the omelette, then chill for up to 24 hrs.
    To serve, invert the omelette cake onto a serving plate and peel off the cling film. Pile rocket on the top and scatter over the cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and a little freshly ground black pepper. Serve cut into wedges.

  • Timbits

    Timbits

    Category: Dessert

    Area: Canadian

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups Flour
    • 1/3 cup Sugar
    • 3 tsp Baking Powder
    • ½ tsp Salt
    • 1 beaten Egg
    • ¾ cup Milk
    • 3 tbs Oil
    • for frying Oil
    • garnish Icing Sugar

    Instructions:

    Sift together dry ingredients.
    Mix together wet ingredients and incorporate into dry. Stir until smooth.
    Drop by teaspoonfuls(no bigger) into hot oil (365 degrees, no hotter), turning after a few moments until golden brown on all sides.
    Remove and drain.
    Roll in cinnamon sugar while still warm and serve.

  • Sticky Toffee Pudding

    Sticky Toffee Pudding

    Category: Dessert

    Area: British

    Ingredients:

    • 100g Butter
    • 175g Muscovado Sugar
    • 2 large Eggs
    • 225g Self-raising Flour
    • 1 tsp Baking Powder
    • 1 tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
    • 3 tbs Black Treacle
    • 275ml Milk
    • to serve Double Cream
    • 100g Butter
    • 125g Muscovado Sugar
    • 1 tbs Black Treacle
    • 300ml Double Cream
    • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

    Instructions:

    Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Butter a wide shallow 1.7-litre/3-pint ovenproof dish.
    Put the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and treacle into a mixing bowl. Beat using an electric handheld whisk for about 30 seconds or until combined. Pour in the milk gradually and whisk again until smooth. Pour into the prepared dish. Bake for 35–40 minutes or until well risen and springy in the centre.
    To make the sauce, put all the ingredients into a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Bring to the boil, stirring for a minute.
    To serve, pour half the sauce over the pudding in the baking dish. Serve with the cream or ice cream.