Wednesday 25 April 2012

Lemon And Lime Chicken

This is an easy to prepare dish,great for a weekend lunch or dinner,great for the barbecue.
Ingredients
1 kilo skinless chicken fillets,thigh fillets are fine.
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
2 Lemons
2 Limes
1 Clove of Garlic
I Small Onion

Method
Peel the onion and garlic and chop very finely,set aside,juice the lemons and limes and place the juice in a large bowl,add the sesame oil and stir well,add the chicken and ensure that the chicken is well coated,cover the bowl with cling film and leave to marinate preferably overnight but if short of time 1 hour will suffice.
Remove the chicken from the bowl and strain the marinade to remove any solids,set aside.
Cook the chicken either in a large frypan or on a barbecue,periodically brush the marinade over the chicken
and cook till juices run clear and no pink flesh shows.
Serve with either a garden salad or with plain rice.

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Rhubarb And Apple Crumble

This is one of my favorite winter desserts,absolutely delicious but so easy to prepare.
Ingredients
  • 4 small granny smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into wedges
  • 1 bunch rhubarb, ends trimmed, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar 
  • 1 cup (90g) rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup (35g) shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup (55g) brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (40g) plain flour
  • 50g butter, softened
  • Vanilla ice-cream, to serve
  1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the apple and rhubarb in a roasting pan and sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until apple is tender and rhubarb releases juices. Remove from oven.

  2. Spoon the apple mixture evenly among six 1-cup (250ml) capacity shallow ovenproof dishes.
  3. Combine the  oats, coconut, brown sugar and flour in a medium bowl. Add the butter and use your fingertips to rub in the butter until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
  4. Step 4
    Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the apple mixture. Place dishes on an oven tray and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and heated through. Serve immediately with ice-cream, if desired.

Navarin of Lamb

Navarin is a type of ragout or stew and is usually made with Lamb or Mutton,it's a great dish for dinner on a
cold day.
Ingredients
1.25 kilo boned shoulder of Lamb
2oz Butter
2 Tablespoons Plain Flour
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Clove Garlic
3 Beef Stock Cubes
2 1/2 Cups Water
1/2 Cup Tomato Puree
4 Small Turnips
2 White Onions
4oz Bacon
1oz Extra Butter
12 Small Potatoes
4oz Peas,Fresh or Frozen
Chopped Parsley
Method
Chop the lamb shoulder into 1 inch cubes,remove any excess fat then toss in the flour,next melt the 2 oz butter and the oil in a large ,heavy based pan add the lamb and brown well,don't add too much to the pan at once.
Once all the lamb is browned remove it from the pan and set aside,add some more flour (about 1 tablespoon)
to pan and cook for 1 minute,add the water,stock cubes crumbled and tomato puree and stir till smooth,bring to the boil the reduce heat return the lamb to the pan and cook on medium heat 30 minutes,In a seperate pan
saute the onion and the bacon in the extra butter for 3 minutes, add the onion,bacon, sliced turnips,peeled potatoes and peas to the pan containing the lamb,bring back to the boil then reduce heat and cook further 35 minutes or until the meat and vegetables are tender.
Garnish with some chopped parsley.

Sunday 22 April 2012

Wild Mushroom Tart

Pastry Case
1 1/2 Cups Plain Flour
1/2 Cup Butter
Pinch Salt
3 Tablespoons Iced Water
Filling
1 Cup Apple Cider
3/4 Cup Dried Porcini Mushrooms
125 gms Wild Mushrooms
250 gms Cultivated Mushrooms
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Onion ,Sliced
300ml Thickened Cream
4 Eggs
3/4 Cup Mozarella
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan
Method
Make the pastry case by processing the flour,salt and butter in a food processor fitted with a blade,process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs,with the machine running add  the ice water and process further till
the dough holds together,remove the dough from the machine,wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate 1 hour before using.
Roll the dough to 1/8 inch thick on a floured work surface,lightly grease a 9 inch flan tin with a removable base and line with the pastry,trim edges neatly and freeze for 10 minutes.
Line the shell with aluminium foil and weight with rice,beans or pie weights bake in a pre heated 180 celsius oven 20 minutes ,remove the weights and set aside to cool.
To make the filling heat the cider in a saucepan,bring to the boil and pour over the dried porcini.
Heat the oil in a frypan over a medium heat,add the onion,and wild plus cultivated mushrooms and saute for
10 minutes,add the porcini and cider,add salt and pepper to taste,cook uncovered over medium heat for
20 minutes,remove from heat,beat the eggs with the cream and add the mozzarella,combine the egg and
cheese mixture with the mushroom mixture and pour into the pastry case and bake in pre heated oven at
180 celsius for 10 minutes then sprinkle grated parmesan on top and continue baking a further 25 minutes.
Allow to cool before slicing and serving.

Blanquette Of Chicken

Blanquette de Veau or Veal Blanquette is a classic recipe that I cooked on my very first day as an apprentice
chef back in 1977,but not everyone likes veal so I sometimes use chicken pieces instead,it gives a very tasty
result.
Here's what you need for 4 portions.

1 large Onion,sliced.
1 Kilogram Chicken Maryland Pieces.
4 Tablespoons Plain Flour
250 gm's unsalted butter
3 Cups Chicken Stock
Salt & Pepper
I Cup thinly sliced carrots
I Cup thinly sliced zucchini
600ml Thickened Cream
Chopped Parsley and Tarragon
METHOD
In a large frypan melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat,add the sliced onion and cook till transparent.drain the onion on kitchen paper and set aside to use later.
Next step is to melt half the butter in a heavy based casserole over medium heat ,add the chicken pieces and brown them a few pieces at a time,don't overcrowd the pan or the chicken will stew and ruin the flavour of the dish.when all the pieces have been browned you can return them all to the casserole.,now take 3 tablespoons of the flour ,salt and pepper and sprinkle over the chicken ,coat the chicken well and cook the chicken over a low heat for a further 5 minutes,don't brown the flour though.,now add the carrot and onion ,some chopped parlsey and tarragon and cover with just enough of the stock to cover the chicken and vegetables,bring to the boil then cover and place in a preheated 180 celsius oven and cook for 30 minutes,then remove the cover and add the zucchini and cook a further 10 minutes,next remove from the oven and strain the solids from the liquids,strain the liquid into a bowl and set aside.return the casserole dish to the stove and over a medium heat melt the remaining butter then add the remaining flour and cook over a low heat stirring constantly and cook 5 minutes then slowly whisk 2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid into the flour mixture a little at a time and heat to a simmer,simmer for a further 5 minutes stirring constantly.add the cream and correct the seasoning by adding further salt and pepper as needed.stir until blended.
Now add the chicken and vegetables back to the casserole and simmer a further 5 minutes.
Serve as you wish but I enjoy this with rice or noodles.
Enjoy

Sunday 8 April 2012

Dark Chocolate Sour Cherry Brownies

1/2 Cup Dried Sour Cherries
I Cup Plain Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
200 gm's Dark Chocolate
125 gm's Unsalted Butter
3/4 Cup Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Soak the dried cherries in a bowl of water for half an hour,drain well and set aside.
Sieve the flour and salt together in a large bowl and set aside, chop the chocolate into small pieces and place
in a large bowl with the butter,put one inch of water in a small saucepan and melt the chocolate in the bowl
over a medium heat,be careful not to overheat or the chocolate will seize.
In another bowl beat together the eggs with  the sugar and the vanilla,beat till pale and frothy then stir in the
chocolate and butter mixture,add the cherries and stir,then slowly add the flour in small amounts beating in well after each addition,stir until well combined.
Grease an 8 inch brownie pan and pour the mixture in evenly.
Bake in a pre heated 180 celsius oven for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Allow to cool before cutting into squares.