Tag: recipes

1. Base Ingredient: 2 1/2 Cups, Total, of any of the following:
Quick cooking oats, Puffed wheat, Rice Crispies, Special K

2. Something Sweet: 3/4 Cups of any combination of the following:
Honey, Grade B Maple Syrup, Molasses, Agave or other sweetener.

3. Something Chewy: 1 Cup of any or all of the below:
Dried Cranberries, Raisins, Apricots, Dates, Pineapple, Figs, Cherries, Blueberries etc. (Just keep the size of the fruit relatively small (ie, diced if larger, like dates).

4. Something Crunchy: 1 Cup of any.
Sunflower Seeds, Chocolate Chips, Cocoa nibs, other seeds or nuts (if possible)

5. Something to Hold it All Together: 1 Cup
Try using Applesauce, Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, Pureed Dates, Nutella, Biscoff Spread, etc. (again, avoid peanut butter if sending these to school).

1. Heat Oven to 325F/ 170C/ 150fan.
2. Line an 8×8 Baking pan with parchment paper in cross-wise fashion with lots of extra overhanging.
3. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. (ie. base, chewy, crunchy). Add spice to taste. (ex cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, 1 tsp salt).
4. Mix wet ingredients together. ( ie. sweet, and something to hold it all together, 1 tsp vanilla extract).
5. Combine wet into dry, and mix well.
6. Pour mixture into baking pan, and with the extra parchment paper overhanging, press mixture firmly and evenly in pan. When you think you’ve pressed it firmly enough, do it again and press a little more.
7. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool for 2 hours. Remove from pan and cut into desired size (squares or bars).

You can store these in an airtight container for 5-6 days. (if they last that long!)

A good beef fillet (preferably Aberdeen Angus) of around 1kg
3 tbsp olive oil
250g chestnut mushroom, include some wild ones if you like
50g butter
1 large sprig fresh thyme
100ml oz dry white wine
12 slices prosciutto
500g pack puff pastry, thawed if frozen
a little flour, for dusting
2 egg yolks beaten with 1 tsp water
Dijon mustard

1. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 7. Pan sear the beef in olive oil to give it some colour. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast for 15 mins for medium-rare or 20 mins for medium. When the beef is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven to cool, then chill in the fridge for about 20 mins.

2. While the beef is cooling, chop 250g chestnut (and wild, if you like) mushrooms as finely as possible so they have the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. You can use a food processor to do this, but make sure you pulse-chop the mushrooms so they don’t become a slurry.

3. Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil and 50g butter in a large pan and fry the mushrooms on a medium heat, with 1 large sprig fresh thyme, for about 10 mins stirring often, until you have a softened mixture. Season the mushroom mixture, pour over 100ml dry white wine and cook for about 10 mins until all the wine has been absorbed. The mixture should hold its shape when stirred. Remove the mushroom duxelle from the pan to cool and discard the thyme.

4. Overlap two pieces of cling film over a large chopping board. Lay 12 slices prosciutto on the cling film, slightly overlapping, in a double row. Spread half the duxelles over the prosciutto, then sit the fillet on it. Brush Dijon mustard on the beef filet with a pastry brush and spread the remaining duxelles over. Use the cling film’s edges to draw the prosciutto around the fillet, then roll it into a sausage shape, twisting the ends of cling film to tighten it as you go. Chill the fillet while you roll out the pastry.

5. Dust your work surface with a little flour. Roll out a third of the 500g pack of puff pastry to a 18 x 30cm strip and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Roll out the remainder of the 500g pack of puff pastry to about 28 x 36cm. Unravel the fillet from the cling film and sit it in the centre of the smaller strip of pastry. Beat the 2 egg yolks with 1 tsp water and brush the pastry’s edges, and the top and sides of the wrapped fillet. Using a rolling pin, carefully lift and drape the larger piece of pastry over the fillet, pressing well into the sides. Trim the joins to about a 4cm rim. Seal the rim with the edge of a fork or spoon handle. Glaze all over with more egg yolk and, using the back of a knife, mark the beef Wellington with long diagonal lines taking care not to cut into the pastry. Chill for at least 30 mins and up to 24 hrs.
Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Brush the Wellington with a little more egg yolk and cook until golden and crisp – 20-25 mins for medium-rare beef, 30 mins for medium. Allow to stand for 10 mins before serving in thick slices.

Alternatives: You can replace the prosciutto with a generous slathering of paté. You can also mix in some Boursin cheese with the mushroom duxelle.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the ramekins
450g camembert cheese with rind
400ml single cream
400ml full fat milk
4 large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 baguette, bottom crust discarded, cut into 1/2-inch dice
450g cooked, smoked ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 large fresh thyme sprigs
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup dry white wine
Green salad, for serving, optional

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F with 1 rack set on the middle shelf and 1 rack set on the bottom shelf. Fill a large baking dish halfway with warm water and place on the bottom rack.

Butter eight 8-ounce ramekins and place on a baking sheet. Slice the cheese into 1/2-inch cubes and lay on a plate to keep them from sticking together.

Whisk the cream and eggs together in a large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Add the baguette cubes and ham. Stir to combine.

Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and thyme, season with salt and pepper and cook until slightly softened and browned around the edges, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the apples, season with salt and pepper and cook until slightly softened and browned around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook until the wine has completely absorbed, 3 to 4 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs. Add the apple mixture along with the cheese cubes to the beaten eggs, and stir to combine.

Evenly divide the bread pudding among the ramekins. Bake until a paring knife inserted into the center of a bread pudding comes out clean and hot, 18 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Allow the bread puddings to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Serve alongside a lightly dressed green salad.

This ham and asparagus strata is basically a breakfast casserole, taken up a notch or two. It’s a layered casserole with cubes of rustic bread, eggs, Gruyere cheese, milk, cream, diced ham, and asparagus.

It feeds a crowd. You can easily make ahead. Leftovers (if you have them, which I seriously doubt) will reheat beautifully for days.

INGREDIENTS
1 loaf Italian or French rustic bread, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes, about 8 cups total of bread cubes
1 pound asparagus spears, woody ends removed, spears cut into 3/4-inch pieces
Salt (for blanching water)
1 medium bowl of ice water
2 Tbsp softened butter (for buttering the dish)
6-ounces ham, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, about 2 cups
4-ounces Gruyere cheese, grated, about 1 cup, packed
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups cream
1 3/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried tarragon (or thyme)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Spread the cubed bread over a baking dish or sheet pan in a single layer. Place in oven and bake until lightly toasted, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove and set aside. Lower the oven temperature to 350F.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper, and tarragon. Set aside.

3. Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil (1 1/2 teaspoons of salt). Add the cut asparagus to the boiling water. Return to a boil and blanch the asparagus for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the asparagus to a bowl of ice water to shock the asparagus and stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

4. Spread butter over the inside of a 8x11x2 inch casserole dish. Spread half of the bread cubes over the bottom of the casserole dish. Sprinkle half of the ham cubes over the bread. Sprinkle half of the asparagus over the ham. Sprinkle everything with half of the Gruyere cheese. Pour half of the milk egg mixture over everything.

5. Repeat the process. Add another layer of cubed bread, ham, asparagus, Gruyere, and milk egg mixture. Press down on the mixture with your (clean) hands to help the bread soak up more of the milk mixture. (At this point you can make up to a day ahead, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.)

6. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the 350F oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil. Bake uncovered for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, until the egg mixture is set. Test by inserting a sharp knife into the center of the casserole. If the inside is still runny, it’s not cooked through yet and needs more time in the oven. If the top starts to get too browned, you can cover again with aluminum foil.

Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

2kg fresh clams, scrubbed
500g large shrimp, peeled and deveined
250g scallops
250g pound fresh lump crabmeat
200g thick unsmoked bacon or pancetta, cut into small dice
1 onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp plain flour
2 medium waxy potatoes, chopped into 1cm dice
1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
150ml double cream
Knob of butter
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne

Put the clams in a large pan with 600ml water. Cover, bring to the boil and steam until most are open, then pour into a sieve with a bowl underneath to catch the cooking liquid.

When cool enough to handle, remove from their shells and discard these. Roughly chop the clams, if large. Strain the liquid through a couple of layers of paper towel, or cheesecloth – you should have about 1.2 litres.

Meanwhile, heat a medium pan over a medium-high heat and fry the bacon in its own fat until this begins to render. Add the onion and fry until this is soft, the bacon is crisp, and both are beginning to brown. Add the bay leaf, cayenne, paprika and flour and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes.

Slowly stir in the clam liquid, then add the potatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes and the corn and all of the seafood. Simmer until all the seafood is cooked and the potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes), then stir in the cream, clams and butter. Heat through, season to taste with plenty of black pepper and salt if necessary, and serve.