Baked Cheesecake in Sweet Pastry Case

Butternut Squash and Prawns Risotto

Butternut Squash and Prawn Risotto
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 T Olive oil or Veg oil
50 g butter
6 shallots, finely chopped
450 g butternut squash and cut into half an inch cubes
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 litre fish or veg stock
250 g carnaroli rice
140 ml dry white wine
About 6 large cooked tiger prawns (peeled, deveined, and may leave it unsliced for presentation) 3 T chopped parsley
50-60 g freshly grated parmesan
S&P

Heat the oil and half the butter in a large, deep frying pan, add the shallots and sweat gently for about 3 min. Sweat the squash and the garlic and cook for about 5 min, until they start to soften.

In a separate pan, boil and simmer the stock.

Meanwhile, stir the rice into the squash. Keep stirring to make sure each grain is glistening with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes, until it has evaporated.

Add a ladleful of hot stock to the rice and cook over moderate heat, stirring, for 3-5 min until it has been absorbed.

Continue adding the stock a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly, until all or nearly all the stock has been used and the rice and squash are tender. This should take about 18-20 min from adding the first ladleful of stock. On the last ladle, add in the cooked prawns and check the seasoning.

When the risotto is done, remove from the heat and stir in the remaining butter, plus the parlsey and Parmesan cheese.

*The finished risotto should be quite fluffy and loose enough to form a wave, but not soupy. Cover and leave to rest for 1 min, then serve, with extra freshly ground black pepper.

Chocolate Macarons

Fruit Tart- Peaches

Cod Paupiette stuffed with soft cheese parsley and cheese sauce

French Macarons- Chocolate

Vanilla Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Moroccan Chicken Tagine

Ingredients (Serves 4-6):

1 kg thighs (or thighs and drumsticks) of chicken
1 T ground coriander
1 T ground turmeric
1 T paprika
1 T harissa
5-60 ml olive oil
1 star anise
1 T umami or tomato puree
3 small onions, peeled and quartered
4-5 garlic cloves, crushed
5 tomatoes, quartered (optional)
½ tsp Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
About 12-18 dried apricots
12-18 dried dates, pitted
70 g sultanas
50 ml honey
S&P

In a bowl, toss the chicken in spices (coriander, turmeric, paprika), harissa, and olive oil. Make sure all of the lamb is coated in the spices. Marinade for at least 30 min.

Adding no more oil and over medium heat, put the chicken in a pan (or preferably in a cast iron casserole dish. The oil in the marinade will prevent the lamb from sticking. Add the onions, garlic, umami or tomato puree, and star anise.

Add about 500 ml of water, or just enough to barely cover the chicken. Season. Simmer for about 45 min or when the chicken is tender.

About 20 min to serve, stir in: honey, dried fruits, and sultanas.

About 5 min to serve, add in: tomatoes (if using) and nuts. Check the seasoning.

Just before serving, toss in sesame seeds (if using) and the fresh herbs. Check seasoning and drizzle with about a Tsbp of honey (optional).

Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Ingredients (serves 4-6):
1 kg cubed pcs of leg or shoulder (cheaper) of lamb
1 T ground coriander
1 T ground turmeric
1 T paprika
1 T harissa
5-60 ml olive oil
1 star anise
1 T umami or tomato puree
3 small onions, peeled and quartered
4-5 garlic cloves, crushed
5 tomatoes, quartered (optional)
½ tsp Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
About 12-18 dried apricots
12-18 dried dates, pitted
70 g sultanas
50 ml honey
S&P

In a bowl, toss the lamb in spices (coriander, turmeric, paprika), harissa, and olive oil. Make sure all of the lamb is coated in the spices. Marinade for at least 30 min.

Adding no more oil and over medium heat, put the lamb in a pan (or preferably in a cast iron casserole dish. The oil in the marinade will prevent the lamb from sticking. Add the onions, garlic, umami or tomato puree, and star anise.

Add about 500 ml of water, or just enough to barely cover the lamb. Season. Simmer for at least 1 ½ hrs (up to 2 ½ hrs).

About 20 min to serve, stir in: honey, dried fruits, and sultanas.

About 5 min to serve, add in: tomatoes (if using) and nuts. Check the seasoning.

Just before serving, toss in sesame seeds (if using) and the fresh herbs. Check seasoning and drizzle with about a Tsbp of honey (optional).

Baked Cheesecake in Pastry Base

Cauliflower Cheese

Lettuce & Tomato Salad with Feta, Yoghurt, & Cumin Dressing

Sinigang Trout

Fruit Tart

Victoria Sandwich

Quiche Lorraine

Ingredients:

Pate Brisee good for 25 cm quiche tin
5 eggs
1 egg yolk
250 ml full fat milk
250 ml double cream
200 g gruyere cheese
250 g rindless smoked bacon, roughly chopped
Black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan

The Pate Brisee

Roll out the Pate Brisee over a lightly floured surface. Cut out a circle large enough to line a 25 cm quiche tin. Use the rolling pin to lift the pastry into the tin, pushing down the sides. Trim off any excess.

Bake Blind

Line the pastry case with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 10-15 min or until just about golden brown. Remove the baking beans and baking paper.

Reduce the oven to 180c/160cfan

Make the filling

In a bowl, mix together the eggs, the egg yolk, milk, and cream, and stir in the grated cheese. Scatter the bacon over the base of the tart then pour the egg mixture over the bacon and grind over some black pepper. Check the seasoning.

Bake

Bake the quiche for 20 min or until the filling is set and golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Singapore Noodles

Tarte Tatin

Beef Provencale

My take on this classic. Ingredients:

Stewing Beef (chuck)- about a kilo
2 x 400 gms choped tomato
just a 2-3 pcs of bacon- chopped
400 ml beef stock
sliced fennel (optional)
sliced carrots
chopped red onion
sliced shallots
new potatoes
olives- black and/or green
1 T sundried tomato
1 T of brown sugar
a squirt of tomato puree (optional)
1boquet garni
chopped fresh Rosemary- one sprig
fresh thyme- one sprig
zest of one orange

Meat is browned first over a stove then slow-cooked in the oven for 2 hrs and 20 min at 140c fan assisted.

Noodles with peanut butter, and a variety of Chinese Ingredients

Served cold and garnished with spring onions and carrot flowers.

Boeuf Bourgignon

A classic French beef dish that's slow-cooked in red wine sauce. Here, I garnished it with thyme and served with crusty bread. You can also serve it with Charlotte potatoes.

Eclairs with chocolate topping and filling of Creme Chantilly

ok, still some work in progress...

Lavender & Vanilla Cupcakes

Lavender cupcakes on the left, Vanilla on the right.

Lemon Chicken

I love the balance of flavours- from tangy to sweet. Just delicious!

Menudo

Heat 2T of veg oil and saute 3-4 cloves of garlic, 1 medium minced onions. Add one cut of pork (diced). Saute until light brown.

Add the salt (about 1 t), fish sauce (to taste- about 2T), black pepper, chorizo (about 200 grams), one can about 400g of chopped tomatoes, paprika (to taste- about 1 T), and tomato puree (to taste- about 2T)

Simmer, covered for 20 min. You can add some water if gets dry, but compensate with more tomato puree.

Add the 1 large and diced potato and chick peas (small can) and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the beef or pork liver (about 1c) and green and red peppers. Simmer for a further 10 mind.

Correct the seasoning if needed.

Beef Empanadas and Mince Beef in Pitta Bread

Beef Empanadas (below)



But if you don't have time to make a dough, you could use pitta bread or tacos. Here, I used mini pittas packed with the same filling. My children loved it!

Fusion Noodles

the sauce is really nice, but perhaps less noodles next time so that the sauce will really stand out.

Moist Brownies

I love this recipe! The end result is a crumbly and dense that is true to a classic brownie, and yet moist in the middle. It is certainly not so sweet and because I used a top quality chocolate with 70% cocoa solids, you get to taste a chocolatey brownie and not a sugary brownie!



140 g unsalted butter, chopped and softened plus extra to grease
150 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) roughly chopped, plus extra to decorate
58 g plain flour
50 cocoa powder, plus extra to decorate
1/2 t baking powder
200 g golden caster sugar
2 large eggs, plus 1 large yolk
1T vanilla extract
40 g chopped walnuts
40 g plain chocolate chips

1 Preheat the oven to 180 c (160 c fan)
Grease a 20cm square baking tin
2 Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the base doesn't touch the water. Sift the flour, a pinch of salt, cocoa and baking powder into a separate bowl.
3 Meanwhile, using an electric hand whisk, beat the sugar and butter in another bowl until pale and creamy. With the whisk running, slowly add the eggs and the yolk- the mixture should be smooth and creamy.
4 Using a metal spoon, gently fold melted chocolate and vanilla into the butter and sugar mixture, followed by flour mixture, walnuts and chocolate chips.
5 Spoon mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the middle shelf of oven for 33 min. The brownies should have a thin crust on top, but feel soft and not completely cooked in the middle. Cool in tin, then chill for at least 1 hr.
6 Turn out of the tin and cut into bite-sized pieces. Dust with extra cocoa powder and pile on a plate. Use a vegetable peeler to scrap curls from the extra chocolate, sprinkle over the brownies and serve.

Butternut Squash and Rosemary Muffins

Nice and healthy that can be eaten anytime. Great as a packed lunch for kids, as an alternative to sandwiches.