Tag: recipes

makes 10 popsicles

175ml Aperol
125ml Prosecco
60ml sparkling water
60ml orange juice
1/4 tsp. orange zest
10 orange slices

First juice your oranges. In a bowl combine Aperol, Prosecco, sparkling water, orange juice and orange zest. Stir and let sit for a few minutes to release carbonation.

Add your orange slices to your popsicle mold and then pour the popsicle mix into the mold. Put the cover on and insert popsicle sticks. Send to the freezer for at least 5-6 hours, but freezing overnight is always best.

This oat dish is similar to creamy polenta. Bacon adds smokiness, onion deepens the flavor, adding both a touch of natural sweetness as well as savory notes, and sharp cheddar adds complexity. A fried egg with runny yolk is the perfect topper.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 slices bacon, diced
1/2 small onion, diced
1/3 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup water
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch black pepper, plus more to taste
50g cheddar, diced
1 fried egg

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer bacon to a small bowl and set aside.

Add onion to oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to turn brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in oats, water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and simmer until oats are tender, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in bacon and cheese. Transfer to a bowl and top with fried egg and more black pepper, if desired.

1 large round loaf sourdough bread
10 slices cheddar cheese
18 large eggs
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 cup bacon, cooked, chopped (225 g)
1 cup shredded cheese blend (100 g)
1 cup spinach, cooked (150 g)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups heavy cream (480 mL)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (200 g)
mixed greens salad, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a sheet of parchment paper over the foil.

With a serrated knife, cut off the top half-inch (1 cm) of the sourdough loaf. Cut around the edge of the bread, then use your fingers to remove the center and set aside for later.

Line the inside of the bread bowl with the sliced cheddar cheese.

Place the bread bowl on the baking sheet and wrap the outside with the parchment and foil.

Bake for 8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, salt, pepper, bacon, shredded cheese blend, spinach, onion, and heavy cream. Whisk until smooth, then add the cherry tomatoes. Pour the egg mixture into the bread bowl, leaving a half-inch (1 cm) of space at the top. Cover the bread bowl with foil.

Bake for 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until the center of the quiche has set

Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve with a mixed green salad.

Ingredients
(for 2 servings)

2 medium jacket potatoes
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (100 g)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp salt
2 wooden skewers

Preheat the oven to 325F/160C.

Microwave the potatoes for 1-1.5 minutes, then leave in the microwave for a few minutes to cool down and soften. Insert a wooden skewer into the bottom of each potato and gently push it all the way through the top. Working in a spiral motion from one side to the other, hold a sharp, thin knife at an angle and cut in the opposite direction you are turning the skewered potato, cutting all the way down to the skewer. Take your time and work to make thin, even spiral all the way down the potato.

Gently fan out each potato down the length of the skewer, until you have even gaps between the slices. Brush the melted butter all over the potatoes.

In a medium bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, pepper, onion powder, paprika, and salt. Place each skewered potato over the bowl and sprinkle half of the spice mixture over each potato until they are entirely coated. Carefully set the potatoes on a baking pan, letting the skewers rest on sides of the pan so that the potatoes are suspended.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until nicely browned. Garnish with additional Parmesan. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Ingredients
500ml pot ready-made chilled custard (look for one with real vanilla)
100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
400g shop-bought chocolate brownies
3 tbsp coffee
100ml Irish cream liqueur, plus 1 tbsp extra for soaking the brownies
121g bag Maltesers
500ml double cream
25g icing sugar

Put the custard and chocolate in a saucepan. Gently heat, stirring, until the chocolate has completely melted into the custard. Cover the surface with cling film to stop the custard forming a skin, then cool.

Sit the brownies in a trifle bowl and mix together the coffee with the 1 tbsp Irish cream liqueur. Drizzle all over the brownies. Use a rolling pin or saucepan to gently bash the bag of Maltesers a few times to crush a little, then sprinkle about three-quarters over the brownies. Spoon the cooled chocolate custard all over the top, then cover and chill.

Make the final layer by combining the cream and 100ml Irish cream liqueur in a bowl. Sift over the icing sugar, then whip until soft peaks form. Cover and chill until you’re ready to serve.

To serve, give the cream a quick mix, then spoon on top of the chocolate custard. Scatter over the last few crushed Maltesers to decorate.

500 g bread flour
0.75 tsp salt
7g (1 packet) yeast
1 tbsp sugar
60 g butter, melted
300ml milk, lukewarm

glaze:
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp milk

Mix all bread together with a spatula. Knead on floured surface for 10 minutes. Roll into ball and let rise for 1.5h at room temperature in a bowl covered with a damp cloth.

Cut dough in 3 equal parts and stretch out into 50cm length. Braid.

Place bread on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Glaze with egg yolk and milk mixture.

Leave to proof another 30 minutes. Glaze again and bake for 30 minutes in oven preheated to 200C.

Tap the bottom of the bread. A firm hollow noise means the bake is good.

Alternatives:
– add 0.5 tsp salt and 200g grilled lardons.
– use 400g spelt flour and 100g white bread flour

In this case, Bean wanted some mini-tresses so it was still a bit of a work in progress. Next time I’ll just do a plain big one.

for 12 cookies

100g granulated sugar
165g brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
115g unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
155g all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
110g milk chocolate chunks
110g dark chocolate chunk

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, salt, and butter until a paste forms with no lumps.

Whisk in the egg and vanilla, beating until light ribbons fall off the whisk and remain for a short while before falling back into the mixture.

Sift in the flour and baking soda, then fold the mixture with a spatula (Be careful not to overmix, which would cause the gluten in the flour to toughen resulting in cakier cookies).

Fold in the chocolate chunks, then chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. For a more intense toffee-like flavor and deeper color, chill the dough overnight. The longer the dough rests, the more complex its flavor will be.

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Scoop the dough with an ice-cream scoop onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving at least 4 inches (10 cm) of space between cookies and 2 inches (5 cm) of space from the edges of the pan so that the cookies can spread evenly.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges have started to barely brown.

Cool completely before serving.

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
150g tomato paste
2 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for the meat
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more for the meat
250ml beef stock
250ml apple cider vinegar
100g light brown sugar
1.5kg beef brisket (preferably flat cut)

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown and char in some spots, about 8 minutes.

Add the tomato paste, paprika, oregano, onion powder, salt, cumin, cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Deglaze the pan with stock, using a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the vinegar and sugar and stir to combine and dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.

Pat the brisket dry with paper towels. Generously season both sides with salt and pepper. Place the brisket in the slow cooker fat-side down.

Cover and cook on the LOW setting for 6 to 8 hours. The brisket is done when it easily shreds when pulled, but it shouldn’t be falling apart.

Transfer the brisket to a clean cutting board. If desired, use a spoon to scrape the fat cap off. Now you can slice and serve the brisket immediately with the sauce.

8 slices bacon, diced
1.5 kg beef chuck roast, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tbsp flour
375 ml full-bodied red wine, like a pinot noir or a gamaret
300 g pearl onions
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 L beef stock or broth
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs fresh thyme
500 g small mushrooms, halved
500 g red or yellow baby potatoes, halved or quartered
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour

In a large skillet, cook bacon until browned and crispy. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.

Dredge beef cubes in flour. Brown beef in bacon fat, cooking about 1-2 minutes per side, until browned. Remove to bottom of slow cooker. Top with most of the bacon pieces. Deglaze pan with red wine and add to slow cooker.

Add all other ingredients (onions through black pepper) and stir to combine.

Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. The last 30 minutes before serving, mix 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp flour, then add to slow cooker. Stir, cover and continue cooking 30 minutes or up to an hour, until gravy has thickened to your liking.

Remove bay leaf and thyme stems and serve hot.

500g ground beef
500g ground pork
3x500ml tinned chopped tomatoes
500ml chicken stock
50g tomato paste
1 white onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4 dried ancho chiles
2 dried pasilla chiles
4 dried guajillo chiles
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste

Remove the stems (and seeds if you want it milder in heat), from the anchos, pasillas, and guajillos. Cover chiles with 500ml boiling chicken stock and let them steam for about 30 minutes until they are tender. Put the chiles, chicken stock, onion, cumin and oregano into a blender and purée until smooth. Set aside.

In a large skillet, brown and crumble ground beef and ground chuck until cooked through. Drain and add to slow cooker.

Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, peppers, chili paste, salt and pepper to slow cooker. Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream, if desired.