Tag: recipes

Making crunchy caramel popcorn is a two step process. First you make a simple caramel sauce on the stovetop by boiling butter and brown sugar for a few minutes. Then you coat the popcorn with caramel sauce and bake it in the oven until dry and crispy. The whole process takes a little over an hour, and keeps well in sealed containers for several days.

Ingredients
1/2 cup unpopped corn kernels (10-12 cups popped)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions
Arrange two oven racks in the top and bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 250°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Once you start making the caramel sauce, everything comes together quickly so have all the ingredients and equipment you need handy.

Make the popcorn. Warm 3 corn kernels and the oil in a large lidded saucepan over medium heat. When the kernels pop, add the rest of the corn kernels to the pan, shake to coat with oil, and put the lid on the pan. Pop the corn, shaking the pan occasionally, until the popping slows. Empty the popped corn immediately into a large heat-proof bowl. This makes about 10 cups of popcorn; make the popcorn in two batches if your pan is not large enough.

Make the caramel sauce. Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Mix in the sugar until the sugar is completely moistened. Increase the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, boil for 3-4 minutes while stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan continuously. (Boil for a minute less if cooking on an electric stove.) The exact cooking temperature isn’t critical with this recipe, but ideally you want the sugar mixture to reach between 250°F and 300°F. The longer you cook the syrup, the crunchier it will be. For very crunchy popcorn, stop cooking when you see the first wisps of smoke coming from the sugar mixture.

Off the heat, add the vanilla, salt and baking soda, and stir until combined. The sugar mixture will bubble up violently. Continue stirring until you form a thick, glossy sauce.

Combine the caramel sauce and popcorn. Slowly pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn while stirring the popcorn (it helps if you have a partner for this step — one person pouring while the other stirs the popcorn). Continue stirring the sauce into the popcorn until all of the kernels are coated.
Bake the caramel popcorn. Divide the popcorn between two baking sheets, spreading the popcorn out into an even layer. It’s ok if the popcorn clumps together. Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes and breaking up any clumps.

Let the popcorn cool completely on the baking sheets. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a week.

plain flour for dusting
good-quality, shop-bought puff pastry 400g
egg 1, beaten, to be used as egg wash
filling of your choice:

For the cumin and paprika-spiced chicken and spinach
olive oil for cooking
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
50g baby spinach leaves
120g cooked chicken meat, shredded
Squeeze of lemon juice
sea salt and black pepper

For the ricotta, peas and mint
120g ricotta
50g frozen peas, defrosted
10 fresh mint leaves, roughly shredded
extra virgin olive oil
zest of 1/4 lemon
sea salt and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Sprinkle some flour on a clean work surface and roll out the pastry to a 3mm thickness. Cut out discs from the pastry about 12cm in diameter and transfer onto a floured tray. Repeat the process with the leftover pastry: you should end up with 12 discs of pastry. Transfer to the fridge to chill.

Prepare your filling. For the cumin and paprika-spiced chicken and spinach, heat a sauté pan over a low heat and add a lug of olive oil. Add the paprika and cumin and cook gently for 1 minute. Add the spinach, season and cook until fully wilted. Drain the spinach, cool and roughly chop. Mix with the chicken and lemon juice.

For the ricotta, peas and mint, mix all the ingredients together and check the seasoning.

When the pastry has chilled, remove from the fridge and place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of each disc, leaving a 2cm border around the edges. Brush some egg wash on one half of the border and pull the other half over the top of the filling to meet the eggy side.

Press down and seal the pastry, ensuring there are no gaps. You will have a half moon shape with a bulge of filling in the centre. The pastry is quite robust but will become warm with too much handling, so you should work fairly swiftly. Crimp the sealed edge with a fork to give the classic empanadilla finish. Brush all over with egg wash and pop in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

Bake the empanadillas on a floured, non-stick oven tray for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is piping hot – a knife inserted into the centre of the empanadilla will come out hot.

500ml gin
2 tbsp earl grey loose leaf tea

To infuse the gin, simply combine the gin and earl grey in a jar, and steep for about 2-3 hours.  The longer you leave it, the stronger the tea flavor will be. Strain the gin and store.

500ml tea infused gin
125ml lemon juice
30ml simple syrup
1L ginger ale

Combine the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a pitcher.  Stir, then add plenty of ice, followed by the ginger ale.  Serve immediately.

1 rack St. Louis–style pork spare ribs (about 2 pounds)

1/2 cup freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons kosher salt

1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Combine black pepper, coriander, brown sugar, mustard powder, paprika, and cayenne in a small bowl. Brush ribs on both sides with distilled vinegar, sprinkle with salt, then pat all over with rub. Place on a rimmed baking sheet; chill at least 1 hour.

Place rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 325F/160C Transfer ribs to a roasting pan, fatty side up. Pour 1/2 cup water into pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake until meat is tender and falling off the bone, about 2 hours.

Remove ribs from oven and let stand, covered, 30 minutes.

Whisk Dijon mustard, cider vinegar, honey, and soy sauce in a small bowl.

Heat broiler. Remove foil from ribs and brush liberally on both sides with mustard mixture. Broil ribs until lightly charred, about 3 minutes. Slice into individual ribs.

3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 can (355ml) dark beer, at room temperature (Bass, Newcastle, Guiness, etc)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Add the beer all at once, mixing as little as possible; the batter should be lumpy.

Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with half the butter. Pour the batter into a and brush with the rest of melted butter. Sprinkle top with kosher salt.

Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

4 bread rolls (soft or crusty)
4 slices of ham
4 eggs, at room temperature
50g shredded cheese
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 180C/350F.

Cut the tops off the bread rolls. Scoop out the centre. To be neat, use a small knife to cut a round outline before scooping out the centre.

Line the bread bowl with a layer of ham. Try to use one whole piece if you can because then there is less chance of egg seeping through and being soaked up by the bread.

Crack in an egg.

Top each with cheese and a sprinkle of parsley (optional).

Put the top back on each roll. Wrap with foil and place in oven to bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Take a peek at 10 minutes to check them. 10 minutes = very runny yolks. 15 minutes = firm just cooked yolks. 15 minutes + = very cooked yolks.

1 baguette
5 large eggs
75ml heavy cream or whole milk
120g cooked bacon bits
120g cheese
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, mix eggs, cream, bacon, cheese, and onions. Season well. Cut a long rectangle through the top of the baguette and partially unstuff the baguette. Spoon the mixture into the baguette. Bake for 25 minutes at 350F/175C. Cut and serve while still warm.

2 large portobello mushroom caps
3 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Italian sausage
6 tablespoons tomato pasta sauce*
3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 egg (lightly beat it, then discard half)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
freshly grated mozzarella and pecorino romano cheese, to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425F/220C. Clean the mushroom caps by brushing gently with a wet brush. Remove the stems from mushrooms and gently remove gills with a spoon. Brush each mushroom with a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and a grind of pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of the mushroom) or until they are nicely roasted but still holding their general shape.

While the mushrooms roast, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium skillet. Remove the casing of the Italian sausage with a sharp knife and cook the crumbles until browned. Place the sausage on a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Let the mushrooms cool until they can be handled. Drain any excess moisture from the caps. In a small bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, half a lightly beaten egg, basil, rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt, and a grind or two of pepper. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of pasta sauce into each mushroom cap and a generous heap of the ricotta mixture. Press half of the Italian sausage into the ricotta mixture on each mushroom and top with another tablespoon or two of pasta sauce, a generous sprinkle of Mozzarella cheese, and another small grind of pepper. Place the mushrooms back into the oven until the ricotta mixture is set and the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Creamy lemon mustard vinaigrette

1 small shallot, chopped
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (could be substituted with white wine vinegar)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Citrus vinaigrette

1 small shallot, finely chopped
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

7 medium apples: 4 Cox, 3 Granny Smith
200g white sugar
50g butter
200g ready-made shortcrust pastry

1. Peel, halve and core the apples, then put in the fridge, uncovered, for 24 hours.

2. Put the sugar into a 20cm heavy-based ovenproof frying pan along with 50ml water and leave to soak for a couple of minutes, then cook over a medium heat until golden and fudgy. Take off the heat and stir in the butter, and a pinch of salt, until well combined, then carefully arrange the apples in the pan, round-side down, bearing in mind the caramel will be very hot, and put back on the heat – you may need to cut some of the apples into smaller pieces to fill in the gaps. Cook for 5 minutes, then take off the heat and allow to cool completely.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Roll out the pastry to 5mm thick, and cut out a circle slightly larger than your pan. Put back into the fridge to rest.

4. Put the pastry on top of the pan and tuck in the edges around the fruit. Bake for about 30 minutes until the pastry is golden, then remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then place a plate, slightly larger than the pan, on top and then, very carefully, using oven gloves, invert the tart on to the plate. Best served warm, with ice cream.