Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients

1 cup self raising flour
⅓ cup castor sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
 ½ cup milk
 40g butter, melted
 1 free range egg, lightly beaten
 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla essence
  1 cup brown sugar
 2 tablespoons cocoa (extra)

 1 cup boiling water
  Cream, for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180˚C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 4 cup ovenproof dish. Sift flour, sugar and cocoa into a mixing bowl. Combine milk, butter, egg and vanilla in a jug and pour into the dry ingredients. Mix gently until just combined. Pour into the prepared ovenproof dish. Combine brown sugar, extra cocoa and boiling water into another jug, mix well. Gently pour the sauce mixture into dish and bake for 20-25. Serve warm with cream.

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Mashed Patato Puffs

INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs

1/3 cup sour cream, plus more for serving

1 heaping cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped chives

salt and black pepper, to taste

3 cups mashed potatoes

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter 8 - 9 of the wells of a cupcake pan - preferably nonstick.
2. In a medium mixing bowl whisk the eggs then whisk in the sour cream. Mix in both cheeses and the chives.
3. Taste the potatoes and season them with salt and pepper if needed. Add them to the bowl and mix well.
4. Spoon them into the pan filling the cups just to the top or a little below.
5. Bake 25 - 35 minutes until they pull away from the sides of the cup and are golden brown all over.
6. Remove from oven and let them cool 5 minutes in pan. Turn them out onto a platter. Serve with sour cream.

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Cinnamon Puff Pastry

Ingredients

1 8 1/2-oz sheet puff pastry dough
3 tbsp softened butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips
1 egg, lightly beaten
6 oz chocolate candy coating
Crushed nuts for decorating,optional

Instruction

You need to start with puff pastry dough that is thawed but still cool, so take it out of the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before you’re going to need it. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. Dust your work surface with flour, then roll out the sheet of puff pastry until it is about 14 inches long by 10 inches tall. Cut the sheet in half lengthwise, so you’re left with two long rectangles. Spread the butter on one half of the pastry. Mix together 2 tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon, and sprinkle it generously on the buttered dough. Spread the chocolate chips evenly on top of the cinnamon. Brush the second pastry half with the beaten egg. Carefully lift the dough and place it, egg side down, on top of the chocolate chips. Press along the edges, then lightly run a rolling pin on top of the dough to seal them together. Use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to cut the dough crosswise into 24 strips that are each about 1/2-inch wide. Gently twist the strips several times, then set them on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Press the ends down so they stay flat on the sheet. Repeat until all of the dough is formed into twists. Brush the twists with the beaten egg, and sprinkle them with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until they’re puffed and golden brown throughout. Rotate the trays halfway through baking so they bake evenly. Let the twists cool completely at room temperature. Melt the chocolate candy coating, then dip each end in the coating. If you want to add chopped nuts, sprinkle them on top of the coating while it’s still wet. 

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Tomato Tart

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 whole Large Onions, Halved And Sliced Thin
•  Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 whole Storebought Pie Crusts (or Homemade Crust)
• 1-1/2 cup Grated Fontina Cheese
• 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup Grated Gruyere (or Swiss)
• 3 cups Cherry Tomatoes (yellow Or Red), Washed And Dried (more If Needed)
• 1 whole Egg
• 1/4 cup Milk
• 16 whole Basil Leaves, Chiffonade

Instructions:

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the butter, onions, salt, and pepper and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and deep golden brown. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Smush both pie crusts into a ball, knead it around a bit to combine them, then roll it out into one large, thin crust. Lay onto a shallow quarter sheet pan, a tart pan, or cut in half and use 2 standard pie pans. Sprinkle on the cheeses in a single layer, then lay on the caramelized onions, then sprinkle the tomatoes over the cheese.

Mix together the egg and milk in a small bowl and brush it all over the crust around the edge of the tart. Bake the tart for 15 to 18 minutes, watching carefully to make sure the crust doesn't burn. (The tomatoes should be starting to burst apart, with some dark/roasted areas on the skin, and the crust should be deep golden brown.) If the crust is getting brown too fast, reduce the heat to 425 F.

Remove the tart from the oven and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the basil all over the top. Cut into squares and serve!

 

Enjoy!

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Cheesy Polenta with Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, Kale and Egg

Ingredients

For the polenta:

4 and 1/2 cups water

1/2 tablespoon salt

1 and 1/4 cups coarse grind cornmeal

1-2 ounces of Gruyere, grated (or whatever kind of cheese you like)

For the vegetables:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

Pinch salt

8 ounces mushrooms (sliced)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 head kale, stems removed and coarsely torn

4 eggs, poached

Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, grated (optional)

Instructions

1. For the polenta:  In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat.  Meanwhile, start caramelizing your onions.

2.  Add in the salt.

3. Slowly whisk in the polenta until smooth.  Reduce the heat to low and cook until the polenta is thickened and creamy, about 15 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and add in the Gruyere cheese, stirring until completely melted.  Set aside (but keep the polenta warm.)

5. For the vegetables:  In a sauté pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering.

6. Add the onion slices and a pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring the onions frequently, until they are golden and caramelized, about 10-15 minutes.

7. Add in the mushrooms, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have let off some of their moisture and have softened, about  5 minutes.

8. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds

9. In batches, add the kale and stir until it wilts.

10. Divide the polenta between your servings bowls and sprinkle with the Parmesan Reggiano.  Top the polenta with the mushroom mixture.  Place a poached egg (or two) on top, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Enjoy.

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Sangria Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

         1 & 1/2 cups flour

         1 tsp baking powder

         1/2 tsp baking soda

        1/4 tsp salt

       3/4 cup sugar

       2 eggs

       1 stick butter, melted

         1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla

         1/2 cup sour cream

        1/2 cup chopped strawberries

         zest of 1 orange

         1/4 cup blueberries or diced apples

To top the cupcakes

           Orange slices, strawberry slices and blueberries.

Buttercream

        1 stick butter, room temperature

        1/2 cup vegetable shortening

        2-2.5 cups powdered sugar

      1/2 tsp vanilla

    2 cups red wine 

   1/4 cup sugar

Instructions

Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Whisk and set aside.

In a mixing bowl combine the eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and sour cream until combined.

Slowly add half of the flour mixture to the liquid, stirring to combine. Repeat with the rest of the flour mixture. Add in the chopped strawberries, orange zest, and blueberries or chopped apples. Stir to mix.

Divide the batter among a muffin pan lined with muffin liners, fill the muffin cups to be about a little more than 1/2 full.

Bake for 14-16 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Red Wine Syrup

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the red wine and sugar to a boil. Once the wine starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, you still want to see the wine boiling, just not a rigorous boil. Allow the wine to thicken and reduce, about 20-30 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool at remove temperature. This is where the wine will begin to thicken. Once the wine has cooled to room temperature, you can place the saucepan in the fridge to help speed on the cooling process.

Buttercream

In a mixing bowl, combine the room temperature butter and shortening, beat using an electric mixer for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Add 1/4 cup of the red wine syrup and mix. You can add more later, but you do not let the buttercream to become too wet.

Begin to add in the powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time. Slowly beat the mixture until the powered sugar is incorporated. Continue this process, adding enough powdered sugar to make sure the frosting isn't too wet. You can add more red wine syrup at this time if you’d like the flavor to be stronger. You may have to add more powdered sugar too.

Transfer a portion of the frosting to a large ziploc bag or piping bag fit with a piping tip. Push or squeeze the frosting down, getting rid of any air pockets. If using a ziploc bag, cut half one corner, making a hole between the size of a dime and a penny.

Begin to pipe the frosting onto a cupcake, starting with the outside edge and working your way into the center of the cupcake, progressively stacking the frosting as you go around in circles.

Top each cupcake with a small orange slice, strawberry slice and one blueberry.

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Crispy Asparagus

Ingredients

·     1 pound asparagus, trimmed

·     1/2 cup flour

·     2 eggs

·     3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

·     1/4 cup parmigiano,grated

·     salt and pepper

     

    

     Instructions

Dredge the asparagus in the flour, dip in the egg and then into a mixture of the panko, parmesan, salt and pepper. Place the asparagus in a single layer on a wire rack on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 425 degree oven until golden brown, about 7-13 minutes.

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Macroons

INGREDIENTS

Strawberry Macaroon Shells
4oz Almond Flour
8oz Powdered Sugar
5oz Egg Whites
2 1/2 0z. Sugar
2 Tsp. Strawberry
1/2 Tsp. Salt
Pink Gel Coloring

Vanilla Macaroon Shells 
4oz Almond Flour
8oz Powdered Sugar
5oz Egg Whites
2 1/2 0z. Sugar
2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 Tsp. Salt

Chocolate Buttercream
1/2 Cup Butter
2 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
4 Tbs. Cocoa Powder
1-3 Tbs. Milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Measure out all of your macaroon ingredients for the strawberry shells first.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, pour in egg whites, salt, and sugar. Set timer for 3 minutes and beat at a medium speed using the whisk attachment. Once the 3 minutes are up turn it up about 3 notches to speed 7 and beat for another 3 minutes. Once those are up turn it all the way up on high and beat one last time for 3 minutes.

While your meringue is beating sift your almond flour and powdered sugar into a bowl. Once all is sifted you should have some small bits of almond that were too large to pass through. If there is a tsp. or less you just leave them out, if there is more you will want to send them through a food processor to grind them up before pouring into the batter.

Add in strawberry extract and pink gel coloring then beat on high for about 30 seconds, stop and use a spatula to scrap all the unmixed meringue from the sides, then beat for 30 more seconds.

Here is where you really have to pay attention, you will need just the right consistency to get a good macaroon.

Add in dry ingredients. Using a spatula “fold” the batter with about 25-28 turns of the spatula going around the bowl then across in a swooping pattern. By doing this you are deflating some of the extra air from the batter. Make sure to get everything off the bottom mixed in. At first it will seem really thick and clumpy but it will smooth out quick. You want a thickness that is still thick enough to hold a little shape but thin enough to fold back into itself. You can check this every few stirs by holding up your spatula with batter on it, the batter should “drop” off the spatula but then settle into the batter after a few moments.

Using a small round tip and piping bag, pipe small 1-1.5 inch circles onto either a macaroon mat or parchment paper. Again, I used a macaroon mat and it really made this process so easy. But you could simply pipe circles on to parchment paper and even pre-draw circles on the bottom as guides. Either way you need to remember you batter will spread a bit so you don’t want to pipe all the way to the sides or the circle. I find it best to pipe the circles by holding the tip straight up in the center and letting it “flow” out. You will have small peaks at first but the first tip should have already appeared after you’ve piped about 5 macaroons. If not, you want to stick the batter back in the bag and deflate it a little more.

Preheat the oven for 290-300 degrees. Then set your piped macaroons trays on the counter and set the timer for 25 minutes. Don’t place the macaroons in the oven right after piping. After about 25-30 minutes your macaroons should have a slight “crust” over them. When you gently touch them they should not stick to your finger. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

After pulling tray from oven, carefully pull the baking mat or parchment paper off the baking tray and on to the counter to cool. Let the cool completely before attempting to remove.

Repeat process with vanilla macaroons shells adding vanilla extract instead and no coloring.

While your last shells are baking time to whip up some yummy chocolate buttercream to fill them with.

In a mixing bowl or bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until fluffy add in 1 tsp. vanilla, beat until combined. Then add in powdered sugar and cocoa, beat until fully combined. Add in milk a little at a time beating in between until you’ve reached desired consistency.

Using the same size tip and piping bag, pipe buttercream on one side of each macaroon and then sandwich together.

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Cinnamon Bread

Ingredients

Dough

3/4 cup whole milk

2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 tbs granulated sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tsp cinnamon

Vanilla Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1-4 tbs cream

Instructions

Heat milk until it reaches 105 degrees either on the stovetop or in the microwave. Stir in yeast packet and sugar and let it sit until the top becomes thick and frothy, about 3 minutes. Pour mixture into bowl of stand mixer and add melted butter, beaten egg and salt. Mix until combined. Add half of the flour and mix on low speed. Once combined, add the rest 1/4 cup at a time until the dough is sticky but workable and doesn't get stuck on your hands. Once dough is together, knead for another 5 minutes on low speed.

Work dough with your hands to form a ball. Grease a large bowl, or use the same bowl, and place dough in. Cover and set dough in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. I like to turn my oven on to 200 degrees, turn it off and place the bowl in there.

Once doubled in size, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle shape. Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Brush on melted butter and cover in cinnamon sugar mixture. Cut dough length-wise into 5 long strips. Stack them on top of each other. Cut 6-7 sections across your stacks.

Grease a 9x5" loaf pan and loosely stagger your stacks in the pan. If they aren't snug to the edges of the pan, don't worry about it. It will bake up fine. If there is extra cinnamon sugar that spilled off while transferring the stacks into the pan, don't waste it! Sprinkle it on top of the dough in the pan. Cover dough with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 45 minutes to an hour until it doubles again in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 22-27 minutes or until very lightly browned on top. Remove from oven, run a knife around the edges and allow to cool in pan for 20 minutes. During this time, whisk glaze ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside (add more cream/milk for desired consistency). Flip pan over and very carefully remove loaf and set on a large plate or platter. Drizzle glaze on top and serve!

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Chocolate Croissant

Ingredients

·      2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour

·      3/4 cup lukewarm milk

·      1 envelope (7 grams) active dry yeast

·      1 teaspoon salt

·      1/4 cup (45 grams) butter, melted and cooled

·      1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar

·      1 pound (450 grams) baking chocolate, chopped

·      1/2 cup butter, room temperature

·      1 egg, lightly beaten (optional, to brush the croissants for a shiny crust)

·      2 oz (55 grams) chocolate, melted (optional to drizzle over the croissants once baked)

 Instructions

In a mixing bowl, add the flour. Make a well in the middle and pour the lukewarm milk. Sprinkle the dry yeast over the milk, give it a little stir with a fork and let the yeast proof. Soon bubbles will appear and the yeast will foam and double in size.

Fit your stand mixer with the dough hook. Turn it on to the lower speed.

Add the melted butter, sugar and with the dough hook on, knead the dough until it cleans itself from the sides of the bowl.

Place the dough in a buttered dish, cover with a tea towel or a plastic wrap and let sit until doubled in size. This should take about 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 12 (almost) equal pieces.

I found the dough works best if it’s chilled, so place the pieces of dough in the fridge and cover them loosely. Take out only one piece at a time.

Fit your pasta sheet roller to the stand mixer and set it to #1 setting. Flatten one piece of dough, flour it lightly and shape it into a rectangle.

Turn on the mixer to the lowest speed. Pass the dough through the pasta sheet roller. Flour and fold the dough in half. Pass it again through the pasta attachment, still on setting #1. For best results, fold the dough and pass it through the pasta attachment for a total of 2 times. Change the setting to your pasta roller to #2. Pass the dough sheet 2 times through it.

 Change the pasta roller setting to #3. Pass the dough sheet 1 time.

If needed lightly flour the pastry sheet.

Change the pasta roller setting to #4. Pass the pastry sheet 1 time.

Do the same with setting #5, #6 and for the flakiest croissants #7 and #8.

Lightly flour the pastry sheet if needed as you thin it out.

Once the pastry sheet is rolled out, brush it with softened butter. For me it was easier to spread a thin layer of butter using a small spatula vs using a pastry brush.

Place chopped chocolate at one end, and with your fingers roll the pastry sheet. Place the rolled chocolate croissant in the fridge, on a baking sheet until all croissants are done.

At this point, you can place the croissants in the freezer and take them out when needed (make sure they are in a freezer safe bag or container) or, you can bake them all at once like I did.

Take the rolled croissants out of the fridge and leave them at room temperature for a couple of hours until almost double in size. Like I said, I have made this recipe 3 times so far and noticed that if I let them rise in the afternoon, it takes about 3 to 4 hours.

Alternately, you can leave the croissants rest overnight on the counter. At night, my kitchen is not as hot as in the afternoon, so the croissants needed 7 to 8 hours to double in size.

It’s totally up to you and how pressed you’re with time. If you have frozen croissants, you may have to leave them longer to rest on the counter, maybe 9-10 hours.

Just before baking, brush the croissants with a beaten egg. This step is optional, but I love the shiny brown crust it gives to the croissants.

Heat the oven to 400F. Bake the croissants in the hot oven for about 25 minutes or until brown (at golden brown the croissants are not fully baked).

Drizzle some melted chocolate over the warm croissants and serve warm, preferably.

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Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 bag (9.5 oz)  Dark Chocolate, chopped, 

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups grated zucchini

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon corn syrup

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray miniature muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or use mini muffin liners. In a microwave safe dish, heat 1/2 package of chocolates about 18 pieces on 50% power for 1 minute; stir. Continue microwaving and stirring in 30-second intervals on 50% power until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. Mix in cooled chocolate. Add sour cream and mix to combine. Add dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Mix in zucchini. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full with batter. Bake 12 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool before glazing.

Chocolate Glaze

Put remaining half package of chocolates in a small glass bowl and set aside. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine heavy cream and corn syrup; microwave heavy cream just until it starts to boil, about 30 seconds. Pour over the chocolate; set aside for 3 minutes. Whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. If necessary, microwave an additional 10 seconds at 50% power. Dip the tops of the bites in the chocolate to glaze.

                                                               Enjoy it!

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Chicken and Spring Green Mix Salad with Green Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and chopped into cubes
• 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 5 ounces spring green mix
• 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• 2 ounces feta cheese (or your favourite cheese)
•  Green dressing

Instructions

1. Prepare the Green Dressing dressing and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Cook the chicken using your preferred method. To do so quickly, bring a few cups of water to a boil. Add the chicken and cook for 8 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from water and place on a cutting board. Chop or shred the chicken and add salt, pepper, and any other desired seasonings.
3. Place all ingredients for the salad (including the chicken) in a large serving bowl and toss in desired amount of green goddess dressing.
4. Serve as an entree.

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Lemon & Raspberry Scones

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cup sweet white sorghum flour plus extra for flouring surface

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

3/4 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp ground flax seed

1/4 tsp rock salt

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1/2 cup sweetened almond milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon zest

1 cup frozen raspberries

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly flour.

In a high powered blended, combine sorghum flour, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda, ground flax seed, and rock salt. Add in coconut oil, almond milk, egg, vanilla, and lemon zest. Blend until a dough is formed. Dump dough into a bowl and gently fold in raspberries. Using your hands, gently roll the dough into a large ball. Place ball onto your lightly floured baking sheet. Mold dough into a flattened disk that has an 8-inch diameter and 3/4-inch thickness. Cut the disk of dough into 8 wedges but leave the wedges touching.

Bake for 12 minutes. Then separate the wedges and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Allow the scones to cool slightly, about 5 minutes, on a baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.

 

Enjoy it!

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