Wednesday, August 31, 2005

recipes that don need a mixer

here are some recipes that do not need a mixer.

Chocolate Nut Cake
125g hazelnuts
125g almonds
75g cooking chocolate
75g mixed peel
62g castor sugar
1/2 cup honey
60ml water
Sift:
95g plain flour
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2tbsp cocoa powder
Method
blanch(don know what is this) the almonds, then remove and place them on double layers of paper kitchen towels. pat dry and roast them in a preheated oven at 150'C-160'C for 10-15minutes or until lightly browned. chop the almonds coarsely.Put hazelnuts on a shallow baking tray and roast in a preheated oven at 160'C for 15-20minutes or until the skin begins to darken. remove, cool slightly then rub the hazelnuts to loosen the skins. chop the hazelnuts coarsely. put sifted dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and add chopped nuts and mixed peel. combine honey, sugar and water in a sausepan and stir over gentle low heat to dissolve sugar. when sugar has dissolved, increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. after this stage, simmer the mixture at a rolling boil without stirring until it comes to a soft ball stage. to test, drop a little mixture into a small bowl of cold water. when the mixture forms into a soft ball, the consistency is correct. put the soft ball mixture into the flour-nut mixture to combine, working into it rapidly. transfer the combined mixture to a lined baking tray. spread out evenly with the back of a wet spoon and bake in a preheated oven at 160'C for 40-45 minutes or until cooked through. cool the cake in the tin, then cut into slices.

this is a short crust pastry recipe. it can be used as the base for any pie filling.
short crust pastry
500gm flour
250gm margarine or butter
3tbsp cold water
pinch of salt
Method
sieve the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. rub the fat in to a sandy mixture. make a well in the centre and add the cold water. the pastry should br fairly firm. add more water if nesessary to bind the mixture. try not to over work the pastry. leave in a refrigerator to cool and to soften. roll the pastry out to about 5cm. to avoid the pastry from sticking to the table surface or to the rolling pin, sprinkle both sides of the dough generously with flour.
note: the butter/margarine is always half of the flour's measurement. so its easy to remember. water, just add until enough.


this recipe came together with the short crust pastry as the filling.
Steak and mushroom pie
700gm diced beef-steak or topside
200gm shallots-peeled
200gm button mushrooms
1tbsp mixed herbs
3 bay leaves
3 tbsp olive oil
50gm flour
0.5 litre beef stock, or water or guiness

4 or 5 shakes of Worchester Sauce
salt and pepper
short crust pastry to top the pie
method
in a pan, heat the oil. add the cubed beef together with the mixed herbs and bay leaves. cook to seal the meat. add the flour to brown stirring so as not to allow it to burn. add the stock/water/guiness and allow braising. braise till tender before adding the mushrooms. add a little Worchester sauce with salt and pepper(according to yr liking). pour the contents into a pie dish. roll out the short crust pastry to cover the top of pie dish. tuck and using fingers, seal the pastry down to the rim of the pie dish. make a few slit on the pastry to allow the steam to rise. bake in moderate oven for about 30 minutes or till the pastry is brown. (moderate temperature shld be around 180 lah). serve hot.

dutch apple pie
short crust pastry
6 apples
50gm sugar
1 tsp mixed spice

usind a detachable flan based tin, line the flan tin with the short srust pastry. in a saucepan, place 4 skinned and cored apples to stew. puree the apples and line the base of the pastry. sprinkle the pureed apples with mixed spice. core and peel the remaining apples and cut into lengthwise in even slices. arrange on top of pureed apples. sprinkle with sugar and bake in a moderate oven for about 30min or til brown. serve hot or cold cream or ice cream.


bread pudding
6-7 slices wholemeal bread
just enough of butter
2 large eggs
400ml UHT milk
3tbsp yoghurt(strawberry)
50g castor sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
50g golden raisins
1 slice tinned apricot or peach, chopped coarsely

cut bread into triangles and butter the slices. whisk the eggs until fluffy and add in the milk, yoghurt, sugar and essence to combine. lightly butter an oven-proof dish and arrange the bread slices so that they overlap each other slightly. scatter the chopped apricot or peach and raisins all over the mixture. pour egg mixture over and allow the mixture to run into the bread slices soaking it thoroughly. bake the pudding in a preheated oven at 180'C for 40-50min or until cooked through.

Espresso cake
3 eggs
160g caster sugar
150g butter, melted
Sift: 140g self -raising flour
1 tsp cocoa powder
mixed well: 1 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp instant coffee
coffee syrup (bring to boil until sugar dissolves completely)
160g caster sugar
180ml water
1 tbsp instant coffee

grease a ring cake tin. line with grese-proof baking paper. set aisde. whisk eggs and sugar until mixture is thick and fluffy. gently add sifted flour and cocoa powder, followed by the butter and coffee mixture. mix well until smooth. place batter into prepared tin and bake in preheated oven at 180'C for 40min or until done. turn cake out into wire rack. drizzle coffee syrup over when the cake is stil warm. cool cake for 10 mins b4 serving.

choc-hazelnut mud cake
250g butter, chopped
200g dark chocolate, chopped
2 cups caster sugar
1 cup hot water
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/4 cups self raising flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup coarsely chopped roasted hazelnuts
Ganache: 200g dark chocolate
1/2 cup thickened cream

grease a deep, 20cm round cake pan, line base and side with baking paper. preheat oven at 160'C. combine butter, chocolate, sugar and water in a pan. stir over low fire until chocolate melts. remove, cool for 20mins. whisk in sifted flours and cocoa, then eggs. stir in hazelnuts. pour into prepared tin. bake for about 2 hours. cool cake on pan. meanwhile prepare the ganache. melt chocolate and cream in a pan over low fire. remove from fire. cool at room temperature until the mixture is of spreadable consistency. spread ganache over cake top.

below is a recipe tht i think u would like to try.
carrot and potato pancakes
1/2 cup carrot, peeled and grated
1 1/2 cup raw potatoes, peeled and grated
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup grated cheese (any type)
2tbsp chives, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp plain flour
3 eggs beaten
1tsp salt
black pepper to taste
1 tbsp oil

put grated carrots and potatoes in a large sieve. press both carrots and potatoes with yr hands to remove moisture. mix the pressed potatoes and carrots with onions, cheese, chives anf flour in a bowl. pour in beaten eggs, a little at a time, stirring well. add salt and pepper.
heat oil in a flat pan over medium fire. spoon 1 tbsp of batter into the pan and spread into a circle. cook for 3 minutes on one side, then turn over and cook for another 2 min. serve hot.


just fyi, i didnt try any of the recipes, but for those who do not have a electric mixer, they are useful.

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Mash Potato

I love potatoes....mash em up ....

1)Cut potatoes and put to boil. Low heat so the potatoes can get soft.
2)Wait for potatoes to be really soft
3)Wait some more
4)Then,take water off, and then,add:

pepper, salt, butter AND MILK..

Voilah! Done.

Yummy mashed up potatoes.....

tried and tested

i have tried the recipes below (from kuali.com) and all turn out okay. it doesn't take a long time, except for the yoghurt but you don't have to watch over the yoghurt for 8-10 hours. just leave it to set. happy trying;)

Banana Cake
Ingredients
250g butter
175g castor sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
240g self-raising flour, sifted
3 ripe bananas, approx. weight about 170–175g
1 tsp lemon juice

Method
Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease the sides and base and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light and creamy. Add in eggs one at a time beating well after addition. Puree the bananas with the lemon juice in a food processor then add to the butter mixture. Mix well to blend. Fold in the sifted flour to mix. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for an hour or until cooked through when tested with a wooden skewer.
Note - i didnt puree the banana because it means another machine needed to be washed, so i chop them into small pieces, as small as i can and blend it together with the batter.

Moist Carrot Cake
Ingredients
175g grated carrot
50g sultanas
50g currants
100g walnuts - chop
175g butter
175g castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 eggs

Combine and sift:
200g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 mixed spice
1/4 tsp salt


Method
Line and grease a 20 x 14cm cake tin with baking parchment. Preheat oven to 180°c. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla essence. Fold in the sifted ingredients gently. Stir in carrot, sultanas, currants and walnuts. Turn the mixture into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven at 180°c for 40 minutes and 160°c for 10 minutes.

Yoghurt
Ingredients
250ml milk (low fat or regular)
1 tbsp natural yoghurt (use any brand as the 'starter' for yoghurt culture)

Method
Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it begans to boil. Bring saucepan away from heat and pour into a heatproof jar or a small bowl. Allow the milk to cool for about half and hour or until it feels comfortably warn to touch. (there will be a shiny layer on the surface of the milk, just skim it off with a spoon). Spoon the natural yoghurt into the warm milk. Cover the jar or bowl and leave in a warm place to allow the culture to set (do not stir or blend the mixture). the process will take about 8-10 hours depending on room temperature. If the yoghurt does not coagulate or set after this time, it is likely that the temperature of the milk is too high and the culture has been destroyed. It should be refrigated once it has set into a think custard-like consistency. If it is allowed to ferment longer, the yoghurt will turn more sour.

Note - lassi can be made by blending yoghurt, choice of juice/puree and a bit of condensed milk for sweetness. (not tested yet)