BLACK PEPPER COOKIES
Always looking for something a bit different, we’re right into these black pepper cookies. If you don’t tell anyone what’s in them, it will take a while for them to realise the secret ingredient. For a special treat or super easy dessert, sandwich two around some quality vanilla ice cream and voila!
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups plain flour
1 cup white sugar
250g butter, very soft
1 teaspoon bi carb
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
2 teaspoons freshly finely crushed pepper
extra sugar for pressing
Method:
Preheat oven to 180 deg C.
Place all ingredients (except extra sugar) in bowl and beat with electric mixer until well combined. Roll into balls about the size of a walnut. Place onto paper lined trays, dipping a glass into extra sugar and pressing gently. Bake in oven for approx 10 minutes or until golden.
VALENTINE’S DINNER
We’ve been asked to suggest a dinner to impress for Valentine’s Day and so, considering we’ve been approached by many men who want to cook for their ladies, we have come up with something very achievable, impressive, not overly expensive (after all we didn’t get that mortgage rate break we’d all hoped for), and very very tasty. The prawns take 10 minutes to prepare, can be done in advance and are cooked in a flash. The cheats lime aioli, although not a word you would choose to associate yourself with on Valentine’s day, is sharp, flavourful and EASY as.
The main is simple because everyone can cook a steak and you do it the way you like with whichever cut you prefer. We have posted a recipe for cafe de paris butter, a classic, romantic addition that will lift any steak to a star status and whisk you off to Paris with each mouthful. Melted over the steak, this butter becomes a sauce that is pure heaven. We served ours with an enormous rib eye, almost Florentine style to be shared by two, with duck fat roasted potatoes and blanched asparagus. Mmmmm.
To finish off, the simplest of delights – chocolate and strawberries. This recipe can also be made into a bunch of edible snow roses and presented to your Valentine at their desk on the day!! Guys and gals both adore these treats.
Coconut Prawns with cheat’s lime aioli
These prawns are quick to prepare and even quicker to cook. The same goes for the cheats aioli. The sweetness of the coconut contrasts beautifully with the sharpness of the lime. Quantities are for 2 people.
Ingredients:
- 8 large green king prawns
- 1/4 cup plain flour
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (panko preferably but any will suffice)
- Vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
- Lime aioli
- 1/2 cup whole-egg mayonnaise
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime rind
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Method:
- Shell and devein prawns, leaving tails intact.
- Prepare 3 shallow bowls – one with flour, one with egg whisked with 2 tablespoons milk and the last one, combined coconut and breadcrumbs.
- Dip prawns one at a time in flour, then egg mixture, then coconut breadcrumb mixture. Place on a plate. Repeat with remaining prawns
- Heat oil in a large frying pan (not too high heat or coconut will burn before the prawns are cooked through. Cook prawns for 2 minutes each side or until golden.
- For the cheats lime aioli – Place mayonnaise, garlic, lime rind and lime juice in a bowl. Stir to combine and serve with prawns.
Café de Paris butter
(served with Beef rib eye with duck fat roasted potatoes)
The recipe below is just for the cafe de paris butter. It’s the icing on the cake let’s say. Anyone can cook a steak – you may prefer to use a frypan, grill pan or the barbecue but whichever way you prepare the meat, this cafe de paris butter will just take it to another level. Although there appears to be a lot of ingredients, this recipe is so simple to prepare and can be made days in advance, it is bound to impress. We served ours with a beautiful rib eye cutlet, duck fat roasted potatoes and blanched asparagus. For the potatoes – pre-boil your potato portions, let them go completely cold, uncovered so they dry out nicely, then fry off slowly in a fry pan with your duck fat (which is available in supermarkets now). Season well with sea salt. Remember, you can re-use your duck fat so don’t toss it!! Pop it back in the fridge for another day.
For the Café de Paris butter
250g butter, at room temperature and diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, finely diced
3 or 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/3 cup white wine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tablespoons wholegrain mustard
¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 anchovies, finely diced
2 tablespoons capers, finely diced
1⁄2 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
1 tablespoon finely chopped dill
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leafed parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Place oil in a small frying pan together with shallots, garlic and curry powder. Cook gently over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the wine and the Worcestershire sauce, cooking for a further 5 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
Place the diced butter in a bowl then add the shallot mixture and all the remaining ingredients. Beat by hand until all the ingredients are combined and no lumps of butter remain. Season with freshly ground black pepper (the mix should be quite salty).
Divide the cafe de paris butter into two and either shape into a log (traditionally) or flatten out a disc to about 7 mm thick. Wrap up in cling wrap and refrigerate. The one portion that you don’t use or any leftover amount, can be frozen for later use. The log can be sliced into rounds for serving or you may prefer to cut out heart shapes for Valentine impact from the disc.
Snow roses
The simplest of treats to share with your Valentine at the end of a marvellous meal – white chocolate covered strawberries showered with shreds of tropical coconut. Bunch them together if you prefer and present that special someone with an edible posy.
Ingedients:
1 punnet of plump perfect strawberries
100g white chocolate
3 tablespoons shredded coconut
Wooden/metal skewers
Method:
Melt chocolate in microwave high for 1 minute or over hot water if you prefer. Stir until melted and smooth. Pierce skewer through leaves of strawberry being careful not to go right through. Dip ¾ of the strawberry into the chocolate and then roll into coconut. Stand upright in a vase or similar vessel. Scrunched up alfoil in the bottom of the vase will hold the skewers a little steady. Keep cool.
Oreo Mousse Cake
Base:
300 g Oreo Cookies (the double pack).
125g butter, melted.
Process Oreo’s in a food processor blitzing until well crumbed but not powdered. Place in bowl and pour over melted butter, mixing thoroughly. Line the base of a 23cm springform tin with baking paper then press biscuit base out using a spoon or glass and place in fridge to set.
White Chocolate Mousse:
6 oz good quality white cooking chocolate (I used Valhrona), chopped.
100g butter, softened (I used salted butter because I find the addition of a little salt only enhances the chocolate).
1 leaf of titanium strength gelatine.
¾ cup thickened cream.
½ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract.
3 eggs, separated.
½ teaspoon cream of tartar.
½ cup castor sugar.
Soak gelatine leaf in enough cold water to cover – set aside. Melt chocolate and butter together either in a heatproof bowl over simmering water or in the microwave (I use the microwave and 1 – 2 minutes sees the choc melted nicely). Whisk until smooth. With your hand, lift softened gelatine from cold water, draining as much as possible and add to warm chocolate mixture. Mix through to dissolve entirely then allow to cool slightly. Add the egg yolks to the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. In another bowl, beat the cream with the vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold (don’t beat) the cream into the chocolate mixture. Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl, whisking until soft peaks form. Keep beating and add the cream of tartar. Gradually and the sugar and continuebeating until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture and when incorporated finally fold through the final 2/3. Don’t over handle the mousse or you risk losing the valuable incorporated air. Pour the mousse on top of the chilled Oreo base and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight before adding the dark chocolate mousse on top.
Dark Chocolate Mousse:
6 oz good quality dark cooking chocolate (I used Valhrona), chopped.
100g butter, softened (I used salted butter because I find the addition of a little salt only enhances the chocolate).
1 leaf of titanium strength gelatine.
¾ cup thickened cream.
½ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract.
3 eggs, separated.
½ teaspoon cream of tartar.
½ cup castor sugar.
The ingredients, as you see are the same as for the white chocolate mousse (except with dark chocolate). The method is exactly the same. Repeat as for white chocolate mousse. Pour dark chocolate mousse over white chocolate mousse and return to refrigerator for at least 2 hours before covering with chocolate ganache.
Ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream.
200g dark chocolate, chopped.
Heat the cream and chocolate together in microwave jug for 1 minute (if you prefer use the bowl over water method). Mix well until smooth and glossy. Remove cake from springform tin. I ran around the outside with a torch just to ensure I had a smooth clean finish. Pour ganache onto the centre of the cake and slowly work towards the edge, enticing the ganache to spill over the edge of the cake.
To cut, use a hot sharp knife just to get through the ganache and provide a clean cut through the layers.
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APPLE TARTE TATIN
Caramel apples:
4 large granny smith apples
50g butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
Pastry:
250g plain flour
200g butter chilled
125g sour cream
Method:
Preheat oven to 180 C.
For pastry: In food processor, blitz flour and chopped butter until rough breadcrumb texture. Add sour cream and blitz again, only until pastry starts to come together. Remove and gently form a ball, wrap in cling wrap and place in fridge for ½ hour.
For caramel apples: Melt butter in a heavy based frypan that can transfer to the oven. Add the two sugars and melt down. Add water and stir until caramel is smooth then add apples. Saute apples for about 10 minutes.
Roll pastry out to just over the size of the pan and carefully ease pastry over the top of caramel apples, tucking edges in.
Place frypan in oven for approx. 35 – 40 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and rest for 5 minutes. Take a large serving plate, place over the top of the frypan and carefully invert tarte tartin.
Serve with cream.
seek go eat 