Gooey Chocolate fudge cake

We all need chocolate and some of us who are impulsive need it straight away. This cake is for those impulsive ones. It takes 5 minutes to cook and less than 5 minutes to devour. It comes out as a light chocolate sponge with a gooey chocolate sauce hidden around the bottom. Yum yum.

This recipe cooks the cake in the microwave but for those of you who don't possess a microwave you can bake it in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes. I think I will play around with this recipe at a later date to make treacle sponge and sticky toffee pudding.

Funny looking hey...but oh so tasty

Gooey Chocolate fudge cake
110g All purpose flour
1tsp Baking powder
110g Brown Sugar
55g Melted Butter
1 Egg
4 Tbsp Milk
30g Cocoa powder
Pinch Salt
1Tbsp Vanilla extract
For the sauce
110g Brown Sugar
30g Cocoa Powder
125 mls Hot Water

In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together. Add the melted butter, vanilla extract, milk and egg to the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into a microwavable bowl. The sides should be about 5 cm high as the cake will rise. Mix the remaining sugar and cocoa powder together and sprinkle over the dough. Pour the hot water over top of the cake gently. Cook in the microwave on a high heat for 5 mins. The cake will rise and there will be a lovely sticky chocolate sauce seeping down towards the bottom.  Best served with ice cream.

Coconut Prawns/Shrimp

I have attempted to write this post at least two times and everything I write sounds wrong. Nothing flowed together...a bit like dinner tonight. I knew I wanted to have a picky dinner and potato wedges were a definite but what was to go with it. I had a turkey breast thawing and some left over ham but these didn't float my boat. I hunted into the depths of the freezer and found a bag of plump juicy prawns. My thoughts turned towards coconut coated prawns. That was it dinner was decided, coconut prawns, spicy coleslaw and potato wedges. Not the most healthiest of dinners but it will be definitely be tasty.

The issue was do I fry the prawns or bake them... To be healthier I think I will bake them....lets hope the coating stays on hey!!! (To be honest I'll probably experiment and do a bit of both.... A taste test).

It has been 4 hours since I started this post and the experiment is in progress. So far the pan fried coconut prawn is in the lead. The baked prawn is a close second though. Now time for the taste test. The fried prawn is a little more crispier than the baked prawn and the coating has turned a much nicer shade of brown. To help the coconut brown on the baked prawn I slightly toasted the coconut before using it in the coating but to be honest this didn't really make any difference. I think for tonight I'll have the pan fried prawns. 

Coconut Prawns

Raw shelled Prawns (20)

1 Egg White

1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Desiccated Coconut

1tsp Salt

1tsp Paprika

In a bowl mix together the breadcrumbs the coconut, salt and paprika and set to one side. In another large bowl slightly whisk the egg white until it becomes loose and then add the prawns and coat thoroughly in the egg white. Take a few prawns out of the egg white mixture and toss in the coconut mixture and coat well,  before pan frying the prawns in a hot pan with vegetable oil. Once browned and cooked through place on kitchen roll and blot of any excess oil. Serve with a variety of dips. I chose sweet chilli and garlic mayo.

Posh cheese on toast with onion marmalade

This is a twist on a welsh rarebit recipe, a thick cheesy sauce grilled over toasted bread. Basically a posh cheese on toast. Apparently it is Britain's version of the continental European fondue. It works really well with the onion marmalade. The sweetness of the marmalade cuts through the creaminess of the cheese. This recipe will make for 2 slices of toast.

Onion Marmalade

1 Large Onion sliced finely

1/2 Cup of Balsamic Vinegar

2-3 Tbsp Brown Sugar (Add enough to suit your taste)

Olive Oil

1-2 Tsp Chilli Flakes

Over a medium heat fry the onions in a little olive oil until softened and lightly browned. Stir in the sugar, chilli flakes and vinegar. Bring to a slow simmer stirring occasionally until the marmalade begins to get thicker. This should take approx 20-25 minutes. Allow the marmalade to cool slightly.

Cheese Sauce

3/4 Cup Grated Cheddar

1/3 Cup Sour Cream

1 Tsp Mustard

Pinch of Salt and Pepper

1 Egg Yolk

Into a bowl add the sour cream, mustard and egg yolk. Whisk to combine. Add the cheese and mix well.

Now its time to assemble. Toast thick slices of good quality bread on both sides. Spread a good spoonful of the onion marmalade on one side of the toast. Top with the cheese sauce mixture, then grill under a medium heat until the cheese sauce begins to brown and bubble. Remove from grill allow to cool for 30 seconds before delving in.

Vegetable Torta

Having had 3 weeks of work and indulging myself in hearty meaty dishes it was time to think vegetables..... How can you spruce up vegetables? A torta!!! which I have to say  is not what I would have called it. My understanding of a torta was a Mexican sandwich, not a layering of vegetables. Maybe I should call it layered vegetables. That still doesn't sound right doesn't it? Anyway enough of me rambling, lets get the recipe up. 

The original recipe calls for some of the vegetables to be roasted. I found that this took too long and dried out the vegetables too much, therefore I pan fried most of the veggies. This recipe will make enough for four people to have as a side or two people to have as a light supper. It would be great served alongside a fresh crusty baguette. We had it with grilled sausages and garlic pasta.

Vegetable Torta

2 Red Bell Peppers

1 Medium Eggplant

2 Zucchinis

1 Large White Onion

1 Garlic Clove minced

Handful of Basil and Parsley finely chopped

6 Rashers Bacon (Optional)

Grated Havarti Cheese (Optional)

Cut the bell peppers in half and place on a baking tray flesh side down. Place under a very hot grill until the skins begin to char and blacken. Remove from the grill and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled removed the skins, stems and cut out the seeds. Cut the halves into quarters and lay flat.

Fry the bacon until crispy, remove from pan and allow to cool. Chop into small pieces. Reserve the bacon fat in the frying pan for the pan-frying of the onions. 

Slice the eggplant and zuchini lengthwise approximatley 5mm in thickness and place in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and coat with a generous amount of olive oil. (This is where the original recipe stated you can roast this on a baking sheet in the oven until brown) I pan fried the eggplant and zucchini in batches in a dry frying pan until  the vegetables were cooked through and browned on each side. Once again allow the veggies to cool.

Slice the onions into rings and fry them in the bacon fat with the garlic until they become softened. Once again remove from pan and allow to cool.

Now that all the veggies have been prepared, this is where the layering begins. Line an 8inch spring loaded cake pan with plastic wrap allowing extra plastic wrap to fall over the sides. This will be used to cover the vegetables once layered. Firstly layer half of the eggplant followed by a sprinkling of the herbs. Then layer with half the zucchini, peppers and onion mixture. Sprinkle with some more herbs, the cheese and bacon. Top with the remaining zucchini, peppers and onion mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining herbs and seal the torta with the remaining eggplant. Wrap the remaining plastic wrap over the top of the torta, press down and refrigerate for as long as you can.

To serve loosen the spring from the cake pan and gently remove the torta. Flip onto a plate and remove the plastic wrap. Allow to sit until it reaches room temperature then cut into large wedges. 

Ribs with beer and barbecue sauce

We bought a slow cooker!!!

Wow, is all I can say.... I have been wanting a slow cooker for a while now and I am so glad we have one. I spent many times dreaming of coming home to a hearty fall of the bone meal. Well yesterday that dream came true. Yay!! And to top it off I didn't spend hours slaving over the stove. It all went into one pot which took about 15 minutes to prepare.

Our first slow cooked meal was a cowboy dinner, BBQ ribs with baked beans and mash. Bring it on. The ribs were awesome. They were tender and definitely fell of the bone. Both Ian and I went back for seconds and thirds!!!! I can't wait to cook in the slow cooker again.

Ribs with beer and barbecue sauce

3lbs 5oz pork ribs (I used a combination of  side and back ribs)

3/4 Cup Beer

3/4 Cup Barbecue sauce

2 Tbsp Sweet Chilli sauce

1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

2 Tbsp Honey

2 Spring onions thinly sliced

2 Crushed Garlic cloves

1 Tbsp Cornstarch

1 Handful Cilantro

Firstly cut the ribs into individual ribs and trim any excess fat. In a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients with the exception of the cornstarch and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Add the ribs and thoroughly coat them in the sauce.

Transfer the ribs and marinade into the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until the ribs are tender. When cooked removed the ribs and keep warm. Mix the cornstarch with 1tbsp of water and stir into the remaining sauce in the slow cooker. Continue to cook for ten minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Serve the ribs piled onto plates and spoon oversome of the sauce. Garnish with the cilantro.

Caramel Nut Tart

Yes...I'm thinking Christmas already. Christmas is going to be a very busy time of the year for us. We are moving up to Quesnel,

In preparation for our move, we spent last week in Quesnel organising our new house and buying a new winter wardrobe for both Ian and I. Whilst we were up there some kind new friends invited us to spend Christmas eve with them to have our Christmas dinner. We jumped at the chance as we know our house will be in chaos, and what better way to see in our new life with friends. We do plan to have a Christmas dinner on Christmas day in our new home hence the menu planning. The starter and main course have been decided, it is just the dessert we are struggling with. Ian and I are not fans of the traditional Christmas pudding at all so I have been trying to find a recipe for a delicious Christmas dessert.

I found a potential Christmas dessert yesterday when I picked up the 'Taste' magazine at the liquor store. As I was flicking through the pages the Caramel Nut Tart jumped out at me. I went to the grocery store, picked up a few essentials and by the afternoon I had the tart baking in the oven. By the evening Ian  and I were gorging on slices of nut tart, brie and sliced apples. It was divine.

The original recipe calls for bourbon, we didn't have any bourbon so I added rum. Unfortunately the rum flavor never came out so I think next time when I  make this I will soak the nuts in the liquor for 20 minutes  to see if the flavor will develop. Although we enjoyed the tart last night, the piece I had today tasted much better as the caramel had set more and the nuts had slightly softened. Definitely a tart that improves overnight. The longer it stays in the chiller the better.

Caramel Nut Tart

(Adapted from 'Taste')

1 Pie shell

1/4 Cup Butter

3/4 Cups Packed Light Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp Honey

1/4 Cup Bourbon/Rum

1/3 Cup Whipping Cream

2 Cups Salted Mixed Nuts

Bake the pie shell blind until it crust just starts to turn golden around the edges, approx 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Allow the shell to fully cool before making the filling. To make the filling place the butter in a medium saucepan and melt over a medium heat, Add the sugar, honey, and liquor and bring to the boil stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Stir in the whipping cream and nuts. Bring back to the boil for one minute and removed from the heat. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake tart for 20 minutes until the filling is bubbling. Cool on a wire rack until room temperature and then chill for at least 1 hour to allow the caramel to set properly. To serve cut into wedges.

Coronation chicken

Yesterday I was in the mood for Coronation chicken. Shredded chicken bathed in a mild curry flavored creamy sauce. This makes for a wonderful sandwich filling or baked potato filling. It is so quick and easy to make and is perfect when your needing to use up any left over roast chicken. Yesterday I used poached  chicken breasts which I shredded up rather than roast chicken but to be honest any cold chicken would be fine. 

Coronation Chicken

Shredded Chicken

For the Sauce :

2 Tbsp Mayonnaise

1 Tbsp Sour Cream

1 Tsp Curry Powder/Paste

1 Tsp Mango Chutney

1/4 Spoon Honey

Chopped Almonds (Optional)

Chopped Apricots (Optional)

Chopped Cilantro

Salt & Pepper

Mix all the sauce ingredients together, season with salt & pepper. Allow the sauce to chill for at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Then mix the shredded chicken into sauce until all the chicken is covered and voila an instant filling or salad side. I doubled up on the sauce and used 3 chicken breasts.