Luxury Bread and Butter Pudding

Luxury Bread and Butter Pudding

This is perfect for a relaxing celebration dinner. I love this dessert, especially when using pannetonne, I think that it just makes such a difference a much richer dessert instead of using ordinary bread and butter.

Ingredients:
200g pannetonne
65ml of single cream
3 egg yolks
275ml full fat milk
25g caster sugar
Butter to spread over the pannetonne

Method:

1.  Preheat the oven to 180C. Slice the pannetonne thinly and butter on one side. Cut into triangles and layer into a pyrex dish making sure that you cover all sides.

2. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks and sugar and vanilla essence until creamy and put to one side.

3. Over a medium heat pour the cream and milk into a saucepan over a medium high heat until it just comes up to boiling. Once it has reached this point pour into the egg yolk mixture whisking all the time until you get a pale yellow colour, it should be light and frothy. Pour back into the saucepan stirring all the time until it has thickened slightly.

4. Pour the mixture over the pannetonne in the pyrex dish. Cook for 30-40 minutes until lightly golden brown. Serve immediately with cream if desired.

Bearnaise sauce- the perfect accompaniment to a steak

Bearnaise Sauce

I discovered this sauce a few years ago and fell in love with it. It is rich and creamy, the tarragon has such a distinct taste and flavour it really makes it. I love it on steak, with sauteed mushrooms and garlics and herbs. It does take a little time to make but it is well worth the effort.


Ingredients:

4 tbsp of white vinegar
Sprinkling of dried tarragon ( simply because I had no fresh tarragon available)
4 tbsp of water
4 egg yolks
300g melted butter
Salt and pepper to season


Method:


1. In a medium saucepan heat the vinegar water and dried tarragon until it has reduced, and there is only a couple of tbsp of water left. Put to one side to cool completely.

2. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks together in a bowl and put to one side. In another sauce pan pour in some water and bring to a simmer. Put the egg yolk bowl over the top of the saucepan ensuring the water does not touch the mixture. Gradually whisk in the cooled vinegar until frothy and thick.

3. Take off the heat and gradually whisk in the melted butter and season with salt and pepper. If desired you could also sautee some diced mushrooms in a little butter and garlic salt and herbs to make a bearnaise mushroom sauce perfect with steak.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Perfect for winter days, when you just want pure comfort in front of the television, feet up, best after a long day at work when you need indulgence and warmth.

Ingredients:

500g lean stewing beef diced
1 onion diced finely
2 potatoes peeled and chopped into fairly small pieces
2 carrots chopped
4 maggi beef stock cubes ( if not using maggi use one beef oxo cube and one stock melt) to make 600ml stock
1 small tin of baked beans
1 tin of vegetable soup ( if you do not have heinz vegetable soup use an instant packet of soup such as asparagus or cauliflower)
Sprinkling of worcestershire sauce
2 dessertspoons of plain flour


Method:

1.  Combine everything into the slow cooker, except for the plain flour. Ensure you mix well to combine everything together. The worcestershire sauce will give the stew a nice brown colour.

2.  Place the slow cooker on high for 4-5 hours or until all the vegetables are cooked and the meat is tender. Alternatively if you have more time cook on low all day for about 6-8 hours.

3. Once you are nearly ready to serve sprinkle flour over the stew and mix well quickly to thicken the stew. Alternatively cornflour could also be used if you don't have any flour.

4. Serve immediately in large bowls. Serves about 5 people depending on how hungry you are. Goes well with some thick slices of french bread with lashings of butter. Enjoy!

Breadcrumbed chicken with roasted vegetables

Breadcrumbed chicken with roasted vegetables

Ingredients:

3 large chicken breasts cut into medium strips
2 eggs lightly beaten
Breadcrumbs
Parmesan to add to the breadcrumbs
Half a butternut cut into cubes
2 potatoes cut into cubes
4 mushrooms thinly sliced
1 onion finely chopped
Garlic and herb seasoning
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1 courgette thinly cubed
2 peppers (preferably of differing colours) and dice


Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan oven. In a lined baking tray drizzle olive in the tray. Add all the uncooked diced vegetables and add garlic and seasoning using a spoon make sure olive oil covers all of the vegetables evenly. Sprinkle salt and pepper and mixed herbs again mixing to combine all the vegetable mixture.

2.  Place into the preheated oven for just over an hour or until cooked, stirring occasionally.

3. Meanwhile to make the chicken , place the beaten egg and breadcrumbs into two shallow dishes.  Dip the chicken first into the egg and cover completely in breadcrumbs, then place onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken strips. To cook, place frying pan on a medium heat, drizzling a little olive oil. Place chicken strips into pan turning occasionally until golden brown. Ensure to cook the chicken in batches, to cook them properly and evenly. Then put onto a plate and put to one side.

3. When cooked place onto a plate and put to one side. Once the vegetables are nearly ready re heat the chicken in the frying pan and serve immediately.

 

Really easy cheesecake

Really Easy Cheesecake

This dish is perfect when you want a really simple dessert, that takes no time to make. Leave to set in fridge for at least 2 hours or ideally overnight depends how long you can wait. Enjoy! You could also add fruit on top such as summer berries if desired.

Ingredients:

397g condensed milk
Juice of two lemons
1 and a half tubs of philadelphia cheese
100g butter melted
125g of digestive biscuits


Method:

1. Melt the butter in the microwave at 10 second intervals. Meanwhile blitz the digestive biscuits, into a food processor until it represents fine crumbs like gold dust. Pour into a bowl and add the melted butter until well combined. Transfer into a non stick cake pan pressing gently all round the pan making it even around all sides. Put into the fridge to set hard for about an hour.

2. Meanwhile to make the filling pour the condensed milk into a bowl. Whisk in the philly cheese and the lemon juice until well combined. Once base is hard add the filling and put into the fridge, ideally over night so that the filling is nice and firm. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Really easy slow cooker chicken casserole

Really easy slow cooker chicken style

Serves 4

Ingredients:
8 chicken thighs skins removed or 4 large chicken breasts diced roughly
1 onion finely chopped
Garlic and herb seasoning
500ml chicken stock using either 3 maggi chicken stock cubes as they are not as strong or 1 chicken stock melt and 1 chicken oxo cube
A cupful of frozen peas
2 carrots chopped roughly
Chicken spice (ina parmaan)
2 desert spoons of flour to thicken the sauce
Rice cooked according to packet instructions
4 rashers of veal bacon (or bacon)



Method:

1.Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker except the flour which you will use to thicken the sauce later. Cook on low, for 5-6 hours stirring occasionally, or if you are short of time cook on high for 3-4 hours, until the chicken is soft and tender and all the vegetables are cooking nicely.

2. At the end of cooking making sure heat is high add the flour to thicken, add a little more or less depending on how thick you want to make the sauce.

3. Serve immediately with rice and enjoy.

Really Easy Cheats Bread and butter pudding

 This recipe is perfect if you have some leftover slightly stale croissants, hot cross buns or pannetone. So quick and easy too, and again perfect for these winter days when you want something warm and comforting


Really Easy Cheats Bread and butter pudding

Ingredients:
Butter to spread on the bread whichever you are using
500g ambrosia custard
1/2 small pannetonne or enough to cover and layer into a pyrex dish ( if using hot cross buns make sure to cut quite thinly so it cooks well)


Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan oven. Meanwhile in a rectangular pyrex dish (depending on how much bread you have left over) slice the pannetonne fairly thinly and butter on one side. Line the dish and layer on top in triangles.  Then pour over the custard enough to cover all of the bread layers and place in the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Serve immediately.


Note: Pannetonne and hot cross buns work best as they have more flavour. All those currants and peel make for great flavour. If you are using croissants just cut diagonally across and butter and layer in the dish adding raisins if you wish to add more flavour.


I recently discovered pannetonne and fell in love with it. It is a sweet Italian bread infused with mixed peel,  raisins and citrus flavours. I must say that I prefer it to stollen, however I don't like marzipan so I am biased.