Chicken asparagus and mushroom pie

Chicken asparagus and mushroom pie

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts diced and cut into pieces
Bunch of asparagus cut into rough pieces (ensure woody stalks are taken off by snapping them)
5 chestnut mushrooms chopped roughly
1pt of chicken stock made up with one knorr stock cube
3 teaspoons of cornflour made up with a little cold water
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
2 tbsp of double cream
Salt and pepper to season
1 tbsp of milk ( to glaze the pastry)
1 easy roll puff pastry sheet
Sunflower oil
3 tbsp of plain flour
Some water to stick the pastry

Method:


1.  Preheat the oven to 200C (fan)Toss the chicken cubes in enough flour to coat. Heat a little oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chicken stirring occassionally until cooked. Add the asparagus and mushrooms and thyme stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock, and place on a high heat until it bubbles. Then bring down the heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Add the cornflour ( a little at a time) until the sauce thickens. Stir occasionally until heated through and the sauce has thickened and reduced slightly. Stir in the cream. Pour mixture into a pie dish.

3. Meanwhile, roll out your sheet of pastry, and cut a line across the top and one across the bottom. Coat the rim of the pie dish with water and cover it with the stripsof pastry until you have covered the entire dish.
Rub more water over the pastry rim, and place the pastry sheet over the top sticking it in place.

4. Cut away any excess pastry and use a fork to seal the edges of the pie dish and using a pastry brush, brush milk over the top of the pastry or alternatively an egg wash. With remaining pastry make four leaves with a knife if desired. Bake in the preheated oven for between 25-45 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy! Serve with seasonal vegetables and new potatoes.

Pan fried sea bass with pea and spinach risotto

Pan fried sea bass with pea and spinach risotto

Ingredients:

400g aborio risotto rice
1500 ml chicken stock
1 cup of frozen peas
150g spinach
2 tablespoons of cream cheese
25g parmesan grated
2 sea bass fillets seasoned with salt and pepper and a dash of lemon
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 tablespoons of oil
Salt and pepper to season


Method:

1. Heat a deep frying pan or saucepan with a little oil over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and transluscent. Add the risotto rice stirring frequently until all the rice is coated. Add a ladleful of stock at a time, adding more when the liquid absorbs. Continue to do this until the rice is soft, you will have to taste to find out. Also you may need more stock than is stated here, just add as much as you think the rice needs until it is soft and no longer chewy.

2. Once the risotto is soft add the spinach stirring occasionally until it is wilted. Stir in the frozen peas,cream cheese and parmesan until well combined and melted. Add salt and pepper to taste, put as little or as much as desired.Turn off the heat.

3. Meanwhile heat another frying pan with a little oil on a high heat. Once the pan is hot add the fillets, skin side down first to make sure the skin is nice and crispy. Cook for no more than 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately and enjoy.


Notes: alternatively you could stir in some king prawns if you do not wish to use the sea bass fillets. 150ml white wine could also be used whilst you cook the rice.

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!