Baileys White Chocolate Fudge

Another great treat for Xmas.....

Ingredients
150ml Baileys
50ml milk
30g butter
350g caster sugar
300g white chocolate, broken into squares

Method
1 Line a square 20cm cake or slice time with baking paper
2 Measure out 125ml of Baileys and pour into the saucepan
3 Add the milk, butter, caster sugar and put the pan over a low heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved and the butter melted. This takes approx 10 mins
4 Turn the heat to medium and stir while the mixture gently simmers. You want the bubbles calmly breaking the surface for 10 mins.
5 Remove pan from heat and stir in chocolate and the last 25ml Baileys. Keep stirring until chocolate has melted and you have a smooth consistency.
6 Transfer to the tin, and chill for at least 2 hours. Cut into squares.

Sticky Date pudding

This is such an easy recipe and is sure to please guests!

Ingredients
1.5 cups (200g) seeded dried dates
1.5 cups (310ml) boiling water
1 tsp baking soda
50g butter chopped
half cup (100g) firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour

Butterscotch sauce
3/4 cup (150g) firmly packed brown sugar
300ml cream
80g butter

1 Preheat oven to 175oC. Grease deep 20cm round cake tin, line base with baking paper.
2 Combine dates and the water in medium heatproof bowl. Stir in soda and stand for 5 minutes.
3 Blend or process date mixture with butter and sugar until pureed. Add eggs and flour, blend or process until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
4 Bake, uncovered, in oven about 1 hour (cover with foil if pudding starts to overbrown). Stand for 10 minutes; turn onto serving plate. Serve warm with butterscotch sauce, strawberries and vanilla ice-cream.

Butterscotch sauce  Combine ingredients in medium saucepan; stir over low heat until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened.

Serves 8.

Harvest Tomato Sauce

With summer here and extra tomatoes grown in the garden this is a fabulous recipe to make and then either bottle or freeze. It is so versatile, but I usually use it as a pasta sauce base. I must give credit where credit is due as it is adapted from an Annabel Langbein recipe, from the book A Free Range Cook!

Ingredients

1kg tomatoes, cred and cut into wedges
1 red capsicum
1 onion, cut into thin wedges
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp chopped rosemary leaves
1 small chilli, seeded and chopped (optional)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
ground black pepper

Method
1 Preheat oven to 160oC. prepare the tomatoes, capsicum
and onion and place in a lined roasting dish in a single layer so they roast and caramelise rather than stew. You may need two roasting dishes.

2 Add the garlic, rosemary, and chilli. in a small bowl mix together the tomato paste, sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Spoon this mixture over the vegetables and stir through them to coat evenly.

3 Bake for about 2 hours or until vegetables are starting to caramelise and shrivel a little.

4 Allow the vegetables to cook then puree in a food processor or blender. The sauce will keep in the fridge for up to a week or can be frozen or bottled while still hot.

Red pepper shots with prawns

Of course I never follow a recipe exactly, I like to adjust it to my own tastes. Therefore from the cooking class in Barcelona I have created red pepper shots with a garlic and chilli prawn to serve as a canape at a party.

Ingredients

2 large red bell peppers
3 large shallots
350-400mls water
salt
pinch sugar
8-10 saffron threads toasted

Method
1 Preheat the oven to 180oC, cut the peppers in half and place on an oven tray. Spread some olive oil over the peppers and season with salt. Bake in the oven for approx 30mins or until roasted.
2 Put the roasted peppers in a bowl and cover with gladwrap so they can sweat. Once cooled, peel the skins off and deseed. Cut into slices and set aside.
3 Slice the shallots, and simmer in a pan with a Tbsp olive oil until cooked. Do not brown.
4 Add the peppers, pinch of salt and sugar and cook for a further 5 mins.
5 Add the water and let simmer for a further 15-20 minutes. Take off heat.
6 Toast the saffron and infuse the soup with it (off the heat). Cover and leave for 1 hour.
7 Puree through a blender and place back into the pot. Check seasoning.
8 Serve the soup in shot glasses with anything you like as an accompaniment - a garlic prawn as I did was great. Sprinkle the prawns with parsley.

Cook and Taste cooking class, Barcelona

While in Barcelona we could not miss an opportunity to have a Spanish cooking class.

http://www.cookandtaste.net/

Our class started at 5pm with a group of about 12 of us.

The menu was:

- Shot of red bell pepper soup flavoured with toasted saffron and cod
- Magret of duck, caramelised onion and foie cake
- Seafood paella
- Crema Catalana

It was a pretty hands on experience with an emphasis on 'experience' rather than learning... with a bit of wine to go with it.

Paella recipe (serves 4)


Ingredients
4 prawns
1/2 squid
300gr mussels
2 cloves garlic
1 or 2 tomatoes
1 green pepper
1 small red onion
6 Tbsp olive oil
320 grams rice
1 Ltr fish stock (4.4 cups)
8-10 saffron threads

 Method
1 Heat the oil in the pan and fry the squid and prawns until slightly browned. Set aside.
2 Chop the onion and the green pepper and add them into the hot oil and fry slightly. After a few minutes add the chopped garlic and fry over medium heat.
3 Add the rice and fry for a few minutes. Then stir in the hot stock. Leave the rice now and do not stir.
4 Cook for a further 8 minutes approx on medium to high heat.
5 reduce the heat to medium and cook for a further 10 minutes.
6 Stir in the mussels and at the last moment add back in the prawns and squid. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Not your everyday burger joint

Kiosko Gourmet Burger

Marques de L_Argentera 1 bis 08003, 08003 Barcelona, Spain

 http://www.kioskoburger.com/

I know, I know, we should not have been eating burgers while in such a gastronomic place like Barcelona is! However, my husband loves a good burger, so we could not miss the chance to check these out. The place is extremely popular, so be prepared to queue - nothing new for Barcelona! The burger was beyond expectations. If you love a good gourmet burger you can't miss going here.

Cabbages and Condoms, Bangkok, Thailand

A great experience if you happen to be in Bangkok is to go the Cabbages and Condoms Restaurant.

Location:

10 Sukhumvit Soi 12, Bangkok 10260, Thailand

 

Website:

http://www.pda.or.th/restaurant/ 

This restaurant was set up by the guy who brought contraception to Thailand. It is a fun, somewhat educational place, with everything in the surroundings either made out of condoms or related to safe sex.

Background:
The restaurant was conceptualized in part to
promote better understanding and acceptance
of family planning and to generate income
 to support various development activities
of the Population and Community
Development Association (PDA)









Food:
There is an extensive menu of a range of Thai foods and are all very reasonably priced.


And remember, the food is guaranteed not to cause pregnancy!