White Chocolate and Ginger Mousse

Lover’s Pudding

This is definitely a chocolate lover’s dessert.  Rich, thick and creamy, it is a perfect dessert to relax with.  I had this the day before my graduation and it certainly stopped the nerves.  You only need to pour a little in the glasses, but I topped my wine glasses half full to give loved ones a  heavenly delight.  All I heard during this meal was “mmmmmm” and “aaaaaaa” 🙂

This recipe was adapted from Lorraine Pascale’s ‘Home Cooking Made Easy’ (HarperCollins Publishers, 2011).

Ingredients:

150g creme fraiche, 300ml double cream, 300g white chocolate, 2cm stem ginger (peeled and finely grated).

Method:

1. Put the creme fraiche in one bowl and the double cream in another.
2. Mix up the creme friache until it becomes a little thinner.
3. Mix the double cream until it is the same consistency as the creme fraiche.
4. Stir the fraiche into the cream.
5. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a simmering pan of water.
6. Slowly add the chocolate into the fraiche mixture, mixing after every spoonful.
7. Fold in the ginger then mix until everything is silky smooth and the lumps are gone.
8. Divide the mixture into wine glasses depending on how much tlc you need.
9. Leave in the fridge to set for 2 hours minimum. (You can leave them over night.)

Saffy’s Top Tip

I ate mine with some fresh berries and fresh mint leaves, adding fruit can make a huge difference to those who find the mousse too creamy and chocolatey.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Home

I love travelling, but I do miss the pleasures of cooking my own food.  As soon as I returned from Barbados I thought about all of the fantastic dishes I could cook in a familiar environment.  I just imagined all of the flavours I had been missing and suddenly my heart warmed knowing that good homely cooking was on its way to my tummy. This soup slapped the British summer weather in the face.  As it rained I sat smiling slurping the spicy soup with a lovely apple addition.

This recipe was adapted from ‘Taste of Home’ (Reiman Media Group, Inc, 2010)

Ingredients:

1/2 a butternut squash, 1 large onion (diced), 1 medium apple (peeled and diced), 1 garlic clove (finely chopped),  a dollop of low fat butter, 2 tsps curry powder, ½ tsp ground ginger, 3 cups vegetable stock (made from 1 stock cube), a few dollops of 0% fat Greek yoghurt, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, a small pinch of chilli flakes, parsley to garnish.

Method:

1. Cut squash in half, discard the seeds.
2. Place in baking pan and inch of hot water to the pan.
3. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
4. Drain water from the pan turn squash cut side up.
5. Bake 20 -30mins longer or until tender.
6. Scoop out squash into blender and process till smooth.
7. In a large saucepan melt the butter then fry the onion, apple and garlic until tender.
8. Stir in curry powder and ginger, cook and stir for a min.
9. Stir in broth and pureed squash.
10. Bring to a boil.
11. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
12. Cool down soup, season to taste and add yoghurt.
11. When serving add a pinch of chilli flakes and garnish with parsley.

 

Chocolate Lover’s Cake topped with Honey Bunches And Oats and Caramelized Apples

“I had a moment”

I wanted to make what is known as a ‘Chocolate Lovers Cake’ which is very dense and was created in England for serious chocolate goers (obviously).  As it was a birthday cake I wanted to make sure it was pleasing to the senses, but I had never made or tasted such a thing before.  The concept was actually quite daunting, but I decided to give myself the challenge.  I was going through a tough period at this point and I find that creating a dish that is challenging really helps to take your mind off of things causing stress.  The cake turned out to be “epic” for many reasons.  Not only did I single-handedly create and interesting topping, but I managed to create a chocolate cake using no flour.  Just eggs and egg whites and the binding agent.  Pretty impressive if I say so myself.  Saffy does it again.

Ingredients:

10 eggs separated, 250g castor sugar, 500g dairy milk chocolate, 250g butter, 2 tsps margarine, 5 tbsps brown sugar, 2 apples (peeled and sliced), 3 tsps mixed essence, 2 tsps cinnamon, honey bunches and oats cereal.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
2. Over a gentle flame heat a pan of water until just simmering.
3. Place the butter and chocolate in a metal bowl and cover with cling film, then place on the pan and let the steam melt the chocolate.
4.  Once it’s melted leave it to cool a little.
5. In an electric mixer beat the sugar and egg yolks until they are pale and fluffy.
6. Whilst on a slow speed pour in the cooled melted chocolate mixture, and continue to beat until smooth and glossy.
7. In a clean bowl whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks.
8. Using a metal spoon, gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
9. Add the whites in stages, this keep the mixture light and fluffy.
10. Grease a  cake tin and spoon the mixture in. Bake for 30-40 minutes until set.
11. For the topping melt the margarine in a pan and add the brown sugar.
12.  Add the apples, essence and cinnamon and cook until the apples become soft and the syrup reduces.
13. Cool a little and top the cake with the mixture.
14. Pour some of the syrup over the cake so it seeps in for an extra sweet taste.
15. Sprinkle Honey Bunches and Oats over the  top. Go mad if you like. Throw a tantrum if you dare.

Saffy’s Top Tips:

1. When melting the chocolate and butter it’s important not to stir the mixture or let any moisture get to the chocolate or it may go grainy.

2. Make sure the chocolate is cool before mixing otherwise your cake will turn into scrambled eggs.

Peanut Butter & Guava Jelly Simple Cake Sandwich

How to say “Thank You”

I personally feel that one of the best ways to show someone how you love them is through food.  Which is why I love cooking for my mummy. In Barbados my cousin had been very hospitable so I surprised her with a unique cake designed around one of her favourite treats, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  She really enjoyed it.  Styling food around a person’s personality is a really fun gift and also it means that if the recipe goes wrong they will never know.

Ingredients:

3 large eggs, 6 oz soft margarine, 6 oz castor sugar, 6 oz sifted all-purpose flour, peanut butter, guava jelly.

Method:

1. Grease and flour 2 9 inch baking tins.
2. In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Add in the eggs beating well after each addition.
4. Add the flour slowly and fold in with a metal spoon.
5. Pre heat oven to 160 degrees C.
6. Divide equally into the tins and bake for 20 – 25 minutes.
7. Allow the cakes to cool before adding the filling.
8. When the cakes are cooled spread peanut butter and jelly on one cake and sandwich with the other.

Raspberry Banana Delight

Angel Delight

I saw a mother in the supermarket helping her child choose several different flavours of Angel Delight.  I completely forgot the stuff existed, when I was a little girl I used to look forward to eating it as a dessert.  Now I am not too sure my taste buds would be too pleased with the odd concoction.  Does anyone actually know whats in that stuff?  I decided by making my own delight, which is basically a thick smoothie.  I wanted to make it the same colour as the bright pink angel delight so I used raspberries.  I think my treat is a much better alternative, natural sugars and natural colouring.

Ingredients:

1 medium banana, 3 tbsps 0 % fat greek yoghurt, a handful of fresh raspberries.

Method:

Blend altogether till you reach desired consistency.

Saffy’s Top Tip

For a little extra sweetness add some more banana or even a little drizzle of honey.

Bajan Carnival Meal

1st Crop Over

In Barbados my cousin taught me a really easy delicious West Indian meal the day before carnival.  It consists of well seasoned fried fish, homemade gravy, a nice twist on rice and peas and a freshly chopped apple salad.   It was my first time “jumping” in Crop Over and I wanted to last the whole day, so I made sure that I had a healthy energetic meal the night before, to prepare myself for some serious partying.   The meal did me good for I danced down streets in the rain and in the sunshine with the biggest smile on my face.  The memories from this meal couldn’t be more wonderful.

Ingredients:

Bajan Dolphin Fillets, Bajan seasoning, dill, Cajun seasoning, flour, Italian breadcrumbs, light olive oil for frying, basmati rice, 1 can of marrow peas (drained), 1 small can of sweetcorn (drained), low-fat margarine spread, 1  small green pepper (chopped, de seeded and diced into small pieces), 5 small broccoli florets, 1 large plantain (sliced into chunky slices), extra virgin olive oil, 1 small onion (chopped), 1 sweet pepper (chopped and de seeded), 2 garlic cloves (chopped), paprika, ketchup, 1 Maggie cube, Bajan pepper sauce, browning fresh thyme, starch, 1 large apple, 2 tomatoes, romaine lettuce, cucumber.  *Dressing to serve if desired.

Method:

1. Marinate the fish in Bajan seasoning overnight.
2. When ready to cook season fish generously  in dill and Cajun seasoning.
3. Heat oil in a pan for frying fish.
4. Coat each piece of fish in flour before frying it.
5. Fry until browned on each side and place on paper towels.
6. Wash rice and cover in a pan under an inch of water.
7. Add 2 tbsps of extra virgin olive oil.
8. Boil then leave to simmer.  After 15 minutes add the peas, sweetcorn, pepper and broccoli.
9. Add the plantain after five minutes and leave until vegetables and rice has cooked.
10. Season rice to taste.
11. To make the gravy heat about 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a small pot.
12. Fry the onion, sweet pepper and garlic until the onion is soft.
13. Add 2 cups of water.
14. Add 3 tsps paprika, 2 dollops of ketchup, a crushed Maggie cube, 1 tsp pepper sauce (depending on how hot you want your gravy).
15. 1 tbsp browning and a small handful of fresh thyme.
16. Leave gravy to boil.
17. After 7 minutes add a little starch which has been pre mixed with water to prevent lumpiness.
18. Season and alter the texture to style.
19. Chop the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and apples and toss together in a medium bowl.
20. Plate up all of the elements and serve salad with dressing if desired.

Banana Base Apple Cinnamon Upside Down Cake

Cooking In Barbados

So far during  my cooking adventures in Barbados I have pounded yam, scooped out coconut sap and lost a mango to a monkey.  I have learnt many new techniques and have watched intently as family members have cooked.  I decided I would make a unique cake treat for a few family members.  Bananas and apples needed to be used up so I thought I would try out an experiment.  My first attempt did not work so well, my measurements were slightly off and I used evaporated milk rather than fresh milk.  However, I persisted and made a pretty decent dessert in the end, accompanied with a sweet fragrant apple cinnamon syrup.

Ingredients:

2 apples, 1 spoonful of low-fat margarine (plus extra for prepping 9 inch tin), 5 tbsps ground cinnamon, 3 tbsps and 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp mixed essence, 1 1/4 cup plain flour (plus extra for preparing cake tin), 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1 cup margarine, 1 medium banana (mashed), 1 egg, 1/4 cup skimmed milk.

Method:

1. Grease a 9 inch cake tin with a little margarine and sprinkle with a little flour on top.
2. Peel and chop the apples into segments.
3. In a frying pan melt a spoonful of low-fat margarine.
4. Once melted add 3 tbsps of brown sugar and when the sugar has nearly dissolved add 2 tbsps of ground cinnamon.
5. Add the apple wedges and coat in the mixture. Add the mixed essence.
6. Cook until the apples are soft.
7. When the apples are soft spread at the bottom of the tin. Try and cover the bottom. Reserve some of the juices to drizzle over the top of the cake.
8. In a large bowl, beat 1 cup of margarine and 1 cup of brown sugar together until creamy.
9. Beat in the egg. (Add a little flour if it curdles.)
10. Sieve in the flour, 2 tbsps of cinnamon and baking powder. Then beat in the banana.  Mix very well.
11. Pour in the water slowly and beat until smooth.
12. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees C.
13. Pour the cake mixture on top of the apples.
14. Bake the cake for 35 – 40 minutes.  The cake is done when firm to touch and the skewer comes out clean.
15. Let the cake cool before flipping it onto a serving plate with the browned apples on top.
16. Drizzle some of the apple syrup over the top of each cake slice when serving for an extra sweet kick.

Oven-Roast Broccoli with Chilli & Mint

The Perfect Sidekick

The main meal and side dish should be combined as if the main meal was a superhero and the side dish was a sidekick.  If the side dish is useless like a boring salad to just make the plate look pretty then this will not enhance the dish in any way and will be a waste of money and food.  If Robin was a pathetic and lazy person Batman would be left vulnerable.  So please make your side dishes interesting and tasty, even if it is well cooked rice.  A side dish needs purpose people! This is a fool-proof side and it has a nice kick to it.

This recipe was adapted from Lorraine Pascale’s ‘Home Cooking Made Easy’ (HaperCollins Publishers, 2011).

Ingredients:

A few broccoli heads, a drizzle of olive oil, 1 big red chilli (de seeded and chopped into small pieces), salt and black pepper, a bunch of fresh mint.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Break the broccoli and scatter over the oven tray.
3. Drizzle on some olive oil.
4. Scatter on some chillies and season with a little salt and black pepper.
5. Roast for 16 – 20 minutes.
6. When broccoli is cooked take out of the oven, shred the mint leaves and sprinkle them over the vegetables.

Chicken Teriyaki

Japanese Food

Eating fresh and well cooked Japanese food is a real treat for me.  Someday I would love to visit Japan and watch my food being cooked in front of me by a master chef.  I love the ramen noodle dishes, the sushi, the beautiful gyoza dumplings and of course the sweet teriyaki flavours.  I know it will take me a long time to master the art of a particular cuisine but I do not see the harm in attempting to cook various traditional cuisines unique from your own.  I find this is a wonderful way to learn about other cultures.  So this is my own version of Chicken Teriyaki.  It tasted pretty wonderful and went down a treat.

This recipe was adapted from Lorraine Pascale’s ‘Home Cooking Made Easy’ (HarperCollins Publishers, 2011).

Ingredients:

40g brown sugar, 60ml mirin, 65g soy sauce, corn oil (for frying chicken), 4 skinless chicken breasts (prepared and chopped into small chunks), salt and pepper, 3cm fresh ginger (peeled and grated), 1 garlic clove (peeled and finely chopped), 7 spring onions (trimmed and finely sliced), handful of sesame seeds, boiled rice and fresh salad to serve.
* Or try my Oven Roasted Broccoli with Chilli and Mint.

Method:

1. Mix together in a small bowl the sugar, mirin and soy sauce.
2. Heat some oil in a wok on medium heat then start frying the chicken seasoning lightly with pepper and salt.
3. When the chicken is cooked through add the garlic and ginger.
4. After 2 minutes add the sugar, mirin and soy sauce mixture.
5. Add the spring onion and sesame seeds and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Serve with rice and vegetables.

Saffy’s Top Tip:

Before you start cooking prepare everything in advance as these ingredients are very easy to burn.

Mackerel Pate

Simple and Delightful

This pate is the delicious! I never knew it could be so easy to make. I thought it would be great to eat with my wholemeal buns or as a filling to a jacket potato, but when I saw the ingredients inside the pate in the supermarket I became a little disheartened.  I couldn’t understand what half of the ingredients were but luckily The Fabulous Baker Brothers featured a mackerel pate on their show.  I added some extra lemon zest and chives, it tasted superb.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 fillets of smoked mackerel (flaked and checked for bones), 50g creme fraiche, 1 level tbsp parsley, 1 tbsp chives, zest and juice 1/2 lemon, pepper.

Method:

 Gently fold in all of the ingredients and season to taste.

Saffy’s Top Tip:

You can swap the mackerel for salmon or tuna.