BEEF WELLINGTON

Ask your butcher to trim a 750 gm thick beef fillet , and when you are ready to prepare the dish ....
Preheat your oven to 230deg C.
Season the fillet with with cracked pepper.
Heat a fry pan adding 60gm of butter and 1tbs of rice bran oil .
Brown the meat on all sides in the hot oil and butter .
Remove the fillet to a wire rack and cool completely .
Now you need to sauté 60 gm of sliced mushrooms and 1 peeled and thinly sliced onion until tender ,set aside to cool .
Spread the cooled fillet with 90 gm of a good liver pate , I use  liverwurst  ( my choice ) and top with the duxelles  ( onions and mushrooms ).
Then ad the duxelle .....then add to the top the mix of mushroom and onion
Use puff pastry sheets joined together .
Place the fillet on one half and fold  the other half over , press edges to seal.
Trim excess pastry .
Brush pastry around the fillet with a lightly beaten egg and the excess which you should use to trim the top of the pastry .
Now chill for 30 minutes ....then
Place in your preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden .
This will be a perfect medium rare ... if you like it more well done .... cover the beef Wellington with baking paper and cook an extra 10 minutes.

ICED VO VO TARTLETS

You will need ...... to preheat your oven to 150 deg C.
........and also  a 250 gm packet of butternut snap biscuits ,
Lay 6 biscuits on an oven tray and place in the oven for 3 minutes .
Remove and gently, very gently mould the warm biscuit into a shallow case .
Repeat with remaining biscuits until they have all been reshaped .
Now all you have to do is to gently line each case with a tsp of jam .
Set the cookie cases aside .
In a separate bowl place 2 cups of icing sugar , stir in 1/2 tsp of coconut essence and 3 tbs of milk to form a thick paste and a spreadable consistency , tint pink with colouring .
Spoon in teaspoons of paste over the jam bases , then finish off with a sprinkle of coconut .
Refrigerate until firm .

 

GLUTEN FREE CHRISTMAS CAKE

Preheat your oven to 160 deg C fan forced .
Prepare a 20cm round cake tin with a spray of cooking oil and baking paper,lining the sides and base .
In a large bowl combine 600 gm of mixed dried fruit , 1 tsp of  ground cinnamon ,1 tsp of vanilla extract , 1 tsp of nutmeg , the juice and zest of 1 orange , 3 tbs of extra virgin olive oil , 3 lightly beaten eggs .
Now add 200gm of almond meal , stirring through with a wooden spoon .
Finally fold through 50 gm of chopped walnuts .
Spoon the batter into your prepared cake tin , allow the tin to sit for 15 minutes on your bench .
Bake  for 1 hour and 30 minutes , check with a skewer to see if it comes out clean , if not bake for a further 30 minutes ( cover the top of the tin with a sheet of loose fitting baking paper to prevent over browning .)
Cool , then remove from the tin to a wire rack, when completely cooled store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month .

SPICY CARAMELISED CHORIZO

Slice 2 red capsicums, into thin strips .
Heat 2 tbs of rice bran oil in a large frying pan .
Add 1 finely sliced onion , along with 1 tbs of minced garlic and capsicum strips ,slow cook until the onion is translucent and the capsicum soft ..
Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Using the same pan add 4 diagonally sliced chorizo and cook on medium for 8 minutes  stirring and turning occasionally.....it is at this stage you will see the chorizo caramelise and render , ( the fat melts and separates ) discard fat .
Now add the onions and capsicums back to the pan and give it a good toss.
Add 1 tbs of sweet smokey  paprika
1 tbs of fresh thyme leaves
Now deglaze with 1 cup of chicken stock , 2 tbs of red wine vinegar , 2 tbs of apple  cider vinegar , slowly bring to the boil , then simmer till sauce thickens .
Finish the dish with 1/2 cup of coarse chopped Thai basil mint .

GLUTEN FREE PEACH AND ALMOND PIE

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C
Lightly grease a 23 cm round ovenproof pie dish .
Whisk 4 eggs in a large bowl .
Add 2 cups of unsweetened almond milk
1 cup of castor sugar
1 cup od almond meal .
3/4 cup of desiccated coconut
2 tbs of gluten free flour ( all purpose )
1 tsp of finely grated orange rind
Whisk until well combined  .
Pour into the prepared dish .
Drain 410gm tin of sliced peaches
Arrange peach slices over the top of the prepared batter in the dish .
Sprinkle 1/3 cup of flaked almonds over the top.,
Bae in your preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the pie is set and the top is light golden .
Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 20 minutes .before serving .
Can be served warm or cold with custard .

CHILLI APRICOT CHICKEN

Heat 1 tbs of rice bran oil in a large pan and brown 8 pieces of chicken  joints ( chicken drummies and or chicken thighs )
Add chicken in 2 batches , turning occasionally until browned .( about 8 minutes ).
Remove the chicken pieces to the bowl of your slow cooker.
Now in a large bowl mix together 405 ml can of apricot nector  , 1/4 cup of tamari , 40 gm packet of French onion dried soup mix ., 1 tbs of raw sugar , 1 tbs of minced ginger , 1 dsp of chilli paste ( sambel oelek) and 1/4 cup of water .
Mix to combine well and then pour over the chicken in your slow cooker, turning the chicken to coat .
Cover with lid  and turn the slow cooker on low for 4 hours .
To serve scatter with diagonally sliced spring onions and snow peas .

NO BOWL CARAMEL SLICE

Preheat your oven to 160 deg C.

Using a slice pan pour in 100gm of melted butter / margarine.

Then sprinkle over 1 cup of crushed milk arrowroot biscuits 

Followed by 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut

1/2 cup of choc bits 

1/2 cup of crushed nuts .

Finally pour 1 can of condensed milk all over the top as evenly as possible .

Bake in your preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown ....

CHICKEN A LA GRECQUE

Preheat your oven to a slow 140 deg C
You will need 750 gm of eggplants
Do not peel the eggplants , rather slice them thinly length wise .
Sauté the dark skins in a pan with rice bran oil , drain and line your cooking dish with the skins across the bottom and around the sides .
Cut the flesh of the eggplant into cubes .
Using the same pan add 750 gm of finely chopped chicken , 2 peeled and finely sliced onions and 2 tbs of minced garlic .
Add 1 tbs of dried rosemary ,1 can (400gm ) of diced tomatoes ,1 tbs of honey ,with  and the diced eggplant ....I added 400gm of traditional stir fry vegetables

Cover your dish and simmer for 10minutes .
Then add 12 pitted black olives
Now I want you to make a paste out of 200gm of plain Greek yoghurt with 50ml of lemon juice 50ml of water , 125gm of instant milk powder and 1 tsp of chopped mint .
Pour batter over the chicken and place in the preheated oven and cook slowly for 90 minutes .
Serve topped with a crumble of feta cheese .
Delicious .
Alternatively you can use your slow cooker and cook on low for 3 hours .

SWEDISH MEATBALL

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C
Remove the crusts from 5 slices of brown bread, dice and place in a large bowl .
Add 1 cup of evaporated milk ,1 of grated carrot 1 grated onion , 1/2 red capsicum chopped , 1 rap of dried dill , 1 tsp of cracked black pepper......allow this mixture to soak for 10 minutes .
Now add 250 gm of topside mince and 750 gm of pork and veal mince and knead together and then shape into a large ball and place on a baking tray .
Slice 4 rashers of pancetta into strips and arrange in a criss- cross pattern over the meat ball .
Fold the pork strip ends under the meat ball .
Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes
Remove foil and roast for a further 15 minutes.
Baste with the juices , serve hot or cold .