2021 A BRAND NEW YEAR .

Happy new year . Christmas is over and the new year begins with resolutions ....will we keep them this year ? Today I have started compiling the recipes for the cooking classes ,commencing on Tuesday 2 nd of Febuary . The 1st week 2nd Feb we will be preparing Plaice Turnovers and a strawberry slice . 9th Feb we will be preparing Butternut , Orange and Sage Gallette .There will be no dessert this week as we will be making our own very flaky pastry ....( good luck !) 16 th Febuary we will be preparing Chicken Cacciatore and A No Churn Honey Ice Cream . 23rd of Feb Slow Cooked Mediterranean Fish with Saffron and a dessert of Honey and Chocolate Tray Bake ...... That is it for now , I do not want to be beaten by "virus again "I will take it a month at a time . I invite you to join us at the kitchen table .To book your spot ring Abigail or Rebecca at CNC on 51203850 .

HONEY

Honey is an older sweetener than cane sugar , and has the most varied and delicious tastes of all foods. Honey is directly linked to the area it comes from , sometimes to a short period of days and the particular plants in flower . According to the source of the nector ,liquid honey ranges from clear to amber to near black Darker honeys , such as thyme conain more minerals and traces of other components , generally the darker the honey , the stronger the taste . But the colour and strength of the honey say nothing about how good honey is . The flavour of honey also reflects the weather . A single flower honey may be more or less pure and intense as some flower either suffered or bloomed unexpected with a superior perfume , depending on the climate from year to year the difffernces can be really striking . Honey can replace sugar in a recipe , but be aware that heat elimates the aromasof honey , so dont use special honey in cooking . Honey compiments fresh cheeses and yoghurts . Lemon and cream go brilliantly with honey either together or separately . Honey goes brilliantly with butter and either fresh or toasted bread . My pavlovas and meringues this Christmas were filled with whipped cream sweetened with clover honey . I have voted honey my most favourte food for 2020 .

GREEN ONION AND GINGER CHICKEN ...

Season 4 skinless chicken breasts with cracked black pepper . Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a fry pan er a medium heat and add chicken fillets and brown on both sides about 3 minutes per side . Transfer the fillets to a plate and loosely cover with foil . Add an extra tsp of oil to the pan and add the chopped white part of a spring onion , slice the green part of the spring onion and add to the pan along with 1 tbs of minced garlic , 1 tbs of minced ginger . Stir these together over a medium heat for 1 minute . Add 3/4 cup of chicken stock 1/3 rd cup of rice wine vinegar ,1 tbs of hoisin sauce and 1 dsp of castor sugar / stevia , bring this to a simmer . Cook for an extra 3 minutes , stirring constantly until slightly thickened . Now return the chicken with any accumulated juices to the pan and reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through , about 5 minutes . Serve with rice noodles and grilled asparagus along with a sprinkle of sesame seeds .

MARSHMALLOW PAVLOVA WITH CHERRIES

Basic pavlova , preheat your oven to 150 deg C. Beat 6 egg whites at room temperature with a pinch of salt at a high speed until soft peaks form . Add 2 cups of castor sugar , 1 tbs at a time , beating well after each addition . Stop beating when all the sugar has been incorporated and fold in 1 and 1/2 tsp of white vinegar , the 1 and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. Pile the mixture into a greased 20cm springform pan in a circle and smooth over the top . Place the pavlova in the preheated oven for 45 minutes , then turn the oven off and leave the door shut for 1 hour . Remove the pavlova from the oven and cool completely . Remove the sides from the spring form pan . Top the pavlova generously with whipped cream made with 2 tbs of honey with 3 tbs of passionfruit curd and whipped till firm peaks form . I then topped the pavlova with fresh cherries .

MERINGUE RIPPLE WITH GRAPES .

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. In the bowl of your electric mixer , whip 4 eggwhites until soft peaks form . Measure out 1/3 cup of icing sugar mixed 1/2 tsp of cinnamon . Sprinkle over 1/3 of the icing sugar mix and whip until well incorporated , about 3 minutes Repeat this process using all the icing sugar mix and the meringue has stiff , shiny peaks With a large spoon ,or piping bag , drop the mixture onto a prepared baking tray lined with baking paper , into 14 equal mounds . With the back of a spoon make a slight indentation into the top of each meringue . Bake for 2 hours , then remove from the oven and cool completely on the baking tray . Combine 2 tbs of runny honey with 3 tbs of passionfruit curd and 600ml of cream and beat until thickened and firm peaks hold shape . Spoon the cream into the shells and join them vertically on a plate . Dress with excess cream and light sprinkle of dried rosemary , serve with fresh grapes .

ROASTED PUMPKIN WITH BEANS

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C I used 4 golden nugget pumpkins ( small orange pumpkins ) Remove the top 1 cm off the pumpkins and remove the seeds . Replace the lids ,place the pumpkins on a lined baking tray and bake for 30 minutes . Place 1 tbs of minced garlic in a saucepan along with 1 tbs of oil , the contents of 1X409gm tin of diced tomatoes , a handful of torn basil leaves . Stir and cook for 5 minutes , then stir in 1 x 400gm can (drained )of cannellini beans . Remove the pumpkins from the oven and spoon out the flesh leaving a 1 cm shell . Add the chopped pumpkin flesh to the bean and tomato mixture . Season with cracked black pepper . Place the pumpkin shells back on the baking tray and spoon in the bean filling top with extra basil and the pumpkin lids. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven or until heated through . Serve hot .

SPICY BAKED BEANS

Soak 450gm of dried haricot beans in water overnight . Preheat your oven to 160 deg C . Drain the beans , then transfer to a saucepan and cover with fresh water , bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes . Drain , reserving the water . Place the beans in a deep oven proof dish along with 200gm of pork belly and 1 whole onion. Now mix together 1 tsp of mustard powder with 6 tbs of treacle and 300ml of the reserved bean water and stir into the beans and season with salt and cracked black pepper . Now pour the remaining bean water to cover the ingredients , leaving the pork rind exposed . Cover the dish and bake in the preheated oven for 3 hours. Uncover the dish for the last 30 minutes , and discard the onion . Remove the pork and cut off the rind , dice /pull the meat and return to the dish with the beans Adjust the seasonings and serve with grilled sausages ....