Love muznik, hate muzza’s

Classic Stodge.

Yorkshire Pudding

325ml full cream milk

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

250g plain flour

12 x 1/2 teaspoon beef dripping or vegetable shortening

Whisk the milk, eggs and salt and leave for 15 minutes.

Whisk in the flour and leave until you need it.

Put 1/2 a teaspoon of dripping in each muffin compartment and heat in at least a 220°C oven for 10-15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and pour in the yorkshire pudding batter – you can fill them to the top.

Cook in a 250°C oven for 15-20 minutes or until they have puffed up and are golden.

Serve immediately.

Stilton Soup

2 large leeks, washed throughly and chopped

4 sticks celery, chopped

30g butter

30g flour

1L chicken stock

100ml dry white wine

250ml full cream milk

200g+ stilton cheese

100ml thickened cream

salt

white pepper

nutmeg

Heat the butter in a large saucepan and add the leeks and celery.

Soften over a low heat until translucent.

Add the flour and stir for a minute.

Add the white wine and stock and bring to the boil, stirring.

Simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the milk, cheese and cream and heat gently until the cheese has melted.

Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Liquidize if you prefer and serve.

Gratin Dauphinois

1kg desire potatoes, peeled and washed

1.5L cream

Half bunch of thyme

Half head of garlic

Salt

Pepper

Handful parmesan

Slice the potatoes 1/2cm thick.

Place the cream into a saucepan with the thyme and garlic.

Bring to the boil then reduce over a medium heat by a third.

Pass through a sieve and discard the thyme and garlic, then add salt and pepper.

Place the cream back in the saucepan and bring the cream back to the boil.

Add the sliced potatoes and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are slightly cooked.

Drain the potatoes through a sieve catching the cream in a bowl.

Layer the potato slices in a 5cm deep baking dish.

Just cover with the reduced cream and put in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. The top should be golden.

Remove from the oven, add the parmesan and put it back in the oven under the grill to brown the cheese.

From ‘The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book’

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMxPCTebMzI]

I made this a few weeks ago and it was really great, incredibly rich and moist and simply delicious – perfect rainy day food. Although I ate most of it, my housemate really enjoyed it too and it only lasted two days. I was at my mum’s last week and didn’t have this recipe and used one from Jamie’s Dinners instead, Neil Perry’s recipe tasted better and was easier. I also used dried dates and it turned out well, if anything I think they give it more flavour.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

10 fresh dates, 230g, pitted and chopped

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

100g unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted

thick double cream, to serve

Sauce

500ml thick double cream

1/2 cup demerara sugar

2 tablespoons golden syrup

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Grease a 27 x 15 x 6cm deep loaf tin and line the base and sides with baking paper.

Place the dates and 1 cup of water into a pan and bring to the boil over medium heat.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the bicarbonate of soda – the mixture will begin to bubble up. Set aside to cool.

Cream the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

Add the vanilla and beat until combined.

Fold the flour and date mixture alternatively into the butter mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes, or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

Combine the cream, sugar and golden syrup in a small pan and stir constantly over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Bring the sauce to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, stir occasionally, until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly.

Turn the warm pudding out onto a platter and drizzle with half the sauce.

Cut the pudding into thick slices.

Serve with the remaining sauce and thick cream.

Little Joy – Keep Me In Mind

Kylie Kwong’s Jelly Cakes

1 cup boiling water

1 x 85 g (3 oz) packet strawberry or raspberry jelly crystals

3/4 cup cold water

125 g (4 oz) butter

1/2 cup caster (superfine) sugar

1 egg

1 1/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 1/2 cups desiccated coconut

Pour boiling water into a large heatproof jug.

Sprinkle jelly crystals into jug, stir until crystals are dissolved, then stir in cold water.

Pour jelly mixture into a large, shallow dish, about 20 x 25 cm (8 x 10 in), cover and refrigerate for 2-2 1/2 hours, or until jelly is just starting to set. (It is important that the jelly is used at the right consistency; if it is too firm it will not stick to the cakes.)

Lightly grease 3 x 12-hole shallow patty-pan tins (1 1/2-tablespoon capacity) and preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).

Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add egg and beat until just combined.

Add flour, milk and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Spoon tablespoons of the mixture into prepared tins.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

When a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean they’re ready.

Remove cakes from tins and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Remove jelly from refrigerator and quickly roll a cake in the jelly, coating it evenly.

Toss the jelly-covered cake in coconut until it’s coated all over.

Repeat with remaining cakes and arrange on a platter to serve.

Sweet Short Crust Pastry

For 1 x 30cm tart mould

125g unsalted butter

100g icing sugar

a small pinch of salt

250g plain flour

2 eggs yolks

2 tablespoons cold milk

Cream together the butter, sugar and salt.

Rub in the flour and egg yolks.

Add the cold milk when this mixture has come together, looking like coarse breadcrumbs.

Pat and gently work together to form a ball of dough.

Lightly flour and push, pat and squeeze into shape. The idea is to get your ingredients to a dough form with the minimum amount of movement.

Roll the pastry into a really large, short and fat sausage-shape, wrap it in cling-film and place it in the fridge to rest for a least 1 hour.

Carefully slice off thin slivers of your pastry lengthways, around 5mm thick.

Place the slivers in and around the bottom and sides of your tart mould, fitting them roughly together like a jigsaw.

Then simply push the pieces together and level out.

Tidy up the sides by pushing with your thumb and cleaning off the excess pastry from the rim of the mould.

Allow your pastry to rest again for at least an hour in the freezer.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC and bake the tart for around 15 minutes until cooked through and slightly coloured.

Allow to cool and fill.

Chocolate Tart

315ml double cream

2 tablespoons caster sugar

a small pinch of salt

115g unsalted butter, softened

455g good quality chocolate, broken up

100ml milk

cocoa powder

Place the double cream, sugar and salt in a pan and bring to the boil.

Remove from the heat straight away and add the butter and chocolate.

Stir until it has completely melted.

Allow the mixture to cool slightly then stir in the cold milk until slightly and shiny. Sometimes this mixture looks like it has split. Allow to cool down a bit more and whisk in a little extra cold milk until smooth.

Pour the mixture into the cooled pastry shell.

Shake the tart to even it out and allow to cool for around 1-2 hours at room temperature.

Dust with cocoa powder.

Bonnie “Prince” Billy – Strange Form Of Life

This photo does no justice to how amazing and rich these brownies are – they look a bit dry and cake like which they certainly are not. Feel free to add more white and milk chocolate bits. I like them a bit warm with ice cream.

Triple-Choc Brownies

185g butter

185g dark chocolate, chopped

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

2/3 cup plain flour,

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup roughly chopped white chocolate

1 cup roughly chopped milk chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Place the butter and dark chocolate in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until just smooth. Allow to cool.

Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy.

Fold through the chocolate and butter mixture.

Sift the flour and cocoa over the mixture and mix to combine.

Add the white and milk chocolate and mix through.

Pour into a 23cm square cake tin, base lined with non-stick baking paper.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until set.

Allow to cool, then cut into squares.

Peaches – Boys Wanna Be Her (Tommie Sunshine’s Brooklyn Fire Retouch) (zSHARE)

Magnolia Bakery’s Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (pink)

Makes enough for one 2-layer 9-inch cake or 2 dozen cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl.

Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla.

Beat on a medium speed of an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.

Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar.

Add a few drops of food coloring (if desired) and mix thoroughly.

Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled. Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Cream Cheese Frosting (white)

500g cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.

Add confectioners sugar and beat on low speed until incorporated. Add lemon juice and rosewater and beat until smooth.

ToToM – Wolf Like Rihanna (TV On The Radio vs. Rihanna) (zSHARE)

Might bake them for a little longer next time… Or just not turn them out.

Chocolate Soft Centred Puddings

350g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)

50gm soft butter

3/4 cup caster sugar

4 eggs

2 tablespoons flour

4 x 250ml ramekins

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Grease the ramekins with butter and set aside.

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler and put aside as soon as it melts to cool a little.

Beat the sugar and butter well then slowly add the eggs one at a time.

Add the chocolate and flour and mix well.

Fill the ramekins to the top and smooth over.

Put them onto a tray and bake approximately 20-25 minutes.

Remove from the oven. They should be gooey and saucy in the middle and set around the edges.

Sprinkle with cocoa or icing sugar.

Serve immediately with ice-cream.

NB: These can be prepared ahead of time and set aside at room temperature.

http://www.sydneyessential.com.au/recipes/rec-soft-choc-pudding.html

Girl Talk – Let Me See You (zSHARE)