Poached egg on toast anyone?

This morning I was lucky enough to find some left over chorizo in the fridge and decided to make one of my favourite breakfast. Poached eggs and things on toast.

You can adapt it to the flavours and ingredients you prefer but for my this was my combination for today:

- Grilled toast with hommous
- Pan fried chorizo, then chop it into pieces
- Pan fried sliced mushrooms (cooked in the chorizo fat)
- Pan fried cherry tomatoes, halved, cooked in the same pan after the mushrooms
- Poached egg, just bring some water to the boil in a saucepan, then reduce to a simmer, add a dash of vinegar and then gently crack the egg in, it should only take a few minutes
- Rocket
- Shaved parmesan

I placed the mushrooms onto the toast, then the rocket, the egg sits on top, then scatter the chorizo and tomatoes over the top. Then sprinkle with shaved parmesan.

It's quick and super delicious and a great way to use random ingredients for a hearty breakfast. I sometimes like to drizzle over some Tabasco sauce too- for an extra punch of heat!

Enjoy. 

Salted Caramel Chocolate Fudge Cake

For my gorgeous girls birthday I let her pick a cake for me to create and of course it had chocolate and caramel in it! It was a day of baking 3 mini cake layers (separately), making the richest caramel butter cream (which is amazing) and the chocolatiest fudge frosting I have ever tasted! Needless to say the cake was delicious and I am so thankful I only made a baby cake as it was super rich and decadent.

        

 *Adapted from  Sweetapolita

3-layer cake

Chocolate Fudge Cake (I used Donna Hays Chocolate Cake)

Ingredients

200g butter, chopped

200g dark chocolate, chopped

30ml water

3 eggs

220g caster sugar

¾ cup self-raising flour, sifted

¼ cup cocoa, sifted

Method

- Oven to 160°

- Place butter, chocolate, vanilla and water in saucepan over a low heat and stir until melted and smooth

- Allow to cool

- Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 6 mins or until pale and thick

- Add the chocolate mixture and beat until combined

- Fold through flour and cocoa, don’t over stir though

- Split the mixture into 3 bowls, pour the first one into a lightly greased 22cm spring form tin and bake for about 45-60 mins (keep checking)

- Repeat this with the other 2 batches of the cake so that you have 3 even cooked layers

- Set aside to cool

Salted Caramel Swiss Buttercream (for the filling)

Ingredients

200g sugar

60 ml water

60ml heavy cream

generous pinch of sea salt 1 1/2 cups (340 g/12 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 large egg whites (120 g)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method

- Place 130 grams of the sugar and the water in a medium saucepan to a boil over medium heat. 

- Brush down the sides of the pot with a dampened pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Stop stirring and cook until caramel is dark amber, gently swirling from time to time. 

- Remove from heat, and slowly add cream, whisking by hand until smooth. It will be splatter, so be careful. Whisk in sea salt and vanilla. Let cool.

- Place butter in an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment and beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

- Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer clean with lemon juice, and place egg whites and remaining sugar into bowl over a pot of simmering water (not boiling–you don’t want to cook the eggs). Whisk occasionally and gently until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160° on a candy thermometer.

- Remove the bowl from heat, and place back onto the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed for 5 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high, and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form (about 5-6 minutes). Once the bottom of the bowl is neutral and no longer warm to the touch, reduce speed to medium-low, and add beaten butter, one cup at a time, whisking well after each addition.

- Switch to paddle attachment. With mixer on low speed, add cooled caramel and beat until smooth (about 3-5 minutes).

Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting

(This makes a fair bit)

Ingredients

45g cocoa powder

90ml boiling water

340g unsalted butter, room temperature

63g icing sugar

pinch of salt

454 good-quality dark chocolate, melted and cooled

Method

- Combine cocoa powder and the boiling water in a small bowl or glass measuring cup, and stir until it cocoa has dissolved.

- In an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment, beat the butter, the icing sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until it is pale and fluffy–about 5 minutes.

- Reduce mixer speed to low, and add melted chocolate (cooled), beating until combined and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

- Beat in the cocoa mixture until well incorporated.

Notes:

Frosting can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 1 month in an airtight container.

Assembly of the Sweet & Salty Cake

- Trim any doming from the tops of your cake layers with a sharp, serrated knife and place first layer, face up, on your cake board, pedestal, or plate.

- Using a small offset palette knife, spread approximately 3/4 cup of the caramel buttercream evenly on the top.

- Repeat this 1-2 until you come to the final layer, which you will place face down on the top of the cake.

- Place cake on a turntable (if possible), and using a small offset palette knife for the top of the cake, and medium straight palette knife for the sides, cover the cake in a thin layer of chocolate frosting (or chocolate butter cream, if using) to mask (seal in crumbs).                

- Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or more). *This does not need to be perfect, as that will come with the top “coat” of butter cream.

- Once the icing has cooled, ice again over the top, using a palette knife and a glass of warm water to get a smooth clean finish.

- You can keep it in the fridge but keep it out for 2 hours before serving so the butter cream has softened.

- Sprinkle with salt

- Use a sharp heated knife to cut the cake, cleaning it every cut to get a nice clean finish

Banana Muffins

For our friend Jack's birthday, we decided to bake him some banana muffins with cream cheese icing. Definitely one of my favourites and a great way to use up ripe bananas.

(Makes about 18)
You will need:
125g butter
1/2 cup caster sugar 
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1tsp vanilla
About 4 ripe bananas (this is a little more than the original recipe but I think it's better)
1tsp bi-carb soda
1/2 cup milk
2 cups SRF, sifted


Icing:
125g philly cream cheese
3 cups icing sugar
50g butter
Optional: you could decorate with walnuts 

To create:
- Oven to 180
- Line muffin tray with patty pans
- Using electric beaters, beat the butter and sugar until creamy
- Add eggs gradually, beating well
- Mash the banana, add it to the mixture as well as the vanilla, beat until combined
- Dissolve the bi-carb in the milk
- Using a wooden spoon, fold in the flour alternately with the milk, stir until the mixture is just combined and smooth
- Spoon it into patty pans and place in oven
- Bake for about 25-35 mins or until skewer comes out clean
- Let cool on rack then ice with cream cheese icing


How to make the icing:
- combine all the ingredients and beat until smooth, this works well with electric beaters

Vegetable Tagine

A nice warm, healthy dinner to sooth the soul after a busy week at work. This is really easy and full of vegetable goodness!!

You will need:

2 tbs olive oil 

1 onion, chopped 

2 garlic cloves, crushed 

1 tbs grated ginger 

2 tsp ground cumin 

2 tsp ground coriander 

1 tsp paprika 

1 cinnamon quill 

1kg pumpkin, peeled, cut into 2.5cm cubes 

400g can chopped tomatoes 

2 cups (500ml) vegetable stock 

175g thin green beans, topped 

2 tbs chopped mint 

2 tbs chopped coriander 

2 tbs honey 

Couscous, cooked to the packet instructions 

Natural yoghurt with paprika sprinkled on to top to serve

To create: 

- Heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan over medium heat. 

- Cook the onion for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the crushed garlic and grated ginger to the pan and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds until fragrant. 

- Add the ground cumin, coriander, paprika and cinnamon quill, then stir for a further 1 minute until fragrant. - Add the cubed pumpkin, canned tomatoes and the vegetable stock, and stir to combine. 

- Season to taste 

- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the tagine for 12-15 minutes, uncovered, until the pumpkin is tender. 

- Add the green beans and cook for a further 5 minutes until they are tender and bright green. When ready to serve, stir in the chopped mint, coriander and honey. 

- Serve in bowls with couscous and natural yoghurt

Pad Thai

I am such a huge fan of Pad Thai, such strong bold flavours packed into a dish. A perfect dinner really. I decided to try making it from scratch, sauce and all and I was pretty proud of the result. 

 















What you'll need:
1 chicken breast, cut into strips
5 prawns
1 tsp corn flour
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 spring onions, chopped
Pad Thai noodles 
1 egg, lightly beaten
Peanut oil
optional to serve: 
red chilli, finely chopped
bean sprouts
crushed peanuts
lemon/lime wedge


Sauce:
1 1/2 tbsp tamarind paste, dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
3-4 tbsp fish sauce
1-3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
3 dessert spoon brown sugar


(You can adapt each of these flavours to taste, remember it's better to add less and slowly add a little more to get it right)


How to create:
- Place noodles in a bowl and pour over boiling water, leave for about 8 mins. The noodles should soften but they will still have some resistance, they will soften when you cook them in the sauce though, so don't panic. Once they are done, drain and rinse with cold water.
- Now combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small jug or bowl, now the quantities I have given make a fair bit but I just slowly added it until there is enough.
- Combine the corn flour and soy sauce, make sure there are no lumps, now add the strips of chicken and stir through to coat it well.
- In a wok or large frying pan, heat 1-2 tbsp of oil, then add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant, now add the spring onion and fry for a couple of mins. 
- Push the garlic and onion to the side and add the egg, stir it to break it up, then mix in the onion mix, then remove from wok.
- Add a dash more oil if the pan is dry, add the chicken, stir until cooked through, add the prawns here is you are using them.
- Add the noodles now and about 1/2 of the sauce mix, toss gently so that you don't break the noodles. If the mix is getting too dry just add a little more sauce, cook until noodle have softened.
- Stir through the sprouts once the noodles are done.
- Taste it and alter flavours if necessary.
 - serve topped with more bean spouts, fresh coriander, crushed peanuts and a lemon/lime wedge.

The perfect afternoon tea.

Banana Bread with Cranberries and Sultanas.

Whilst I was at work the other day, My gorgeous girlfriend baked again for me. This time I came home to a lovely loaf of banana bread with cranberries and sultanas.

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cup plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
3 ripe bananas, mashed
optional: dried cranberries and sultanas

How to create:
- Oven to 160 degrees
- Sift the flour and baking powder, then add sugars and cinnamon, combine
- Add eggs, vanilla and bananas to the flour mix, stir well, add dried fruit here (if you want it)
- Pour into greased loaf tin and bake for 40-50 mins or until cooked
- Cool in pan for 10 mins, then cool on wire rack 


This is delicious served warm (you can re-heat a slice for 10 seconds in the microwave) and spread with butter and a drizzle of honey. 
Enjoy with a nice cup of warm tea.

Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip Biscuits

With winter just around the corner, I couldn't think of anything more fitting than spending the afternoon baking. I have been meaning to try this recipe for a while and I was very pleased with the result. They were such a hit that after only baking them yesterday, there is 1 left. I made sure I shared them around otherwise I would have eaten them all myself.