Slow Cooked Braised Brisket

This turned out so tasty; I did boiled potatoes separately but it would be nice with fresh baked bread to mop up the gravy. May try the Hairy Bikers version next time.

2lb well-marbled beef brisket, rolled and tied

Freshly ground sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp sunflower oil

2 small onions, chopped

2 large carrots cut into slices

2 sprigs bushy thyme

1 large bay leaf

18fl oz hot beef stock, made with 1 Oxo stock cube

Bisto granules

Mushrooms quartered (optional)

* 7fl oz red wine

* 2 tbsp tomato ketchup

1.   Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5/fan oven 160C. Wash and dry brisket and season with salt, pepper and thyme. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a deep casserole and brown beef all over. Remove from pan. Turn down heat and fry the onions and carrots for 5-6 minutes.

2.   Return beef to pan and add bay leaf and stock. Add water if necessary so the liquid comes about two-thirds up the beef (Hairy Bikers add red wine and tomato ketchup here). Bring to a simmer, cover tightly, and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 170C/Gas 4/fan oven 150C and cook for 2 hours, turning twice, until tender.

3.   Turn oven up to 190C/Gas 5/fan oven 160C. Stir the mushroom into the beef if using and thicken stock with granules; add water if needed. Cover and cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes until mushrooms are tender.

Beef, Stout & Chestnut casserole

From the Hairy Bikers; really tasty especially the chestnuts but I left out the raisins and caraway seeds.

2 heaped tbsp plain flour

1 tsp sea salt flakes

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1kg/2lb 3oz stewing steak, cut into chunks

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 large onions, peeled, sliced

1 tbsp tomato purée

8 carrots, peeled and cut into discs

2 sticks celery, chopped

500ml/17½fl oz beef stock

250ml/9fl oz Irish stout

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 tbsp raisins

20 chestnuts, cooked and sliced

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, to serve

For the leek colcannon

1kg/2lb 3oz floury potatoes, such as King Edward or Maris Piper, peeled and cut into large chunks

250ml/9fl oz milk

500g/17½oz leeks, washed and cut into rounds

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp double cream

sea salt flakes and white pepper

Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas 2.

For the casserole, place the flour in a plastic bag, add the sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and shake to mix together. Add the chunks of stewing steak and toss to coat them in the flour.

Heat a large frying pan over a high heat and add the vegetable oil. Brown the beef in small batches, frying until the beef is golden-brown all over. Transfer each bath of seared beef to a casserole dish and repeat the process as necessary.

Fry the onions in the pan the beef was cooked in for 2-3 minutes, or until softened, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for a further two minutes. Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish.

Add the carrots, celery, beef stock, Irish stout, caraway seeds and raisins to the casserole and mix well to combine. Cover the casserole with a lid and cook in the oven for two hours, or until the beef is very tender.

Add the chestnuts and cook for a further 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the leek colcannon, cook the potatoes in a pan of simmering water for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes and set aside.

In a separate pan, bring the milk to a simmer and poach the leeks for 4-5 minutes, or until tender. Drain the leeks, reserving a few tablespoons of the milk.

Mash the potatoes and fold in the butter and the cream. Add the leeks and a few tablespoons of the reserved milk and mash together until creamy. Season, to taste, with sea salt and white pepper.

To serve, spoon the beef casserole into serving bowls and spoon the leek colcannon alongside.

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Fruit Custard Cake

I made this with 2 pears that turned out too hard; next time would use a softer fruit like cooking apples, rhubarb or strawberries

125 g butter, softened

3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups (225g) self-raising flour

1/2 cup (60g) almond meal

2 tbsp custard powder

1/2 cup (125ml) milk

3 trimmed stalks rhubarb, sliced

OR 2 pears, peeled, sliced thinly

OR 2 apples, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup(180g) apricot jam, warmed, strained 

Custard

2 tbsp custard powder

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 cup (250ml) milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

20 g unsalted butter

preheat oven to moderate. Grease deep 22cm-round cake pan; line base and side with baking paper.

For custard, combine custard powder and sugar in small saucepan; using wooden spoon, gradually stir in milk. Stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat, add vanilla and butter; stir until butter melts. Cover surface of custard completely with plastic wrap to prevent skin forming; cool to room temperature while you continue with the rest of the cake (do not refrigerate as mixture will not be spreadable).

Beat butter and sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. Using wooden spoon, stir in flour, almond meal, custard powder and milk.

Using metal spatula, spread half of the cake mixture into prepared pan, top with half of the fruit.

Spread custard over fruit; spread remaining cake mixture over custard, top with remaining fruit.

Bake cake in moderate oven about 45 minutes. Stand cake 5 minutes then turn onto wire rack; turn top-side up, brush top with warm jam. Cool.

Rasberry Sour Cream Pie

I made my own pie crust plus a little extra as below. The filling would not have done 2 unbaked pies but it did do my own 9 inch and 3 small ones. I shall freeze the large pie and instead of the breadcrumb topping will do the cream cheese one.

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

2 eggs

1 1/3 cups sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup white sugar 

1 pinch salt

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups raspberries

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

¼ cup chilled butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and lemon colored. Whisk in sour cream and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, flour and salt together. Stir into egg mixture. Gently fold in raspberries. Pour filling into 2 unbaked pie crusts.

Bake the pies without the topping in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center begins to set.

While pies bake, make the topping: In a medium bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour and chopped nuts. Cut in butter until crumbly. Set aside.

Sprinkle pies with topping and return to oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until topping is golden brown. Allow to cool before serving.

Pastry CASE:

·         1 cup all-purpose flour

·         2 tbsp sugar

·         4 oz cold butter

Cream Cheese TOPPING:

·         3 ounces cream cheese, softened

·         1/4 cup icing sugar

·         1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         ½  cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

1.    In a bowl, combine the flour and sugar; cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.

2.    For topping, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth; fold in whipped cream. Spread over top. Cover and chill. Store in the refrigerator

Banana Sour Cream Loaf

I used a liner for my loaf tin so did not dust with the top 2 ingredientsbut added chopped pecans. Was delicious while still warm. 

2 oz White Sugar

¼ tsp cinnamon

2 oz Butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

2 ripe bananas

4 oz sour cream

½ tsp cinnamon

Pinch salt

1 cup SR Flour

½ cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 300 and grease a loaf tin

Stir together op 2 ingredients and dust loaf tin

Cream butter and sugar

Mix in egg, bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon

Stir in salt, flour and nuts

Bake for 45mins to 1 hour until toothpick is clean

Chocolate Tart

I made this without the cherries and decorated with melted chocolate

Pie Crust

100 g dark chocolate, melted

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1 tin Nestlé® Sweetened Condensed or 397 g

1 cup ground almonds or 100 g

2 eggs

2 cups cherries or 300 g, stone removed and halved

Beat the melted chocolate with margarine and NESTLÉ Sweetened Condensed Milk.

Add ground almonds and eggs and stir well.

Add cherries halved and mix.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tart tin.

Bake in 185°C preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until firm in the middle.

Cool before serving.

Recipe from Nestle

Pollo in Potacchio

I did 14 chicken thighs for 7 of us and doubled all the sauce ingredients apart from the tomatoes so we would have plenty to go with fresh bread. I thickened the sauce with a tbsp of bisto granules. Cooked in the slow cooker for 8 hours.
Added  a few new potatoes (cut in chunks) but you could toss in any green veg as well.

12 skinless chicken thighs

6 mushrooms quartered

salt and fresh black pepper

1 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, chopped

pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

2 cups Imported crushed tomatoes (Tuttoroso)

1/4 tsp dried marjoram

1/4 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio)

2 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth

Chopped Parsley or Coriander to serve.

Lightly season the chicken with salt and fresh pepper. Place a Dutch Oven or large heavy pot on medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil, when hot add the chicken and sear until browned on all sides, about 6-7 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken to a dish and set aside.

Sauté garlic and onions (and red pepper flakes if using) in remaining oil; sauté until golden, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots and saute on medium-low for about 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add the wine and chicken broth, scraping any caramelized bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. 

Add tomatoes, mushrooms, marjoram, reduce heat to low, adjust salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the chicken to the sauce, partially cover and cook slowly on low heat for another 25 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding water if needed.

For the Crock pot: 

Start with the same directions as the first two paragraphs up to adding the wine and chicken broth. Add the remaining ingredients to the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours taking the lid off the last 30 minutes.