Hungarian Mushroom Soup

 Very tasty - I made half this amount for 2 servings

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 yellow onion chopped

2 lbs. cremini or white button mushrooms sliced (save a few for later)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried dill

1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika

3 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth

1 tablespoon soy sauce low sodium

1 cup milk (preferably whole milk at room temperature

sour cream for garnish

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

Melt the butter in a Dutch Oven or soup pot over medium high heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook until the onions are soft and the mushrooms are browned.

Reduce the heat to low.  Add the dill and paprika cooking for 1 minute while stirring constantly.

Slowly stir in the vegetable broth and soy sauce. Simmer gently for about 10-15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the milk. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Whizz to a smooth consistency.

Add in some chopped mushrooms and reheat for 5 minutes.

Serve promptly garnished with chopped fresh parsley and a dollop of sour cream.

Smoked haddock dauphinoise

 A very tasty dish, this amount serves 2

2 Baking potatoes, peeled and sliced as thinly as possible

200ml double cream / Milk

1 tsp thyme leaves

Spinach

1/2 chopped onion

15g parmesan, finely grated

2 skinless smoked haddock, cut into thin pieces

small knob of butter, for the dish

 

STEP 1

Put the potatoes and onion in a pan of cold, salted water and bring to the boil, then turn off the heat. Drain well. Tip the potatoes back into the pan and pour over the cream/milk, then add the thyme, spinach, parmesan and the haddock. Season and gently mix everything together.

STEP 2

Butter a medium-sized gratin dish, then tip in the potato mixture. Scatter with more parmesan or cheddar.

STEP 3

Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden and bubbling around the edges.

Kcal    545     carbs  39g

Turmeric Chicken Soup

 Very nice a subtle different flavour from the turmeric and coconut milk. I made with already cooked shredded chicken.

Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 large leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced

3 large carrots, thinly sliced

3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

6 cups chicken broth

1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk

1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless thighs or breasts

frozen peas (optional)

salt & pepper to taste

 

Cook onions, leeks, carrots, and celery. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add onions, leeks, carrots, celery, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until leeks are soft and starting to caramelize, for 14-16 minutes.

Add aromatics. Add chopped garlic, turmeric, and poultry seasoning and continue to sauté for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until spices and garlic are fragrant.

Add broth, coconut milk, and chicken. Add broth and raw chicken to the pot, scraping up any stuck-on bits, and bring to a simmer. Make sure the chicken is submerged beneath the broth and partially cover. Simmer on low until the chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender – about 15-20 minutes.

Shred chicken and add remaining soup ingredients. Take off the lid from the soup and remove the chicken to a cutting board to cool slightly. Cut into bite sized pieces or shred using two forks. Return chicken to the pot along with frozen peas (if using) and fresh parsley. Bring back to a slow simmer and allow chicken to warm through and peas to cook – just until bright green and soft.

Christmas Tiffin

 Recipe sounded so good. I made the mistake of using soft butter so it is not as hard as it should be.

For the Tiffin:

•          125 g raisins or sultanas

•          200 g glacé cherries

•          80 ml brandy

•          300 g Rich Tea biscuits

•          150 g butter (Hard unsalted)

•          40 g light brown soft sugar

•          200 g golden syrup

•          25 g cocoa powder, not drinking chocolate

For the topping:

•          100 g very dark chocolate

•          100 g milk chocolate

Instructions

Preparation:

1.        Grease the tin with a little butter OR line the base with baking parchment or a liner

2.        Cut the cherries into halves - no need to wash

3.        Put the fruit in a small bowl with the brandy and microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds

Stand for 5 minutes

Stir and microwave on HIGH for a further 30 seconds

For the Chocolate Tiffin:

1.        Crush the biscuits:

Put the biscuits in a large bag. Beat with a rolling pin until the biscuits are in small pieces.

2.        In a large saucepan, melt the butter, sugar, and golden syrup and mix to combine

3.        Turn off the heat, add the crushed biscuits and cocoa and mix thoroughly

4.        Add the fruit and any remaining liquor and mix carefully

5.        Press the mixture into the tin with the back of a spoon. Push it down firmly

6.        Leave to cool in the fridge.

For the Topping:

1.        When the base has cooled, tip it out of the tin and remove the liner

2.        Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a saucepan of hot water

3.        When the chocolate is melted, pour over the base and spread

4.        Leave to cool, then cut into squares.

Mincemeat Bakewell Tart

 Saw a similar Mary Berry Recipe so modified my own. Very tasty.

1 bought pastry case

6 Tbsp Mincemeat

3oz caster sugar

3oz softened butter

3oz ground almonds

2  eggs

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 tsp baking powder

2oz plain flour

Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, 160°C fan. 

Spread mincemeat over the pastry case.

Beat together the sugar, butter, almonds, eggs, almond extract, baking powder and flour until creamy.

Spoon the mixture over pie case.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and risen. Cool in the tin. Cover with icing.

Fruit Crumble

 I made with Apples and mixed red fruits

For the crumble topping

• 100g soft light brown sugar
• 100g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 150g plain flour

For the filling

• 75g caster sugar
• 300g raspberries
• 300g strawberries, hulled and halved
• 100g blueberries
• 50g redcurrants

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
2. Place the strawberries and raspberries for the filling in a saucepan along with the sugar. Bring to a simmer over a medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar as dissolved. Spoon into the base of a heatproof, glass baking dish.
3. Place the butter and flour in a food processor and pulse until it resembles rough breadcrumbs. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir through the sugar. Spoon the crumble topping on top of the fruit, then sprinkle the redcurrants and blueberries on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the topping is golden brown in colour.

Apple Cinnamon Custard Cake

 Made this in a loaf tin and frozen for later so hope it tastes as good as photograph looks.

20g unsalted butter

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 8 wedges, then cut into 1/2 cm thick slices

2 tbsp Grand Marnier, or other orange liqueur
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1/2 cup caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp extra

2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup milk
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp icing sugar, sifted

Whipped Cream
1 cup thickened cream
1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted

Position a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 180°C or 160°C fan forced. Grease a 23cm springform pan with 20g of butter
In a medium bowl, toss the apples with Grand Marnier (or Cointreau) to coat, and set aside

In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ½ cup caster sugar, baking powder, salt and 1/4 tsp of the cinnamon. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, milk, whole eggs and vanilla to blend. Whisk dry ingredients into the wet ingredients to form a smooth batter. Be careful not to over-mix.

Stir in the apples. Transfer the apple batter to prepared pan and, using a crank-handled spatula, spread batter into an even layer and press the apples in to submerge them. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining sugar and cinnamon to blend, and then sprinkle it evenly over the batter.

Bake for 40-50 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 15 mins. Run a knife around the sides of the cake and release the pan sides. Cool cake for about 30 mins to serve warm, or cool completely. Dust with icing sugar.

To make whipped cream, in a medium bowl, whisk cream and icing sugar until thick. To serve, cut cake into wedges and serve with a generous dollop of whipped cream.