Chili Prawns

C and I made dinner [as always] but we've been on a prawn kick lately, mainly because they are on ultra sale at Countdown.  It's good to have a guy friend/boyfriend/girl friend or just some random person to help you with this if you are really squeamish like me--I have this thing about not liking to rip off heads and legs of animals...even if it is just prawns.  Or I suppose you could just go and buy them already de-shelled and deveined! All in all, this recipe is fun to experiment with the spices--they're all great!  C swears that we put in too many, so be careful of too many flavors in one!

1 lb prawns, deshelled/deveined

4-5 slices of ginger, minced
spring onions [optional, garnish]
1 onion, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 TB chili powder
Vegetable oil (for frying + 1 TB)


Sauce:
2 TB ketchup
1 tsp sugar
1-2 TB soy sauce 
1 TB oyster sauce
2-3 TB water


Using either a wok or a deep pan, heat up enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan.  Once warm, shallow fry the prawns--this should take about 5-6 minutes, or until the prawns are pink.  Repeat as needed to finish the whole batch of prawns; set aside.


In a separate pan, pour in the 1 TB of vegetable oil.  Once it reaches medium heat, add the onion and ginger until they are soft.  With one minute left to go, add the garlic.  If you cook it too long, it can burn.  Mix all of the remaining ingredient for the sauce into the pan.  Stir well.  


Add the cooked prawns, spring onions, and chili powder (sometime to taste).  Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.  Serve hot and delicious!!


Recipe adapted from: http://thelittleteochew.blogspot.com/2010/09/prawns-in-chilli-ketchup-gravy.html

Chocolate & Rum Souffle, with White Chocolate Ganache

I adapted this recipe from a video tutorial that I found online, and it was a hit with my friends! I will warn you, if you have never had a souffle before that it definitely has an interesting texture.  But don't let that scare you away, because the end result of this recipe is absolutely divine!

Fancy Pants Souffle

Souffle Ingredients:

Butter, to coat ramekins 

3 TB sugar, to coat ramekins

7 eggs

1/3 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

1-2 TB Rum/Rum Extract (**Optional!)

2 TB sugar

1 TB lemon juice

Powdered sugar to dust

Ganache Ingredients:

3/4 tsp sugar

1/4 C heavy cream

1/4 C white chocolate chips

Process:

Preheat the oven to 400 F (205 C).  

To begin, lightly coat the insides of the ramekins (I used 8 smaller ones) with butter.  Next, taking the sugar, lightly coat the inside of the ramekins--it should stick to the butter.  It will cook into the souffle while it's baking to add extra flavour.

Next, melt the chocolate chips.  You can do this very carefully in the microwave or on the stove top in a bowl over boiling water.  Once the chocolate is melted, crack the eggs and separate them into yolks and whites--you will want 3 egg yolks, and 7 egg whites. (If you plan carefully, try to make a meal that requires egg yolks in it, that way the rest of the egg yolks don't go to waste!)  Add the 3 egg yolks into the chocolate, and then the rum (or rum extract) if you wish.  Mix until the batter is smooth.  

In a separate bowl, mix the egg whites with 2 TB of sugar and the lemon juice.  Whip them until soft peaks form--remember that this process may take a bit of time but just be patient!  Once there are soft peaks, fold 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate.  It is very important not to MIX, just gently fold.  When it is fully mixed, add mixture and fold to the remaining egg whites.  Pour/Ladle the mixture into the ramekins, and place them carefully on a baking sheet.  Cook 8-10 minutes or until the souffle rises up.

While the souffle is baking, carefully melt the white chocolate chips in the same process as noted above.  Once melted, mix in the sugar and heavy cream to create a thick mixture.  When the souffles are finished, pull them out of the oven carefully, and dust lightly with powdered sugar.  Next, using a spoon, crack open the tops of the souffles and spoon the ganache into the crack.  Remember to serve immediately after, because souffles are very delicate and deflate rapidly after being removed from the oven (or twice as fast when cracked to be filled!)

Enjoy!

Greek Honey Yogurt Cake

While on my continuing journey to complete a series of cakes, I stumbled upon a recipe for Greek Yogurt and Honey Cake.  Since I didn't have most of the ingredients offhand, I created my own version of the cake.  I found the base of the cakes from the recipe book to be too dry -- I happen to only like cake when it's moist -- so the yogurt and lemon sauce work to create a delicious dessert, sure to please everyone at your table!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 TB baking powder
3/4 C Greek Honey yogurt
1/4 C honey
1/3 C brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Lemon sauce:
2 TB honey
2 TB lemon juice
2 TB unsalted butter

Preheat over 350 F (160 C).  Grease and line the bottom of a 9 in round cake pan.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and add the yogurt, honey, sugar eggs, and vanilla extract.  Beat until mixture is smooth.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.  Bake in the oven 45-55 minutes or until firm and golden brown.

Let cool in the pan 2-3 min, then turn onto a serving plate.  For the sauce put the honey, lemon juice, and butter into a small pan and bring to a boil.  Boil for a few minutes to reduce, stirring until syrupy.  Serve the cake in slices with the lemon sauce poured over them.

Recipe adapted from: Greek Yogurt and Honey Cake from 1 Mix, 100 cakes

Chicken 'Noodle' Soup

This is not your traditional chicken noodle soup...but I would like to argue that it is just as good, if not better! The reason it is 'Noodle', is there really aren't any noodles...they are closer to a kind of dumpling...it is easier to understand when seeing the pictures! All together it has all the traditional elements of a chicken noodle soup though....so if your weather is anything like where I live, every day is a good opportunity for being a soup day!

Chicken 'Noodle' Soup

Soup:
3/4 lb. Chicken breasts
2-3 chicken bouillon cubes
Olive oil
Water
Lemon juice (dash)
Salt & pepper (to taste)
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/3 tsp basil
1/2 tsp parsley
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 large carrots
3 stalks of celery

'Noodles'/'Dumplings':
*3 eggs
*Flour


Begin by filling a large pot 3/4 full with water.  Set on the stove top and set to a medium heat to begin to boil.  Add 2-3 chicken bouillon cubes into the water.

Mince half an onion.  Then, in a separate pan, add a bit of oil on the bottom and add the onions.  Saute them until they turn slightly transparent.  While they are cooking, mince the garlic cloves and add to the onions during the last minute or so of cooking.  Set aside.  (you can add the onions to the water at any point, but I don't like soggy onions, so I add them absolutely last)

Cut your carrots and celery stalks into appropriate pieces (mine are usually 1/4-1/2 mm in width).  Add to the pot of water and bouillon cubes.

Taking your chicken breasts, cut them into cubes or small chunks--the actual size depends on how large you like your chicken in your soup--personally I cut them into fairly small cubes.  This step is optional, but I recommend lightly frying your chicken beforehand.  To do so, put a small amount of oil in your pan, and add your chunks of chicken breast.  As they are cooking, add your spices--the dash of lemon juice, rosemary, oregano, basil, celery salt, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.  Once lightly fried (beginning to turn a white colour) add to the pot of water and bouillon cubes.

The final step is to create the dumplings.  While the soup is simmering on the stove (I usually keep it on a very low temp., especially if I am going to be keeping it on the stove for a long time.  The longer you let it simmer, the longer the chicken and everything has to absorb all of the flavors aka more delicious!) beat three (3) eggs in a bowl.  Next, begin to add flour.  The amount of flour differs, but keep adding a little bit at a time until the eggs cannot take any more flour.  The texture should be appropriately sticky--it should stick to your fingers/spoon but not be soggy.  After this is accomplished, fill a small pan on the stove 3/4 with water and turn to medium heat. Once the water begins to heat up, create small spoon-sized conglomerates and drop them into the water until the pan is full.  Please note that these conglomerates do not/should not be perfect in size or be able to be rounded.  Fortunately their shape is not noticeable once in the soup.  Allow to cook until the dumplings are cooked through the middle.  Then take out, draining the water, and place in a bowl.  Continue this process until all of the dough in the mixing bowl is gone.  The final step to do is personal preference--you can add the dumplings into the soup and allow to simmer, or keep in a separate bowl and allow yourself/guests to dish up their own desired amount of dumplings into their own bowls.


Enjoy!

**A great addition to this meal, if you are a garlic fiend!, is to serve with Texas Toast--it's easy, relatively cheap, and of course delicious!

Honey Apple Bars

As a present to myself for officially moving into my new apartment back in the states, I decided that baking was necessary to alleviate at least some of the stress of the past few days.  With just the basics in my new kitchen, I wanted to create something delicious without the hassle of being fancy or including too many obscure spices or other ingredients.  J got a book for Christmas--which I might add I am really jealous of--from the Love Food brand of cookbooks called 1 Mix, 100 Cakes.  The basic cake mixture that they use in all of the recipes I tend to find a bit too dry for my personal taste, but in general it is a good solid recipe including kitchen basics.  Additionally, this recipe was great considering I was craving fruit and winter isn't exactly the best time for yummy berries and such.  Enjoy!

Honey Apple Bars

Ingredients:
*Oil or butter for greasing
*1 1/2 C All-Purpose flour
*2 tsp baking powder
*1/2 tsp ground allspice
*3/4 C unsalted butter, softened
*1/2--3/4 C granulated or caster sugar
*3 eggs, beaten
*1 tsp vanilla extract
*2 TB apple juice
*3 apples (I used braeburns and they were perfect!)
*4 TB honey, warmed

Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C).  Grease and line a 12x9 in (I used 10x15 in and it was fine).

Sift the flour, allspice, and baking powder into a large bowl, and then add butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.  Beat until the mixture is smooth, and then stir in the apple juice.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula.  Core and slice apples and arrange them on top of the cake mixture.  Make sure to NOT press the apples into the mix.  Brush or drizzle lightly with half of the honey.

Bake for 30-35 min or until risen, firm to the touch, and golden brown.  Let the mixture cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before cutting it into bars.  For the final touch, brush over all of the bars with the remaining honey.  For a sweet and delicious optional topping, you can mix a bit of cinnamon and sugar to be put on after the honey!

Blackberry Swirl Sponge Roll

Although I discovered while making this cake that I may be lacking some key fine motor skills, this cake I would suggest to even beginners.  The best part about it, is that you can eat it the day you make it, or just wrap it and save it for the next and it's just as good! Enjoy.

Blackberry Swirl Sponge Roll

Cake Ingredients:
*Oil/Butter for greasing
*1 1/3 C All-Purpose Flour
*1 1/2 tsp baking powder
*3/4 C unsalted butter
*1/2--3/4 C Caster Sugar, plus extra for sprinkling***
*3 eggs, beaten
*1 tsp vanilla extract
*2 Tb milk
*1/2 C blackberry jelly, warmed****


Frosting Ingredients:
*Powdered sugar
*Milk
*1 1/2 tsp blackberry jelly

***I used only 1/2 C and it tasted fine; Additionally you can substitute granulated sugar for the caster sugar if you don't have any available
****You can use any type of jelly or preserves, I just specifically chose blackberry




Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C).  Grease and line a 9x13 inch (or 10x15 inch) pan with the paper 1/2 inch above the rim.  Lay another sheet of parchment paper on the counter and sprinkle a fine layer of sugar on top.  Set aside.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, then add the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat well until the mixture is smooth, then beat in the milk.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth into the corners with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until risen, firm to the touch, and golden brown.

Once it is finished being baked, carefully turn out the cake onto the sugar parchment paper and spread with the jelly.  Roll the cake firmly from one short side to enclose the jelly. IT IS IMPORTANT TO keep the paper around the outside to hold the cake and roll in place.


Move the roll to a wire rack to cool.  You may remove the parchment paper when the cake is firm.  


I found that this cake mix can be a little bit dry, so once I removed the parchment paper I decided to use frosting over the top.  To create the frosting, simply put the desired amount of powdered sugar into a small bowl--for me, I used ~1/2 C.  Next mix in the milk.  When doing this, be sure to only add a little at a time--a little goes a long way.  Once you have created a thick paste like texture, add in the jelly.  Again, please note that you can use whatever kind of jelly, just keep it the same from what you used inside the cake for the frosting.  After it is mixed, gently spoon over the cake.  You may additionally add a touch of dusted powdered sugar on top for looks.  Slice and enjoy!