Recipe 71: Chorizo, Red Pepper & Manchego Empanadas

Tonight, I was introduced to Manchego cheese. I didn't think my local supermarket would carry it, but the Hampton Park Safeway surprised me again!
What is really surprising, is that Manchego cheese is sheep cheese. It has the most odd colour, almost a clear wax like hue. But has an amazing soft taste. I would have to say it would be up there now on one of my favourite cheeses.

Recipe 71: Chorizo, Red Pepper & Manchego Empanadas

1 roasted red pepper, chopped (recipe 72)
20cm chorizo sausage finely diced
1 sheet of puff pastry
30g Manchego cheese, grated,
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tbsp milk (egg wash)

METHOD

1. Heat a frying pan over a high heat. Add the chorizo and fry, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes until it begins to shrink, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
2. On a lightly floured surface, place th sheet of pastry and cut out 12 circles, using a pastry cutter. 
3. Put the Manchego cheese, chopped roasted pepper and chorizo into a bowl and mix well. Put 1 tbsp of the mixture slightly off centre on each pastry circle. Fold the pastry over the filling, pinching the edges closed to seal.
4. Put the empanadas on a baking sheet and brush with the egg wash. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden and puffed. Serve immediately.

Recipe 70: Leek & Bacon Feuillettes

Recipe 70: Leek & Bacon Feuillettes

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large leek, finely chopped

8 rashers of rindless, bacon, finely chopped
2 tbsp white wine
4 tbsp double cream
2 sheets of puff pastry

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the leek and fry, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until soft. Add the bacon and cook for a further 3 minutes until the bacon is cooked but not crispy.
2. Add the white wine and using a wooden spoon, scrape any bits off the base of the pan and stir well. Cook for 1 minute until the liquid has almost completely evaporated, then add the cream and cook, stirring for a further 1 minute until bubbling. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
3. On a lightly floured surface, cut out 24 circles from the 2 sheets of pastry, using a pastry cutter. Gently press the pastry circles into the bases of mini-muffin tins.
4. Put 1 tsp of the leek and bacon mixture in each and press down a little so it does not fall out during cooking when the pastry puffs up.
5. Bake the feuillettes for 12 minutes until puffed and lightly golden, then serve.

Recipe 56 & 57: Chicken in a Blanket and Cheese Sauce

Tonight's dinner- have never seen the husbands face so excited when he looked into the oven tonight! Easy to make and definitely a meal. Although you could make each parcel smaller by chopping the bacon and chicken into smaller bite sizes and could use it as a tapas dish.

Chicken in a Blanket

Serves 4

2 chicken breast
4 rashers of bacon (I used middle)
2 sheets puff pastry
200g ricotta cheese (or you could use cottage cheese)

METHOD

1. Slice the chicken breast in half length ways and in a hot pan seal on both sides, remove and allow to cool.
2. Cook the rashers of bacon, remove and allow to cool
3. Once the bacon and chicken are cool, cut the pastry sheets in half diagonally and place 1 slice of bacon, 1 halved chicken breast on top of the bacon and spoon 1 tbsp (50g) of ricotta over the chicken and bacon. Wrap/fold the puff pastry over the chicken and bacon mix.
4. Brush with egg wash  (beat a egg and using a basting brush, brush the pastry with the egg) and bake at 230c for 15 -20 minutes.

Cheese Sauce

50g butter
50g Flour
350ml-400ml milk
300g cheese (about 4 handfuls)

METHOD

1. In a pan, melt the butter and stir in flour - which will make a paste like structure.
2. Slowly pour the milk while stirring constantly until all combined (if you put all the milk in at once you will end up with a lumpy sauce, better to add the milk a little at a time).
3. Add the cheese, again stirring constantly. Add more milk (if needed) to receive the desired sauce consistency.

Recipe 41: Pecan Pie and Recipe 42: Maple cream

I do enjoy entertaining. a couple of days ago we had our friends over and decided I would give a pecan pie love the show Alive and Cooking, staring James Reeson. He shows some of the most amazing food and so quick and seems easy as well. So have decided I would try one of his recipes and was surprised as to how yummy it was!

Recipe 41: Pecan Pie

Short crust pastry


Pecan Filling:

1 cup (215 grams) dark brown sugar

2/3 cup (160 ml) Golden Syrup

1 tablespoon rum or bourbon

4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter

3 large eggs

1/4 cup (60 ml) cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 - 2 cups (150 - 200 grams) pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Place the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven.
2. Gently transfer to a 23 cm pie pan. Blind bake for 20 minutes, then remove the blind baking material and pop in the oven for another minute. Take the pastry out of the oven and cool.
3. Make the Pecan Filling: In a large saucepan, heat the brown sugar, Golden Syrup, rum (or bourbon), and butter until boiling, stirring constantly. 
4. Remove from heat and let cool until tepid. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. 
5. When the boiled syrup has cooled, beat in the eggs, salt, and cream.  
6. On the pastry crust evenly distribute the chopped pecans over the bottom.  Then pour the filling evenly over the nuts. Bake for about 25-45 minutes or until the filling is just set (a toothpick inserted into the center of the pie will come out clean. (If you find the edges of the pie crust are over browning during baking, cover with foil.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. 
7. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipping cream. 

Recipe 42: Maple cream

1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

METHOD

1. Place the heavy whipping cream and maple syrup in bowl of your electric mixer. With the whisk attachment, whip the cream until soft peaks form.

Recipe 24: Lemon Meringue Pie

Recipe 24- a favourite in our household, although the first time I made this the lemon's I used was so sweet (or sour) that literally, you had to let the slice of pie to "air" before eating, otherwise your face would suck in! So a note- if you do decide to make this, make sure you taste your lemons and if they are exceptionally sour, don't use the full amount stated in the ingredients, instead replace it with a bit more water e.g. instead use 1/4 cup of lemon juice and a cup of water.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Base: 
Sweet Shortcrust Pastry (previous recipe)

Filling:
1/4 cup cornflour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp lemon rind
1/2 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup of water
3 egg yolks (put the egg whites in a separate bowl for the topping)
1 tbsp butter


Topping:
3 egg whites
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla essence


METHOD

1. On a lightly floured board roll out the pastry (if not already done so) to a 6mm thickness. Use to line  20cm flan ring. Trim off any extra pastry
2. Bake blind (see techniques) at 190c for 20 minutes.During this time do steps 4,5,6. after 20 minutes proceed to 3 (then go to 7).
3. Remove the bake blind material and return to the oven for 1 minute to dry out pastry base. While pastry is cooking make the filling.
4. Filling: Blend cornflour, sugar, lemon rind and juice together until smooth. Add water then cook ovr medium heat until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly.
5. Remove from heat stir in yolks and butter.
6. To make the topping: Beat eggs whites until stiff but not dry, beat in sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until very thick and glossy. Stir in vanilla. You know when the meringue is ready when pulling out the beater it forms peaks that do not fall over.
7. When the 1 minute is up, add the lemon filling and pile on top the meringue.
8. Return to the oven and bake again for 10 minutes or until golden.

A shot at pastries

Mad or completely bonkers, well, that's what I thought when deciding to make my Lemon Meringue Pie from scratch. But when you have guests in a few hours and packing up your child to then unpack him to go to the grocers, the idea of 1) getting an extra recipe for my blog and 2) not moving a sleeping baby, won out.

Firstly- a technique called "cutting in" is something you need to know about when making pastry. To "Cut in" use a knife or food processor to combine butter with flour to get a crumb-like consistency.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

1 cup standard plain flour
75g butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp water


METHOD

1. Sift flour, cut in butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. 
2. Stir in sugar. 
3. Add egg yolk and water. Mix to a stiff dough. 
4. Roll out into sheets and chill for 30 minutes before using.

You can also add 2 tsps of mixed spice to the flour for a Spice Pastry or 1/2 cup of chopped walnut or nuts of your choice before mixing to a stiff dough to make a Nut Pastry.