ELLI LUCA

  INGREDIENTS 500gsm  ground chicken breast (raw) 1 (5 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained 2 cloves garlic 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled 6 -8 green onions, peeled 2 teaspoons sesame oil 2 tablespoons wheat-free tamari soy sauce or 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1/4 cup chicken stock or 1/4 cup chicken broth 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or fresh chill to taste.  2 tablespoons vegetable oil Thai basil / coriander / Vietnamese mint to taste. METHOD Coarsely chop ginger, garlic and green onions, Thai basil / coriander / Vietnamese mint (to taste). Place in bowl of food processor. Add water chestnuts to food processor. Grind until a thick paste forms. Remove paste, place in mixing bowl. Add sesame oil, soy sauce, broth and egg to water chestnut paste. Add chicken & chili Combine all ingredients until well blended. Heat large skillet, add enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan (to help prevent sticking). Using hands, or a small scoop, form a ball of meat a

    Cupcakes INGREDIENTS (Adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home) 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2/3 cup granulated sugar 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature 2 tablespoons brewed coffee 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup dutch cocoa powder METHOD Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour

  I have found a lot of people don't know the terminology, what are the options and what does each of them mean? Blue Rare No crust, grill marks only - raw   Very Rare Very thin crust with a warm raw centre Rare Medium crust with a warm red centre Medium Rare Nice crust with a warm red centre Medium Thick crust with a hot pink centre Medium Well  Very thick crust, meat is cooked right through with some pink colouring & no juice Well Done Very thick crust with no pink colour and no juice Will be posting more on beef next week, have a great weekend everybody. Els xo

INGREDIENTS 1 cup plain flour 2 eggs 280-300ml milk 20g butter, Pinch salt Olive oil, for cooking METHOD 1. Sift flour into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add eggs, whisk starting in the centre and drawing in the flour. Add the milk a little at a time whisking until batter is the consistency of thick cream. 2. Melt the butter until foamy and a little nutty then pour into the batter with a pinch of salt. 3. Heat (22cm base) crepe pan over medium heat, add a little oil to coat the base then ladle in crepe mixture, turning to coat the base completely. Cook 1-2 minutes until light golden and lacy. Turn over and cook for 10-15 seconds. Remove to plate and keep warm. Repeat using the remaining crepe batter.

INGREDIENTS * 3 (about 400g) medium zucchini * 75g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour * 40g (1/2 cup) parmesan, finely grated * 3 shallots, ends trimmed, thinly sliced * 1 egg, whisked * 1/4 cup fresh continental parsley, chopped * 2 tsp dried oregano leaves * 1 tsp salt * 1/4 tsp chillies ( ground or seeds) * 4 tsp olive oil METHOD Trim the ends from zucchini. Coarsely grate the zucchini. Place in a colander and squeeze out as much excess moisture as possible. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in self-raising flour, Parmesan, shallots, egg, parsley, oregano, salt & chillies Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Drop four 2-tablespoonful measures of zucchini mixture into pan. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.  Repeat with 2 tsp olive oil and remaining zucchini mixture. ** I sometimes substitute 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup polenta  Sometimes I use cheddar instead of Parmesan.  Grea

There is no better way to warm up on a cold winter's night than a warm sticky chocolate pudding. The secret to making this super rich chocolate heaven is to use a dutch cocoa.   Simply, Dutch-process cocoa powder is made from cocoa beans that have been washed with a potassium solution, while the beans in natural cocoa powder have simply been roasted and ground into a fine powder. The potassium wash, also known as ‘Dutching’, neutralizes the acidity in the powder. It also makes the product darker and can help mellow the flavour of the bean. As well as reducing the bitterness and acidity of the chocolate, the Dutch-process increases the powder’s solubility and improves the stability of its reaction to baking powder. INGREDIENTS * 1 cup self-raising flour * 2 tablespoons cocoa powder * 1/2 cup brown sugar * 80g butter, melted, cooled * 1/2 cup milk * 1 egg, lightly beaten Sauce * 3/4 cup brown sugar * 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted * 1 1/4 cups boiling water MET

INGREDIENTS * Melted butter, to grease * 1 tbs poppy seeds * 185ml (3/4 cup) milk * 375g (2 1/2 cups) self-raising flour * 155g (3/4 cup) caster sugar * 125g butter, melted * 2 eggs, lightly whisked * 4 tsp finely shredded orange rind * 1/2 cup fresh orange juice * Icing sugar, to dust (if desired) * 1 tsp vanilla extract METHOD Preheat oven to 190°C. Brush twelve 80ml (1/3-cup) capacity non-stick muffin pans with melted butter to lightly grease. Combine the poppy seeds and 60ml (1/4 cup) of the milk in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes. Combine the flour and sugar in a large bowl. Add the poppy-seed mixture along with remaining milk, butter, egg, orange rind and juice & vanilla. Stir with a metal spoon until just combined (do not overmix). Spoon the batter among prepared muffin pans. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Remove from oven and turn onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature dusted with

※ Strawberry Buttercream Icing / frosting INGREDIENTS * 1 cup butter, softened * 2 (16-ounce) packages powdered sugar, sifted * 1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries (food dye if so desired, I added 2 drops) METHOD * Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer 20 seconds or until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and chopped strawberries, beating at low speed until creamy. (Add more sugar if frosting is too thin, or add strawberries if too thick.)

Fromager des Clarines is made from Mountain milk, yielding a smooth, very creamy cheese that is a must to serve as close to room temperature as possible, to release it's fresh white truffle butter flavors. Fromager des Clarines is packed in a woodchip box like L'Edel de Cleron but is less pungent and more appealing to the less trained palette. Serve it right inside the box, lifting off the edible top rind with a spoon. Scoop out the gourmet cheese with a crisp bread stick or onto your favorite water cracker or baguette. Baked Fromager des Clarines * 1 Box Fromager des Clarines * 2-3 garlic cloves, halved * Chopped rosemary * Freshly ground black pepper to season 1. Remove cheese from the box and all packaging material. 2. Soak wooden box in water for 2-3 minutes to prevent it from burning in the oven. 3. Place cheese back into the box and make small cuts into the surface, then push garlic cloves into the cuts. Drizzle with white wine and chopped rosemary. 4. Bake in the

INGREDIENTS: 8 oz Beef stew meat 2 slices Bacon 1 Garlic Clove, chopped 2 oz Onion, rough chop 1 oz Carrot, rough chop 1 oz Celery, rough chop 5-6 Pearl Onions 1 tbl fresh thyme chopped roughly 1 tbl Thyme / lemon or normal chopped 2 -3 cloves of black garlic 4 oz Diced Canned Tomatoes 2 oz Domestic Mushroom, fluted 2 oz A.P. Flour 1 tbl Tomato Paste 4 oz Red Wine ** 2 cups Brown Veal Stock / or beef stock Black Peppercorn, ground (to taste) 3 Tbls Worcestershire Sauce (I don't add salt at this stage as sometimes makes the final dish too salty. Wait till serving to see if needed.) ** There are approximately 3 cups in a 750 ml bottle of wine. The conversion formula I use is: 30 ml/oz, so 750/30=25; 25/8 oz=3.125. DIRECTIONS: 1. Render the bacon, starting with a cold pan to render the bacon more fully. Reserve the bacon when browned and crisp. 2. Sauté the pearl onions and mushrooms in the bacon fat until cooked through and tender. Reserve the mushroo

Scalloped potatoes are baked with cheese, milk, butter, and chopped onion, along with seasonings and flour. INGREDIENTS: 4 cups sliced raw potatoes 1 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion 8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons butter 2 cups milk METHOD: Place half the potatoes in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with half the salt, pepper, flour, onion, and cheese. Dot with bits of butter. Repeat layer then add milk to cover potatoes. Cover with foil or lid and bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tender. Take the lid off near the end of cooking to brown, or put under the grill for a few minutes. Serves 4 to 6. I sometimes mix the milk with chicken stock for extra flavor (obviously non vegetarian recipe) All depends on what it is being served with.

These brownies are just what the recipe’s description touts: “dense, fudgy, and full of deep chocolate flavor.” A couple of small bites were all I could handle, but they were all I needed. INGREDIENTS 8 eggs 1 c. sugar 1/2 c. brown sugar 1 c.Lescure French Butter 1 c. cocoa powder (dark dutch cant be beaten for richness & taste) 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. salt 1 c. flour 1 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips METHOD In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugars and butter until very creamy. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into a 13×9 inch pan and bake in an oven preheated to 200 degrees Celsius for 27-30 minutes.

And here is a big picture of it just because.

At first glance, this looks like your run-of-the-mill french toast, but when you dig in, you find a perfectly delicious layer of Nutella in the center. I have made it quite a few times: here & here again . It tastes like a hot cinnamon donut straight from the fryer.. heavenly! But this time it is filled with chocolate.... Nutella Stuffed French Toast (using the donut french toast recipe) adapted by me. Ingredients * 2 eggs * 1/2 cup full fat milk * 4 teaspoons vanilla extract * 4 slices from a small white loaf or 2 slices from a large white loaf, each large slice cut in half * 1-ounce butter, plus a drop flavourless oil, for frying * 1/4 cup sugar * Nutella Directions Beat the eggs with the milk and vanilla in a wide shallow bowl. Spread bread with Nutella and sandwich another slice of bread ion the end. Soak the sandwiches in the eggy mixture for 5 minutes a side. Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan/skillet, fry the egg-soaked bread until golden and scorched in par

Ingredients (serves 6) * 1 1/4 cups caster sugar * 300ml thickened cream * 1 1/2 cups milk * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract * 6 eggs Method Preheat oven to 170°C/150°C fan-forced. Combine 3/4 cup sugar and 1 cup cold water in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to high. Bring to the boil. Boil, without stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden. Remove from heat. Set aside for 2 minutes to allow bubbles to subside. Pour sugar mixture into six 1 cup-capacity, ovenproof dishes. Set aside to set. Combine cream, milk and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring,for 6 to 8 minutes or until small bubbles form at edge of pan. Remove from heat. Whisk eggs and remaining sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Slowly add cream mixture, whisking constantly. Strain mixture into a jug. Divide between dishes. Place dishes in a large baking dish (see tip). Pour boiling water into baking dish until halfway up the si

Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with roast vegetables Serves 4 INGREDIENTS 1.5 kg lamb shoulder 1 glass red wine 500 ml chicken stock 1 head garlic, Some fresh thyme sprigs & rosemary 1 lemon, juice only 1 red onion 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce   2 Teaspoons of Peter Watson Spice rub * METHOD Season lamb shoulder with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large pan over high heat and cook lamb for 5 minutes, turning once, until browned. Transfer to a large roasting tin. Meanwhile, deglaze pan with red wine and stock then pour over lamb in roasting tin. After seeing the recipe in Gourmet Traveler I decided I needed to add more flavours besides just stock and red wine to the meat. Add garlic cloves to taste and more black pepper, (don't worry about adding salt as the flavours deepen over the four hours.) Add the juice of a lemon, a red onion chopped roughly, roughly chopped herbs Co