Roasted Glazed Duck with an Apple and Walnut stuffing

I think Duck is a very tasty meat that is quite under rated within the Western world. It has been the stable of many cultures throughout the world from Mongolia to France. It can be prepared in numerous ways, each exploring the rich flavours and exploiting the nutrients. What many people don't know is duck meat is high in protein (around 18g per 100g), zinc and iron to name but a few.

This is also a great dish for Christmas and will definitely be a spin upon the more traditional birds that are cooked at this festive time. 

So what do you need to make this fowl taste good (see what I did there?):-

1 Duck, about 3 kilos is good for 3-4 people
1 orange
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp vinegar (I used Apple but you can use anything from malt to wine)
250ml chicken stock
2 tbsp Cointreau (optional)
2 tbsp crushed almonds
70g breadcrumbs
40g chopped walnuts
100g sausage meat (or in places where no sausage meat is available buy pork mince and put it in the food processor)
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
handful of thyme and rosemary
1 egg
2 tbsp double cream

Turn your oven on to 225oC. Sauté the onion and garlic in some butter until soft, add to a bowl with the walnuts, breadcrumbs, sausage meat and the thyme and rosemary, mix all together, add some seasoning, the cream and egg, then set to one side. Now prepare your duck by washing it out under the cold tap, inside and out, then using paper towel pat it dry. Remove any obvious bits of fat from inside the bird. With a pin prick the skin all over, do not go too deep. Turn it breast side down and press down until your hear the back breaking (Some of you may find this squeamish, don't worry the duck is dead and won't hold it against you, or you can get your big brave partner to do it), this will help the bird cook more evenly.

Fill the inside with your stuffing mixture (any left over you can make into balls for later) and then put breast side down on a wire rack over a tray. Put into oven for 25 minutes. While it is in the oven make the glaze by first zesting and juicing the orange, then put the vinegar and sugar in a pan and caramelise, it should take about 2-3 minutes. Add the zest and juice to the pan also the Cointreau and chicken stock, put on a higher heat to reduce by half, it should also go thicker.

After the 25 minutes take the duck out of the oven and turn it down to 175oC. Turn the duck so the breast side is facing up, use a spoon or pastry bush to baste the duck. Return to oven and baste every 20 minutes. After one hour check the duck by poking a skewer into the thickest part of the leg, if the juice run clear put the remaining glaze on the duck and sprinkle the almonds on top. Return to oven for 15 minutes and then take out and serve.

This goes great with roasted veggies and a nice rich red wine gravy. I guarantee that it will bring the wow factor to your dinner.

Karjalanpaisti, Karelian Hot Pot A National Dish from Refugees.

Karelian Hot Pot (or Stew) is considered the national dish of Finland but its popularity throughout Finland is a recent occurrence. 75 years ago Finland was plunged into a war that it didn't want, the Soviet Union invaded with over 750,000 troops and all that Finland could do was send 250,000 young men, with antiqued equipment to stand against the Red Bear. After a valiant defence which saw the Soviet Union stalled on every front, peace negotiations managed to end the war. However, despite all that Finland did, it lost 11% of its territory and 30% of its economy. The territory was mainly the eastern region of Karelia and given the choice, the Finnish citizens decided to pack up and move away from the Russia areas leaving a ghost region. This caused the biggest refugee crisis that Finland has seen. With the move, the Karelians brought with them many things, like food, music and history.

One such dish, and the most recognised alongside Karelian Pastries, is the Karelian Hot Pot. This dish arose as a festive meal due to the scarceness of meat. It is another dish that exemplifies the simpleness but wholesome tastiness of Finnish foods. It traditionally uses bits of beef and pork cooked in water, black peppercorns and salt. However, nowadays, it is usually seen with added ingredients like allspice, carrots and onion. It is so quick to prepare and is just braised in a iron pot in the oven.

This is a great dish for those with little time, like on Sundays.

So for a nice feeding of 4/5 people you will want to have:-

250g stewing beef, cut into 1" pieces
250g stewing pork, cut into 1" pieces (alternatively you can use just 500g of beef or pork)
1 large onion, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
1tsp salt
1tsp black peppercorns
1tsp allspice
2 bay leaves
250ml beef stock
500ml water

Preheat your oven to 150C. Brown your meat in the iron pot over a medium heat, take out the meat and set aside. Now add a little bit of oil to the pot and add the onions, cook for 30 seconds, add the carrots and meat, salt, peppercorns, all spice and bay leaves. Stir until all mixed and add the stock and water. Cover with a lid and place in oven for 3 and a half hours.

You can also turn it down to 125C and cook for 5 and a half hours.

It is normally served with mash potato and lingonberry jam.

So go on, give it a try, this is a perfect dish for Sundays as you can make it all up the day before and just pop in oven before you head out to church.

Coconut and Treacle Flapjacks

When I was younger I loved to get flapjacks as a treat from the local bakery. There was something about the soft, gooey oaty bars that appealed to me. As I got older I seemed to put them on the back burner. I am not sure why I did that.

They are so easy to make and can be knocked up in a matter of minutes, so they are easy to make at short notice if you have guests coming round. I made mine for Family Home Evening, which is a night in the week (traditionally Monday) which the family gets together and does activities. It is encouraged in the Church and is designed to help strengthen families. They were a smash hit with those present.

To make one baking tray (33cm*36cm):-

250g rolled oats
125g butter (not marg)
125g brown sugar
3tbsp treacle
40g dessicated coconut
pinch of salt

Start by pre-heating your oven to 175C. Put all your ingredients into the food processor and pulse until mixed. Don't overdo it as you want to keep the oaty texture.

Grease up your baking tray and put in the mixture. Using the back of a spoon, press down the mixture firmly and flatly and the score into your desired portions.

Put into the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes (15 makes really soft while 20 makes really crunchy). Take out and place on a cooling rack until cool enough to eat.

It is all that simple and the entire process takes 25-30 minutes. So no more excuses to not having snacks for your guests. They will also keep for a month in a sealed container.

Smoked Reindeer Liver with Potato salad and Beetroot Purée

A friend from work gave me a wonderful gift last week, a smoked Reindeer liver. This gift was in response to a conversation earlier in which I stated I hadn't tried reindeer liver before. Reindeer is a popular meat in Finland (as well as other Nordic countries) and is used in everything from Soups to Pizzas, Steaks to Bagels. Products from reindeer, like milk, cheese and meat are considered some of the healthiest in the world. A recent Norwegian study showed that 100 grams of meat contains your daily dose of omega 3-6, double the amount of Vitamin B12, high in Iron, Zinc and low in fat (around 2% , Beef is around 9%).

As Reindeer is a big part of Finnish culture, I wanted to produce a dish I thought reflected Finnish food culture but also wanted to make it in a way that you would see served in a good quality restaurant. I decided upon all the ingredients based upon my perceptions of their use in Finnish cuisine.

So for this you will need (feeds 4):-

Beetroot purée:
2 medium beetroot, trimmed (around 400g)
1 clove garlic
50g butter, melted
1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
pinch of coriander
pinch of salt and pepper

Potato Salad:
1 Basic Mayonnaise recipe
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cooked
2 gherkins, diced

Lettuce
200g smoked Reindeer Liver, sliced
Carrot, grated for decoration

Boil your beetroot in lightly salted water until soft. Cool down and put into the blender with the garlic, butter, yoghurt, coriander and some seasoning. Turn on until it makes a nice paste and put into the fridge.

Mix the potatoes and gherkins into the mayonnaise. Now it's time to construct your plate. Put some lettuce on the bottom and top with your potato salad. Stack your liver slices on top and then place some carrot on the liver. Using two spoons, shape your beetroot purée and put on the plate. Serve with some fresh bread and butter and watch everything disappear into the satisfied mouths of your guests.

In our home the children eat the same as the adults.... however beetroot isn't all the child friendly.

Slow Roasted Sabbath Chicken Dinner

We all know what it's like, we wake up on Sunday morning, rush around getting ourselves and the children ready for Church, then after Church come home to start cooking dinner, kids screaming, tempers rising and all of a sudden all that nice spiritual feeling is leaving us. We all just want to come home and have dinner ready. Well I have the perfect solution, I present, THE SLOW ROASTED SABBATH CHICKEN DINNER, [enter ta-da here]. This meal isn't just for Sundays but for any day of the week, you can prepare the day before hand and just pop in the oven on the day. It is simple, easy and can be done on a small budget.

Sunday Dinner for me as a child was a highlight, it had Yorkshire Puddings, Gravy, Vegetables, Roast Potatoes and of course, Roasted Meat. As my family wasn't all that well off, we ate a lot of Roast Chicken with the dark meat for us children and the white for my parents. It was always very tasty and I remember my mother in the kitchen for hours and then when I was old enough, helping with it.

First we will start with the chicken itself:-

1 1.5kg whole chicken
1 lemon, halved
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp aromatic salt
1 tsp oregano
50g butter, softened

Preheat your oven to 125oC. Mix the herbs and salt with the butter. Squeeze half the lemon over the chicken, rub in all the butter everywhere. Squeeze the other half into the cavity and put in the two halves. Cover with tinfoil, make sure it is completely sealed. Put into the oven for 4 hours. Remove the foil and increase heat to 225oC and place for a further 30 minutes (if making Roast potatoes, see below, add now). Take out and serve.

For the Roast Potatoes:-

1 kg potatoes, peeled and halved
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp flour
Salt and Pepper

Boil your potatoes in a large pan. They should take around 5-10 minutes, they should be par boiled (hard but soft enough to stick a knife in), strain into a colander. You can do this the day before, put them in the fridge overnight. Now put them in an oven dish and sprinkle the flour, paprika and seasoning over them, mix till coated then pour over the oil, mix again until all fully coated. Put into the oven with the chicken. When the chicken comes out, turn them and put them in for another 15 minutes.

Serve it with vegetables and Gravy. I love spiced carrot and turnip mash, Broccoli and Cauliflower but you can put anything. They also go great with Yorkshire puddings.

Eighth Wonder of the World: Yorkshire Puddings

When I think back to my childhood meals, one of the things that really sticks out is the Sunday Roast Dinner and when we look closer at that meal we know that the crown that tops it all off is the Yorkshire Pudding. The origin of these delights is a mystery, some have suggested they were brought to England by ancient Egyptians escaping the war with Atlantis (well maybe some people say that...) others that the Wizard Merlin created them for King Arthur and His Knights to give them a hearty meal before quests. Whatever the real origin is, we do know that the first recorded recipe appears in 1737 where a pancake batter was put in a pan under mutton and used to catch all that lovely dripping fat, they were occasionally shaken and would become risen and fluffy. The first recorded use of the name Yorkshire Pudding appears in a cookery book ten years later (1747). My wife has really come round to liking them, as well as her family, but states that she does not understand the function of them...pfft, like they need one.

Over the years many people have developed different recipes and ideas on how to create the perfect Yorkie. I know that I have tried and it has taken me until recently to find the best one for me. However, I'm not a selfish guy and so will share my entire recipe with you all so you can taste the wonder that is the Yorkshire Pudding.

To make a standard muffin trays worth (12), you will need:-

150g plain flour
2 large eggs
250ml whole milk
1 tsp salt and pepper mix
4 tbsp Oil (I use rapeseed oil but vegetable, sunflour or even beef fat will do, Don't use olive oil.)

Ok so in a mixing bowl put your flour and seasoning in, combined and make a well in the centre. Pour in the milk and eggs and whisk until smooth, I like using a hand whisk but you can use your fancy electric whisks. Then put in the fridge to sit for 30 minutes. While this is happening, turn your oven on to 225C and put in a muffin tray with a little oil in each one, use all 4 tbsp, then place inside.

After the thirty minutes take your batter out, grab a ladle and here comes the trick, take your muffin tray out, close the oven door and quickly but carefully divide the batter into the muffin tray. The batter should start sizzling. Place back into oven and leave for 20-25 minutes until nice, tall and golden. Take out and serve immediately.

They are also fine for freezing and/or reheating later.

Now there is no excuse to having those frozen things in your freezer.

Tasty Chicken Stroganoff

Stroganoff has become a popular dish throughout the world, especially in English style pubs. It has its origins in 19th century Russia with the first recipe showing up Elena Molokhovet's classic Russian cookbook A Gift to Young Housewives. It was lightly floured cubes of beef cooked with bouillon, mustard and finished with sour cream. It evolved from there, things were added to it like onions and mushrooms, different meats were used or sometimes even just vegetables.

My version uses chicken and just came about because I was hungry at work and decided upon something different for a change.

So to make enough for yourself and 3 others you will need:-

1 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken breast, cut into strips
1 large onion, sliced
4-6 mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp tomato purée
150ml chicken stock
2 tbsp sour cream
paprika and parsley for decorating

Start by heating a pan over medium heat, then add olive oil. Sauté chicken strips and onions until the onions are soft but not browned. Add the mushrooms and garlic, sauté them for about a minute. Stir in the mustard and tomato and cook out for another minute. Pour in the stock and simmer until reduced by about half. Fold in the sour cream to finish and serve with either rice or pasta. It also goes great with garlic bread.

Manx Bonnags

Today I'm deciding to go all patriotic and give you an iconic Manx recipe. I made these for a cultural night held at my my Branch (the Mormon word for a local congregation). So what is a bonnag? Originally they started out as something like a unleavened barley bread but has now traditionally become a cake like bread. The word was first seen in written form in 1805 and is probably originated from the Irish or Scottish word for cake. Today it is mainly made with dried fruit in it, individual portions and with normal milk.

These went down a treat at the event with none coming home with me.

This will make around 6-8 individual bonnags:-

250ml Butter milk (or full fat milk and 2tbsp lemon juice)
380g plain flour, plus extra if needed
225g caster sugar
100g butter, softened
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2tsp salt
2tsp mixed spice
1/2 vanilla essence

Preheat your oven to 175C and put some baking paper on a oven tray.

Mix together the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, salt and mixed spice together in a bowl. Now add the butter and rub together with your fingers until they resemble breadcrumbs.

In another bowl mix together the butter milk (or lemon juice and milk) and vanilla essence.

Make a well in your flour mix and pour the milk mix in. Stir with a spatula. Mix until there is no dry patches. The dough should be moist and a little sticky but not overly wet, if it is, then add some more flour.

Dust your fingers with some flour and take a handful of your dough. Shape it into a rough ball and place on your baking paper. Repeat until you have no dough left.

Place into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Serve with butter or jam and cream. Treat your guests to a spot of afternoon 'cakes'

And in closing.... a picture of my in traditional Manx hunting tartan giving my presentation.

Simple Salad Nicoise

Sometimes my meals come from what I have in my cupboards and fridge, other times I just get an idea and I have to make it before it leaves me alone. This Salad Nicoise was one of the latter. It just came into my head during a morning work shift that all I wanted to eat for dinner was a Salad Nicoise, now I'm not a salad person at all. When I finished my shift, I cycled home passed the supermarket, bought the ingredients and arrived home to tell my wife what we were having for dinner.

Salad Nicoise, like all things with Nicoise attached to them, come from the region around Nice (In France). The typical ingredients in these dishes are garlic, anchovies, tomatoes, olive and French beans (also known as Green beans) and some kind of fish. This salad also has dozens of variations, some places use only fresh, seared tuna, others tinned, some will add cook vegetables, others won't, some won't even use lettuce. All are still Salad Nicoise and all taste fantastic.

This is my take upon this classic Southern French salad, so for 4 people you will need:-

1 medium sized Iceberg lettuce, washed and shredded
2 tins of Tuna chucks, drained
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 yellow pepper, sliced
8 new potatoes, boiled, cooled and cut into fours
4 eggs, cooked, peeled and cut into fours
6tbsp olive oil
2tbsp red wine vinegar
1tbsp Dijon mustard
1tsp salt
1tsp pepper

Start with making the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Leave to one side to infuse.

On your plates lay the lettcue first and the start adding the other ingredients. Leave the Tuna till last but besides that it does not really matter what order you have them in or how they look. Finish by topping it with the tuna and drizzling that dressing over it, about 2 tablespoons will do but you can always add more if you want.

That's it, very simple. The whole thing from start to finish shouldn't take more than 30 minutes including cooking of the potatoes and eggs.

So no more excuses about salads not being tasty.

Corned Beef Hash

Corned Beef Hash has been part of British home cooking since the early 20th century. It became very popular during the second world war, mainly because rationing made it hard to get fresh meat. This dish comes in many different varieties from frying cubes of corned beef with par boiled cubes of potato to cooking the beef with onions and layering mash on top. The one Hash I remember from my childhood was one where the corned beef was fried, added to some mash potato, salted and buttered and then topped with cheese. It was almost always served with baked beans, fried onions and bread. It was a family favourite. This version is a casserole that is simple, can be made up before hand (up to a day) and  nutritious.

So for this you will want to have:-

340g Corned beef (1 tin)
400g Potatoes (Maris Pipers or King Edwards work best)
75g Butter, melted
100ml double cream, warm
salt and pepper
75g Cheese, grated (I used a mix of Edam and Cheddar)

Optionals: Baked beans and one medium onion

So start off by rough cutting your potatoes and putting them into a pan of water to boil. I like to keep the skin on them as this is where most of the nutrients are held. A trick to getting the right mashed potato is not to over boil, so around 20 minutes, where they are soft but not breaking up.

While your potatoes are boiling take the corned beef out of the tin and slice. In a frying pan, add a teaspoon of oil and heat. Add your corned beef slices and brown on both sides. Take out and put to one side. You can use the same pan now to fry your onions if you are choosing to add onions.

Drain your potatoes and add back to the pan. Add the corned beef, cream, butter and seasoning and mash. I like to mash mine until they are all mixed together, not really caring if there are chunks.

If you are making for cooking later, let cool down and put into the fridge. About an hour before you want to serve, preheat oven to 175'C and put the hash inside. Cook for 20 minutes and then add the cheese. Turn up to 225'C and leave for another 15-20 minutes and the cheese has browned.

If wanting to make right away, preheat oven to 225'C, top with cheese and cook for 15-20 minutes and the cheese has browned.

Serve with your baked beans and onions if you want. Then watch as all the contents disappear into the mouths of your family and guests.

Mars Bar 'Cake'

Sometimes you just need something sweet, something you know is unhealthy but just makes you feel good. This is one of mine. It is so simple that you can make it with the children.

For a nice trays worth of these delicious things you will need:-
6 mars bars (or their cheaper equivalent)
2 cupfuls of rice krispies (or their cheaper equivalent)
200g milk chocolate


First melt your mars bars in a bowl suspended over boiling water. Then add the rice krispies and mix until all coated. Put into a greased pyrex tray and put to one side. Then melt the chocolate and add to the top. Put in fridge and leave to cool. Cut and serve,

Such a simple recipe, such delicious taste.

Pulled Pork with Sweet potato mash and cream cheese BBQ sauce

So this last Sunday (24th) I had off from work and so volunteered to make the whole family a dinner for after Church. We also had guests staying with us until that Sunday so I needed a meal that I could do very simply. So I decided on Pulled Pork because it was something I could put into the oven and leave overnight and not worry about it. I also really felt like sweet potato mash as I felt it would really compliment it and the BBQ sauce, well that is just because pulled pork tastes best with BBQ based sauces.

For enough to serve 5 people you will need;-
about 2kg of Pork Shoulder (you can also use collar, leg or any other cheap cut)
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

250g Potatoes, peeled and chopped
250g Sweet Potatoes, peeled and chopped
50g butter
25ml full fat milk
salt and pepper

1 tbsp Cream Cheese
2 tbsp Hickory BBQ Sauce
250ml thick cream
salt and pepper

First Preheat your oven to 250oC, then rub the oil and spices into your pork shoulder and put into a cooking bag (or in a slow cooker). Put into the oven for 20 minutes and reduce to 75oC. Leave for 12-15 hours (yes, that's right). Take out of oven and leave standing for 20 minutes.

Whilst the meat is standing. Put your potatoes and sweet potatoes in some salted water and boil until soft. Using a masher (or electric whisk) turn into mash and stir in your butter and taste. Correct seasoning as needed. Cover and leave to one side.

In a small pan mix together the cream cheese, BBQ sauce and thick cream. Heat on medium and combined together until warm. Taste and season.

Now take your pork out of the bag, save the juices. Shred the pork using forks or your hands, add some of the juices (I added about 1/4 of the bag) and mix into the pork. Save the rest of the juices to make a gravy at a later time.

Serve all together with some salad and bread and watch it all disappear in minutes. This was so sucessful I have been asked to do it for my Mother in Law's birthday in a couple of weeks time.

Summer Spiced Carrot Soup

So I had some carrots in my fridge and was thinking to myself "what should I do with them?" This carried on during my work shift and then it came to me - "why not make carrot and coriander soup", the voice in my head proclaimed. I thought it was a good idea as it is one of my favourite soups. So I was determined to make this after I finished my work shift at 2300 as a way to calm down. My fridge also revealed fresh ginger, some potatoes and garlic, so it all came together and I created this awesome soup.

This is not only a refreshing summer soup but can be a warming winter comfort for those dark nights. It is also entirely vegan friendly (except when I add a swirl of cream but you don't have to do that) and packed full of vitamins and minerals to give you a healthy boost to your system. It is so simple and cheap to make and lasts for a week in the fridge (if it gets that far).

So to make this nutritional soup you will want to have:-

1 tbsp vegetable oil
500g carrots, washed and chopped
1 small onion, rough chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 medium potato, washed and chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
1.5 litre vegetable stock
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper
(Cream to finish, if you want)

First heat up the oil in a large pan, then you want to sauté your carrots, onion, garlic and ginger until soft. Add the potato, coriander, sugar and some seasoning (I used 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper) stir and cook out for about a minute.

Add your vegetable stock and bring up to a boil. Reduce this to a simmer until the carrots are tender, this takes about 20 minutes.

Using a stick blender whizz it all up until smooth and add the nutmeg and correct the seasoning to taste.

Serve with a swirl of cream if you like or nicely crisped croûtons for that added gourmet feel.

Bacon wrapped herby goat's cheese and Devil's Jam

I love goat's cheese, I love it on potatoes, chicken, in stews, on top of my pizza, just on or in anything really. So in one of my nightly driftings I came up with an idea to combined Bacon (one of my favourite things in the world) with Goat's Cheese (another favourite). I also decided to make some Devil's jam to use up some basil I had growing and the two worked together brilliantly. So brilliantly in fact that I am sharing it with you all. It is quick, easy and tasty. The sweet and spicy of the devil's jam really compliments the saltly, strong flavour of your goat's cheese wraps.

To make a romantic portion (2 people), you will need:-

200g log of goat's cheese, the small, thin ones, cut into 50g 'blocks'
4 rashers of streaky bacon
pinch of salt and pepper
pinch of dried dill and oregano

For the Devil's jam:-

1 tin of peeled tomatoes (450g)
3 red chillies, rough cut
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
about 2 tablespoons of fresh basil
100ml red wine vinegar
250g jam sugar
salt and pepper

You want to make your jam a day or so before. First sweat off the chilli, onion and garlic until soft, then add the red wine vinegar and reduce by half. Add the tomatoes and jam sugar and cook out for 20-30 minutes. Add the basil, salt and pepper and leave to cool and thicken.

Now to start on the goat's cheese. Preheat your oven to 225oC. Then mix your salt, pepper, dill and oregano together and then coat the outside of the goat's cheese. Then wrap in the bacon and place into a pyrex dish. Put in the oven for about 10 minutes. Take out and put onto a plate with some devil's jam.

Goes well with some toast or just a snack to tie you over.

Spiced Chickpea burger with Mango Basil Mayonnaise

The is the second recipe for my double whammy of recipes.

We all want to be healthy, try to reduce our meat content and try something new. The problem is, sometimes we just cannot find that one tasty dish. Well I believe I have found one tasty veggie dish I will return to again and again.

The idea came from a tesco's recipe card on burgers and I thought, how about I try the spiced chickpea one with some Chef Flo flare. My wife said they tasted good but she would rather eat the chicken one but only because she likes meat over veggie food.

So to make four of these delicious burgers you will need:-

1 tin of Chickpeas (250g drained and crushed)
1egg
1 tsp Paprika
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp olive oil
25g bread crumbs
pinch of salt and pepper

Buns (I used carrot)
salad

For the Mayo:-

1 Basic Mayonnaise
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp Mango chutney
pinch of salt

So just add all the burger ingriedients into a bowl and mix until it all comes together. Divide into 4 pieces and form into burgers, I made them about 2 cm thick. Brush both sides with all and put on a heated pan for about 4 minutes, until nice a golden, then turn over and repeat. (They will also go on the BBQ just fine)

The Mayo is simple, just add the basil, chutney and salt to the basic recipe and mix together.

Then assemble as you desire. I put my salad on the bottom then the burger and topped with the mayo.

I loved these and really think that even if you are a meat eater you will find some space in your life for these. They are great for a lunch snack too.

Chicken and Bacon Burger with Caramelised Red Onion and Sweet Chilli Mayo

This week I will give you a double whammy of recipes. Two tasty burgers to satisfy all.

I love Chicken burgers, real chicken burgers that is. I love them more so than beefburgers because of the massive amount of variety you can do with them. This time I made a chicken and bacon burger topped with home made sweet chilli mayonnaise and caramelised red onion.

This will make 4 delicious, mouth watering burgers:-

For the Burger:-

400g Minced Chicken
1 egg
75g breadcrumbs
50g bacon rashers, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
buns (any kind, I used carrot ones)
salad

For the Caramelised onions:-
One medium red onion, sliced
1tbsp brown sugar
2tbsp water
1tsp oil

For the Sweet Chilli Mayo:-
1 Basic Mayonnaise 
1tbsp sweet chilli sauce

First combined the burger ingredients and form into four burgers. I do this by forming a ball and then flattening it. Then brush your burgers with a little oil and heat a pan up. Cook them on both sides for about 4-5 minutes, getting a nice golden colour on them. (You can even do them on the BBQ if you want).

For the onion, heat the oil in a small pan and add the onions, sweat them for 2 minutes then add the sugar. Cook for a further minute, letting the sugar caramelise and stick to the onion. Add the water and cook until all the water is gone and your onions are nice and sticky.

The mayo is simple, just stir the sweet chilli sauce in your mayo mix.

Now all that is left is to assemble your burger. I put my salad on the bottom followed by the burger, mayo and finally topped with the caramelised onions.

It was so moreish that I had a hard time resisting eating them all. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

Basic Mayonnaise

I love mayonnaise, I love it on chips, chicken, fish, burgers, well basically anything goes with mayo. However, like most people, I bought it in because I was just too lazy to make it myself. However I have been experimenting with an quick and easy DIY mayo that can be used as it is or have things added to it to give you different flavours.

So here is how to make enough for three-four servings:-

1 large, fresh egg
1 teaspoon of Dijon Mustard
salt and pepper
150ml Oil (I used rapeseed oil)

Put the egg, mustard, salt and pepper into a food processor. Turn it on and pour the oil through the top, it will start to thicken. Leave after all oil has gone for 10 more seconds then switch of. Check consistency (you can add more oil if you want it thicker) and seasoning.

Put into a fridge and consume within 7 days.

It is as simple as that.

Simple and Tasty Nasi Goreng

My wife and I love Prawn Crackers, we love them so much that we normally produce a meal to accompany them rather than the normal way round. Nasi Goreng, like all types of fried rices, was a way in which to use up the leftover boiled rice as the frying killed off the dangerous microbes that love to gather on rice. It has its origins in Indonesia (where it is often labelled as the national dish), however it has now spread across many of the Asian countries and also is big in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

This recipe produces enough to feed four people:-

375g long-grain rice
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
500g Chicken breast, cut into 1cm thick strips
250g cooked peeled prawns
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
Prawn crackers, to serve, i'll let you decide how many you want

Put a pan on to boil, add some salt to it. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and add the rice, about 20 minutes. Then drain and rinse under cold water and the set aside in a colander to drain thoroughly.

Then make an omelette with the eggs. Then roll it up and cut it into strips, then put it aside.

In a mortar crush the onion, garlic and chilli into a paste.Then put the oil in a wok and fry the onion paste for a couple of minutes until you start getting a beautiful fragrant smell from it. Then add your chicken strips and stir-fry until it starts changing colour on all sides. Add the prawns and soy sauce, stir fry until the chicken is tender.

Now add the rice to the wok, toss until the rice gets hot. Throw in the omelette strips, season to taste and then serve.

So simple, so tasty. So give this amazing, healthy Asian dish a go, you won't be disappointed.

Eggs Benedict

The Classic Breakfast dish..... Eggs Benedict

I first made this dish for my wife (then girlfriend) and a friend two years back. They both loved it, even if they prefer their eggs hard. Since then I have made it on a few occasions, working on the recipe to get perfection and to make it fairly simple. Here is, what I feel, to be the easiest Eggs Benedict recipe out there, however I have still classed it as a Class 3 recipe because of the time and patience involved. However, if you want a wee challenge and a good breakfast, then this is worth it. 

To serve yourself and your lovely partner you will need to have:-

2 English muffins (slice in half) or 2 Rolls (sliced in half)
4 Medium Eggs
4 Slices of ham (any will do, I love using smoked ham)
About 1 and a half teaspoons of Freshly cracked pepper 
2 tbsp Vinegar (I use white vinegar)
2 egg yolks
200g butter
seasoning, cayenne pepper for taste

First put a pan on to boil with enough water to cover your eggs, bring it to the boil. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the water. 

While the water is coming to the boil, in a small sauce pan put the peppercorns and the other tablespoon of vinegar into it and reduce by 1/3 then take off heat. Add 1 tablespoon of cold water, leave to cool, about 2-4 minutes. Mix in the yolks and return to a low heat, whisking continuously. DO NOT STOP WHISKING! Cook into a sabayon (that means the yolks will thicken to the consistency of double cream, it will show the mark of the whisk when passed through). Remove from heat and cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Then whisk the melted butter in gradually until it is thoroughly combined. Season to taste.

Add your eggs to the boiling water, do this by cracking open the egg and in one smooth fluid movement, they will start to cook straight away. For a soft one cook for about 2 minutes and 4 minutes for a harder one. Take out with a slotted spoon and put onto some kitchen towel to dry off. 

Toast you muffins and butter. Then add your slice of ham, eggs on top and then top with sauce.

Serve and enjoy the richness.

Nordic Style Baked Salmon

Last night (29th June) we had some very special guest round our house. Sister Gasser and her parents. This sister has been a big help to our family over the last several months she has been in Oulu, so as a thank you, we decided to cook for her and her family a really nice Nordic style dinner. This oven baked salmon is a perfect example of Nordic food, simple and tasty.

This will serve 6 people:-

1,4kg Salmon side (You want around 150-200g per person)
2 tbsp Coarse sea salt
2 tbsp fresh cracked pepper
2 tbsp Dill
Juice of one lemon
4 tbsp of olive oil

Take your Salmon and go along the middle bit and check for bones. If there is any take them out with some tweezers. Once cleaned put your salmon inside some baking paper and add the sea salt, pepper, dill, lemon and olive oil, rub into the salmon and put in the fridge for an hour.

Preheat your oven to 200oC.

Take your fish out of the fridge and wrap the baking paper around it, then cover it in tin foil. Place on an oven tray/dish and put into the oven.

After 30 minutes open up your parcel and return back to oven for 15 minutes.

Take out of oven and serve. It is that simple.

Billionaires' Shortbread

In the UK, Caramel Shortbread is a favoured confectionery. However not many people know that it actually originated in Australian in around the 70's. I love the stuff, have fond memories of getting a small square from the local bakery in my town of upbringing. Over the years I have experimented with the recipe and tweaked it.

About 12 months ago I told my wife about Millionaires' shortbread and she asked could I do it with white chocolate so she could take it to her workplace. I thought i'd give it a go. It went down a treat, the creamy white chocolate made this rich biscuit even richer. I decided to name these adaptations Billionaries' shortbread on account that White Gold is worth more than yellow gold.

So Tuesday just gone we had a Professor of the Philosophy of Religion come over to our house, accompanied by the missionary Sisters. I had met this learned guy before, he wasn't interested in joining the Church but wanted to know more about our Church and what made us different from other faiths. So for the snack I was originally going to make just some normal, boring biscuits until my wife asked could I do the white chocolate caramel shortbread. They went down a storm, so much so that I didn't have many left.

So to make a 33cm * 25cm tray you will need:-

2 cups of flour (225g)
175g butter (not marg)
75g/5 tbsp caster sugar

150g butter (not marg)
1 tin (379g) condensed milk
100ml golden syrup

260g white chocolate

First preheat your oven to 150oc and greaseproof your tray.

Put the flour, 175g butter and the sugar into a food processor and blitz until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. If no food processor then rub with your fingers. Put the mixture into your tray and even out and press flat using a spoon (you can use your hands too), then put in oven for 30 minutes (or until a light golden brown).

Pour your milk, butter and syrup into a pan and slowly heat until all the butter is melted. Then bring to boil. Make sure you stir frequently otherwise you will burn the caramel, I use a silicon spatula for this. Keep stirring until it gets thicker and turns a nice golden colour (about 15/25mins). Put aside and leave to cool for 10/15 mins. Do the same with your shortbread.

Once both have cooled a little pour the caramel on top and spread evenly. Leave to cool completely.

Then melt your white chocolate using a Ban Marie (a pan with boiling water over heat and another pan/bowl on top of it). Then pour over the caramel and smooth out. Then leave to cool and harden, then cut them to your desired shape.

ANZAC Biscuits

Today (April 25th) is known as ANZAC in Australia and New Zealand, as well as many areas of the British Commonwealth. It was originally the day of memorial for members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (more commonly known as ANZAC) who fought during the disastrous Gallipoli Campagin, which started on April 25th 1915 and ended in January 9th 1916 and saw over 35,000 of them dead or wounded. Today the day is for the memorial of servicemen of both countries "who died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served".

Tradition has it that the wives and daughters of ANZAC troops produced these tasty, simple and long lasting biscuits so their husbands and fathers could have something tasty and they would survive the long naval voyage that post had to go through back then.

I have a real like for these biscuits, they are super tasty and can be made up in large batches and then eaten at your leisure. I also remember having them at primary school on ANZAC day, as well as my Nana making them (some of our relatives are Australian).

So in honour of ANZAC day, here is my recipe for ANZAC biscuits. They have been tried and tested by a real life Aussie (Sister Francis) who was serving a Mission in Oulu last year at the time of ANZAC day and she gave them a pass.

This will be enough to make around 8:-

1cup/80g Rolled Oats (Porriage oats)
3/4 cups/ 55g dessicated coconut
1cup/ 125g plain flour
1cup/ 200g caster sugar
1/2 cup/ 155g butter
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp boiling water

To start preheat your oven to 175oC. Then get a large mixing bowl and mix together the oats, sugar and coconut. Then in a small pan on a low heat combined the syrup and butter, make sure the heat is low otherwise the syrup will burn. Once melted, add the bicarb of soda and water to the syrup/butter mix.
Now add the syrup/butter mix to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Then you want to put a tablespoon of the mixture onto a greaseproof papered baking tray, repeat until the tray is full, make sure you leave some room for expansion. Bake for 15-25 minutes. Take out when done and leave to cool down 10-15 minutes at least before tasting.

In Australia there is a big divide on whether they should be hard and crunchy or soft and chewy. You can decide on how you want them by the cooking time. 15 minutes is ideal for soft and chewy while 25 is the maximum for hard and crunchy.

Beef and Sweet Potato Curry with Cinnamon and Cardamom Scented Rice

I love a good curry, who doesn't? I have cooked many curries throughout my career as a chef, normally though they were Korma, Madras and Tikka. This time I decided to try something a little different, a contrast of spice with some sweetness. The Cinnamon and Cardamom Scented Rice was inspired by several similar recipes online.

You'll find this curry very simple, doesn't require a lot of effort but is packed full of flavour.

This makes enough for four people:-

600g Stewing Beef
200g sweet potato, diced
1 onion, thinly sliced
5g fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2tsp chilli powder
2tsp ground coriander
1/4tsp cardamom
1/2tsp turmeric
1/4tsp nutmeg
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
200g yoghurt (I used Turkish)
juice of half a lime
2tsp cornflour with 2tsp water
2tbsp chopped fresh coriander
100ml water
seasoning
some olive oil

Firstly heat up a little olive oil in a cast iron pot (you can also use a normal pot if you want) and brown the meat with the spices and onion. Once meat is browned and the onions are starting to be soft, add the tomatoes, water and seasoning and reduce the heat and cover, cook for about an hour and a half, until the meat starts becoming tender. Add the sweet potato and cook for another 20 minutes. Then add the cornflour, take off the heat and stir in the yoghurt, lime juice and fresh coriander. Taste and correct seasoning if needed.

For the Rice you will need:-

300g long grain rice
fresh coriander
one cinnamon stick
2tsp cardamom
2tsp turmeric
juice of half a lime
seasoning

In a pot  pour in 450ml of water and bring to boil. Then add the Rice, cardamom, cinnamon and turmeric and cook until tender. Drain and put in a bowl, stir in the lime and sprinkle some fresh coriander on top.

Enjoy, I hope this meal gives you a little extra spice in your food life. Goes great with Naan Bread.

Carbohydrates

So this week I will look into the other most commonly misunderstood nutritional element, Carbohydrates, also known as Carbs.

hhhhhmmmmm..... delicious carbs.

What is carbohydrates and what does my body use it for?

The main purpose of carbohydrates is to provide energy for the body. This helps you keep going throughout the day. It does this by absorbing or producing glucose from the components in the food. The body then goes on to use the glucose straight away or store some for future usage.

There is three main types of carbohydrates

1. sugar
2. starch
3. cellulose

Sugar

Sugar can be broken down into several different kinds:

• glucose: found within the blood of animals, fruits and honey.
• fructose: found within fruits, honey and cane sugar.
• surcose: found in beet and cane sugar.
• lactose: found in milk
• maltose: produced naturally during the germination of grains.

Sugars are the simplest form of carbs and are the end products of the digestion of carbohydrates.  They are mainly used for energy and providing the body heat. 

Starch

Starch is the most common carbohydrate encountered in nutrition. Pure starch is white and used to help thicken sauces, it is tasteless and insoluble in liquid.   They are complex carbohydrates and so always need cooking to help with the digestion process, uncooked starch is not digestible. Most of the staple foods that we eat contain starch; potatoes, grains, vegetables, pastas, rice, pulses and certain fruits. 

Cellulose

Cellulose is more commonly referred to as dietary fibre. It isn't digested but the body uses it for roughage in the intestine. It is recommended that a person eats 14 grams of fibre for every 1,000 calories. Dietary fibre is helpful in preventing constipation, reducing risk of colon cancer, help with weight management, reduction in certain heart problems and help with insulin and glucose control. 

You will find dietary fibre in all the same places as starch.

Carbs and Healthy Diet

It is recommended that for a healthy diet that you aim to get around 55%-75% of your calories from carbs, with only 10% of them coming from sugars. So the best way to get a healthy diet whilst maintaining a good balance of carb intake is by focusing on stables like potatoe, rice, and pastas and bulking them out with vegetables, fruits and pulses. Try and limit your intake of simple sugars but don't eliminate them all together, just be careful. 

Honey glazed Vegetable and Cashew Pasta

This is a super simple, super healthy Pasta dish. The trick is to not cook the vegetables too long and thus keep as much of the nutrients within them. The honey gives it a nice sweetness plus the added benefits of being a great energy provider (Honey contains about 38.5% fructose and 31.0% glucose).

This is what you need to provide this tasty pasta dish to yourself and 3 of your family/friends:-

400g Tagliatelle Pasta (fresh or dried)
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
6 mushrooms, cut into quarters
2 peppers (I used red and yellow)
1 courgette (around 150g)
1 medium red onion, finely diced
50g Cashew nuts
3 tablespoons of honey
handful of parmesan
salt and pepper
handful of chopped parsley
a little butter

Put a pan of lightly salted water on to boil. While you are waiting for this to boil put the butter into a frying pan and heat up, once melted add the garlic, onion, peppers, courgette, red onion and cashew nuts and sauté, you want the vegetables to be al dente .When the water is boiled put your pasta into the water and cook until ready. Drain out and then add to the pan. Toss to combine all the ingredients, add salt and pepper, parmesan and the honey. Serve either on plates or in a bowl for help your self. Sprinkle parsley on top.

It is great with some Italian style breads and is a refreshing, light but filling vegetarian meal that will want you making it time and again as well as experimenting with other vegetables.  

Sesame Seed Prawn Toast

In the UK (as well as other countries) Sesame Prawn Toast is a big hit at the local Chinese Restaurants. It is an adaptation of the old Chinese Dim Sum 'Hatosi'. When I started working for a local Malay and Cantonese Restaurant in my home town, one of the first things I learnt to make was this. It is a very simple appetizer and only takes a few minutes to knock up a large batch. It is great when served with Satay or Sweet Chilli Sauce.

You will need (To make enough for a 4 person starter):- 

300g peeled pre-cooked Prawns
1 egg white
1tsp salt
1 clove garlic
1tbsp corn flour
2 spring onions
1/2 tsp ginger
pinch of chilli powder
8 slices of bread (I like to use wholemeal but it is up to you)
sesame seeds (About two handfuls)
cooking oil, about 2-3 inches deep

Firstly put all the ingredients except the oil, bread and seeds into a food processor and blend until you get a paste. The remove the crusts from the bread and lay them out flat, spoon some of the paste onto each slice, press it down as much as possible. Now put your sesame seeds on a plate and then press the bread, prawn side facing the seeds, onto the seeds then gently lift. Then cut into triangles, I cut them into four mini triangles but you can just make two if you want. 

Gently heat the oil in a pan (Be really care, always have a fire blanket in your kitchens and wear proper clothing, or alternatively use a deep fat fryer). You will know it is hot when you can see a little ripple and the heat, do not let it smoke. Then carefully (DO NOT DROP THEM IN) put the triangles, about 3-4 at a time, into the oil and fry for 30-50 seconds. Take out with a metal slotted spoon and put onto kitchen towel to help the oil come out. 

Put onto a plate and serve immediately. 

How about challenging your friends to see if they can eat them with chopsticks. 

Bon appétit!

Finnish Cabbage Casserole

Cabbage Casserole (Kaalilaatikko in Finnish) is a traditional Finnish dish that is fairly simple to make and can be done in large quantities and frozen for future meals. Like many Traditional Finnish dishes, every family has their own version and way of making and serving it. My take on it comes from making it at work and also from Tanja's version. It is highly nutritional and very filling, a great winter dish. Also it can be made the night before (most Finns say it tastes better left overnight in the fridge). It is normally served with Lingonberry Jam, but you can serve it with cranberry or, as my wife likes to, with cottage cheese

So to make a portion that will serve 8 people (or do 4 meals for a couple), you will need to have:-

1.25 kilos Cabbage
500g mince (I used beef-pork mince)
300g rice (Easy cook is best in my opinion for this dish)
1 onion, diced
2 medium carrots, grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 litre of beef stock
3 tbsp Dark Syrup (Treacle)
salt and pepper¨
Lingonberry (or other savoury jam) or Cottage Cheese to serve

Firstly heat you oven to 180oC. Then in a pan, add a tiny bit of oil and fry your onion and cabbage, you want to cook it until the cabbage is al dente (has a bite but still edible), then put it in a large bowl. Return the pan to the heat and add the mince and garlic, brown the mince then add to the bowl. Add seasoning, carrots, rice and the syrup, mixing it thoroughly. Add to a large casserole dish, add half the beef stock and put into the oven.

Cook for 20 minutes and then stir, adding the other half of the stock. It is very important not to let the stock run out as it will turn your cabbage bitter. Cook for a future 20 minutes. The rice will have soaked up all the stock and other juices and become edible. Serve straight away, goes great with fresh bread and butter, or allow to cool down and put in fridge.

If you are going to leave it overnight, do as above then when you want to reheat, add about 200ml of water and put in a preheated 180oC oven for 10/15 minutes.

I hope you will love this Finnish one-pot, I know I do. The syrup gives it a nice sweet under current, mixing well with the savouries.

Alcohol, Cooking and the Words of Wisdom.

Now this is a subject upon which many a Mormon has debated on over the years, causing confusions, heated conversations and headaches. As many recipes contain alcohol and this site is about cooking in general, it only makes sense to approach the topic of cooking with alcohol and how it affects Mormons. I hope that after you have read this article you will all have a clearer understanding on alcohol in food.

Origins of the confusion

On February 27th, 1833 in Kirtland, Ohio the Prophet Joseph Smith Jr. gave a revelation from The Lord to a meeting if the School of Prophets. The revelation came about as a response to Joseph Smith's enquiry into tobacco, that was being used by many of the men attending the school and many occasions did the Prophet come into the meeting confronted by a wall of smoke.

It was first published in a stand alone pamphlet in December of 1833 and was added to the 1835 publication of Doctrine and Convents, as section 80. On September 9th 1851, 18 years after it was first given, during a talk given by the Patriarch of the Church, John Smith, on the subject of the Word of Wisdom the President of the Church, Brigham Young, arose and proposed that all Saints make a covenant and abstain from tea, coffee, tobacco, whiskey and "all things mentioned in the Word of Wisdom". The motion was seconded and carried and from that moment it went from a 'recommendation' to a binding commandment.

Most of the confusion about the Word of Wisdom comes from the lack of specifics in many areas. Things like Cola drinks, Decaf tea and coffee, energy drinks and of course alcohol in cooking. Some Mormons refuse to have anything to do 'with the appearance of evil'. In 2011 LDS Living magazine held a poll about what their readers felt in regards to alcohol in cooking, 75% were ok or neutral with alcohol used in cooking.

President David O'Macky is quoted as saying, in response to someone saying that eating Rum cake was against the Word of Wisdom, "The Word of Wisdom forbade drinking alcohol, not eating it".  When I was going through the interviews for my first baptism in 2008, I asked is it ok for alcohol in food, both the Bishop and Mission President (I had two separate interviews for my first baptism) stated that it is up to the individual how the interpret that, that the Lord will give revelation and inspiration to those who genuinely seek it.

Another part to add to the confusion is that many people (including Chefs) will tell those asking that the Alcohol is cooked out during the cooking process. However a study in 1992 by the Universities of Idaho and Washington State as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture came to some very interesting conclusions.

Alcohol doesn't fully cook out

So the myth goes that Alcohol is cooked out during the process. It is very logical to understand why people think this, Alcohol has a boiling point of 78.5 oC while water has a boiling point of 100 oC. However the aforementioned study in 1992 showed that it wasn't entirely the case. They found that the highest evaporation of alcohol occurred when it was baked/simmered over a prolonged period of time in a large pot/pan (this gives more surface for evaporation).

Here is a chart based upon the findings by the study:-

Now some you clever clogs might be thinking 'Well if I cook for 3 hours or more then all the alcohol will be burnt off'. From a practical standpoint you are right but from a scientific standpoint you are wrong. So long as there is liquid in the dish, the alcohol will remain. This is because it will form an azeotrope (mixture of two or more compounds where the ratio cannot be changed through distillation), so as you boil the azeotrope the ratio of alcohol will stay the same. So unless you completely boil out the liquid, it will always retain some alcohol.

The Art of Cooking with Alcohol

For those who have never cooked with alcohol, or are wondering why your dish doesn't taste right. Here is some tips on how to cook with alcohol.

Pan Sauces:
When you are making a pan based sauce, add your alcohol the the hot pan after you have sautéed the herbs and spices but before you add any other liquid ingredient. Use a spatula to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, this helps add more flavour into the sauce. This is called deglazing. After about 30 seconds add any other liquids to the sauce as required.

Gravy:
First make your roux, this is the mixing of flour with fat (normally butter). Add the alcohol and stir it to fully combine it before adding any other liquid.

Braises and Soups:
Whenever you make simmered sauces, braises and soups always add the alcohol after you have browned your meats and sautéed the aromatics (these are the herbs, spices and vegetables that you use to flavour you dishes). This helps deglaze the pan and get the best flavour from the alcohol used. Wait for 30 seconds before adding any other liquids.

Flambé: 
Always use caution when flambéing. Many a Chef (and amateur cook) has singed facial hair or worse because of this process. Always take care, you can reduce the risks by doing the following:

• Tie hair back and secure loose clothing.
• Have a lid nearby to put on top of the pan to extinguish flames.
• Tilt pan away from you when lighting.
• Remove from heat source before lighting.

So to get a good flambé all you need to do is, first, remove pan from the heat source. Add the alcohol to the pan and warm for about 10 seconds, DO NOT STIR. Tilt pan away from you and light with a long match. Allow the flames to die out and then serve. 

Alcohol can add many different depths and flavours to your dishes. Using it correctly will give your dishes a professional finish and taste.

But I don't want to use alcohol

After all that is said and done there will be some among you that say 'Well I still don't want to use it, how can I get around it?'. Luckily there is many substitutes for alcohol out there.  

• Non-Alcoholic Wines and Beers can replace their alcoholic counterparts.
• Flavoured Spirits (Calvados, Cointreau etc) can be replaced with the corresponding fruit juices
• Orange Juice in place of Cointreau, Rasberry Juice for Chambord etc.
• Use 100% Fresh Apple Juice to replace Ciders.
• Amaretto can be replaces with a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract.
• In Asian dishes that call for Sake, a simple splash of Rice Vinegar can be used.
• Flavoured Vinegars can substitute for Wines in savoury dishes.
• For more robust sauces a simple sub of tomato sauce, soy sauce/Worcester sauce mixed with some fruit juice can be used.
• Sometimes just water or chicken stock can effectively replace the alcohol for a dish.
• Lemon or lime juices can replace the acidity lost by the extraction of certain alcohols.

A word of warning, these substitutions are very effective in masking the lack of alcohol in your selected dish, but if the recipe's main ingredient is alcohol based then the substitution will not make up for the flavour change. So dishes that call for alcohol to be the main ingredient and you don't want to use alcohol, then you shouldn't attempt to do it, the difference is too great.

Tips and Conclusion

• Don't use 'Cooking' alcohols, these contain added salt and can over season your dishes.
• Buy mini bottles, these will be used up and thus get rid of temptations. 
• If making a cream based alcohol sauce, always add the cream after some of the alcohol has burnt off. This will stop the cream from curdling.
• Never pour from the bottle, always measure and pour. This will ensure the correct flavour and reduce risk of having the whole of the bottle set alight.

So Alcohol can and does help with the flavour of many dishes but there is also many ways it which to substitute it and replicate a fairly close flavour. Also the Word of Wisdom leaves a lot of room for personal interpretation in which we are meant to rely the Holy Ghost for guidance. As Elder Cook said in March 2003's issue of the Ensign "...When one advocates additions to the Word of Wisdom that are not authorised by the Brethren and proselytes others to adopt these interpretations. If we turn a health law or any other principle  into a form of religious fanaticism, we are looking beyond the mark".

I hope this article helps many LDS and non-LDS on the subject of Alcohol in Cooking and what the Churches stance is upon the matter.