The Classic Creme Brulee

Creme Brulee is a traditional French classic that everyone has at least heard off, if not tried. It is simple but in true French style is rich in flavour. It consists of a rich, smooth  custard flavoured traditionally with vanilla and then served with a crispy caramel topping.

The recipe goes back to the mid 1600's but took off as a round the world dessert in the late 1800's with the mass emigrations of people to other parts of the world. I have eaten creme brulee in various parts of the UK, France and Finland and have seen it being served in other places making this a truly international dish.

The plus side to this recipe is that it is a cheap, easy dessert to make. You can wow your dinner guests with your grasp of French cuisine by serving this up at the end of your dinner party. I wow'ed my family this past Sunday with it as my wife had gave me a butane torch for my birthday.

To make enough for 6 people you will need:-

5 large egg yolks
600ml double cream
2 vanilla beans
3 tbsp sugar
about 6 tbsp demerara sugar

Preheat your oven to 150C. Put your cream in a heavy bottomed pan, add the sugar and then split the vanilla bean in half and scrape the insides with the back of a knife, add both the insides and the bean to the cream. Place over a medium heat and gently bring to a simmer, don't let it boil. Take off the heat.

Place your egg yolks into a mixing bowl and place on a towel. Then with a whisk in one hand, pour the cream mixture on top of the eggs whilst whisking. Once all the cream is in, whisk for a little longer and then strain into another container.

Now assemble your ramekins in a baking dish and pour the mixture into each one, leaving space at the top for the sugar. Now pour hot water into the baking dish until it comes up half way of the ramekins. Place into the oven and cook for anywhere from 15-30 minutes. Test them before you take them out, you are looking for a nice jiggle, not a liquid one but a jelly like one. Once this has been achieved, take out of the oven and place on the side for 5 minutes. Then put into the fridge for at least 2 hours but it is better overnight.

Take out an hour before you want to serve (traditionally creme brulee is served at room temperature but you can serve straight from fridge), sprinkle a tablespoon of the demerara sugar on top of each one and shake off the excess. Use a butane torch to caramelise the sugar or put under a high heat grill until caramelised. Serve immediately and watch your guests take delight in cracking the crispy sugar and spoon the combined custard and sugar in.

Barbecued Bananas with chocolate and peanuts

It is still barbecue season here in Finland, no matter what the weather decides it is doing. Have you done a BBQ and then wondered what you are going to make for dessert? No? Well then clever you but have you tried barbecuing banana with chocolate inside? It is great and I mean it is fruit so it is healthy and all.

I have made this several times this year for friends and family and every time it has been a resounding success. It is cheap, easy and quick to do. You don't even need a barbecue to make it, so you can just add it to your list of desserts. I think it goes great with some vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce but that part is up to you.

To make enough for 4 you will want

4 bananas
100g white chocolate, broken into squares
100g milk chocolate, broken into squares
200g salted and roasted peanuts

Lay the  bananas flat and then slice then three-quarters of a way through. Put a square of milk chocolate in the end and then next to it a square of white, repeat until it is all full (I got three squares of each). Wrap in some tin foil and put on the barbecue for 5 minutes. Open up and serve with a sprinkling of peanuts on top.

It is simply delicious and you'll find this becoming a summer favourite.

Salami and Potato Tortilla

Tortilla Espanola, otherwise known as Spanish Omelette, is a really simple dish that is great hot or cold, for breakfast, lunch or dinner, on its own or with accompaniments. Traditionally it is just prepared using vegetable oil, eggs and potatoes and served as a tapa (picnic dish) cut into bit sized pieces.

Legend puts the origins of the Tortilla as being created by General Tomas Zumalakarregi Imatz, during the seige of Bilbao, as an easy, fast, nutritious dish for his troops. It hasn't been confirmed whether this is true, it is known that the Tortilla gained popularity and spread throughout Spain during the early Carlist wars.

Today many variations exist ranging from just the addition of onions, garlic and mushrooms to chorizo, peppers or ham. You can practically put anything you want into your tortilla.

This will serve 4-6 people depending on hunger

6 tbsp oil (I used olive oil but any kind of veg oil will do)
450g potatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
50g salami, thinly sliced
6 eggs, lightly beaten

Start by heating the oil in a pan, one about 18cm is good. Add the potatoes, onions and garlic and stir together until thoroughly coated in the oil, cover with a lid. Gently cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes (the potatoes should be firm but soft). Season.

Turn on your grill to a medium high heat. Add the Salami to the pan and stir round. Season your eggs and then pour over the potato mixture. Turn up the heat to a medium high for 5 minutes or until the edges start to brown and the egg is about three-quarters set. Put the pan under the grill and brown the top. Take out and place to one side.

Leave to cool slightly (about 2 minutes) then carefully loosen the tortilla around the edges and underneath with a knife, cut into desired serving portion and serve.

The whole process takes about 20-30 minutes from start to finish. This makes it ideal for a quick lunch. It is also great cold, so you can make it beforehand for picnics or pack lunches.

Skewered Satay Chicken

Satay is a dish of seasoned skewered meat that is then grilled and served with a sauce. In the West it has become very commonly associated with chicken skewered and served with a spiced peanut sauce. It is a national dish of Indonesia but is also popular in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and in former Dutch Asian colonies.

I first learnt how to make this dish when I got a job in a Malaysian owned Cantonese and Malay Restaurant when I was 13. It became a favourite dish at our home and as I got to bring food home after every shift, I would often bring this for myself and family to share.

I hope that you really enjoy this dish as much as I do.

To make enough to feed 4, you will want to have:-

800g Chicken breasts
1 egg white
10ml rice wine vinegar
1tbsp corn flour
8 skewers soaked in water for an hour
150g peanut butter (You can use some from this recipe)
2tbsp Soy Sauce
2 cloves of garlic
1 red chilli
200ml coconut milk
1tbsp honey

Star by mixing together in a bowl the egg white, rice wine vinegar and corn flour. Then chop your chickens into strips and put into the egg white mix, mix until thoroughly covered and place in fridge for an hour.

For the Satay sauce place the peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, chillis, coconut milk and honey into a food processor and turn on until all combined. Place into a pan and cook for a minute.

Take your chickens out and thread onto the skewers and then grill on a medium-high heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Serve with the peanut sauce warm sauce.

The leftover sauce goes great as a sauce for noodles.

Peanut Butter

So I realised the other day that I have been having so much fun with life that I haven't updated my blog in two weeks, shock horror. So as an apology I will post two recipes this week.

I love peanut butter, for as long as I remember, I have spread this golden yummyiness on bread and savoured it at various times of the day. It can be traced back to the Aztecs but the first 'modern' variety originated in Canada from a pharmacist who sold it as a nutritious remedy for those who found it hard to chew solid foods. Talking of nutritious, when making home-made peanut butter, it is packed full of vitamins and minerals, we're talking about 45% of your Vit E RDA in 100 grams, 67% of your recommended Vit B3 as well as other things your body needs to stay healthy.

It is also easy and quick to make up a large batch and then consume at your leisure. You can also experiment with other kinds of nuts, mix up several kinds or add other tastes.

You will want to have at your disposal:-

500g peanuts, shelled and roasted
1 tsp salt
2 tsp honey
2 tbsp nut oil

Place all into your food processor and switch on. Keep going until you get the desired consitency. I had mine going for 5 minutes and it came out smoothly. Remember it won't even be as smooth as shop bought kinds but it can get pretty close.

That's it, really simple, not lies, so just get out there and make some.

Spiced Apple and Pear Muffins

It seems I am having a little bit of a dessert spree going on.... not really my fault, I have just been swinging that way. With summer soon coming to Finland, it means Apples and Pears are going to be in season as well. I love the crisp sweet flavour of apples and the soft juiciness of pears and they go together greatly. Sometimes our meals at home are pretty heavy, like potato based, pasta bakes or whatever and dessert just isn't always desirable especially if it is heavy or rich. These muffins are really light and refreshing.

These will make 8 large or 14 small muffins:-

2 eggs
100ml vegetable oil
180ml semi-skimmed milk
75g golden brown sugar
75g caster sugar
300g flour
2tsp baking powder
1tsp ground ginger
1tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 large apple, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large pear, peeled and roughly chopped
100ml maple (or golden) syrup

Start by preheating your oven to 200C then line your muffin tray with cases or just grease them. In a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, oil and milk. Add the sugar and whisk until dissolved.
Sift the flour, ginger, cinnamon and salt into another bowl, add the egg mixture and combine together until all smooth. Add the apple and pear pieces and stir until all distributed.
Fill your muffin cases/tray two thirds of the way and bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden (my large ones took 30 minutes). Take them out of the tray and place on a cooling rack.
While still warm prick the tops several times with a toothpick and then put some of the syrup over them. You can eat them straight away or save them in the fridge for up to 5 days.

A great snack, dessert or afternoon tea. Super delicious and easy to make.

Beetroot cake with white chocolate mascapone butter and salted caramel

Beetroot, the superfood that has so many uses. It can be pickled, boiled, roasted or even fried. It can be used in pastas, side dishes, main dishes, risottos and even cakes....yes that is right cakes.

Some people will see this and go 'wait, but wouldn't it taste bad?". Well not really, the earthy sweet taste really brings something delicious to cake. When combining it with the white chocolate mascapone butter and salted caramel you get this amazing combination of earthy rich moist cake, subtle white chocolate enriched mascapone and swirled with the salty sweetness of the caramel. It will just melt in your mouth and taste divine. You will want to eat more no matter how much your healthy side protests.

This will make enough for 6 people:-

for the cake:
2 medium beetroots (grate one and boil one until it is soft, then blend into a paste)
150g butter
3 eggs
160g sugar
125g flour
40g cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp ginger

for the cake topping
3 tbsp water
45g butter
150g icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
about a handful of crushed nuts

Preheat the oven to 175C. Whisk together the sugar and eggs until it doubles in size and becomes light in colour. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into a bowl, add the salt and ginger too. Make a well in the dry ingredients, melt the butter and then add the egg mixture. Fold the mixture until smooth, now add the beetroot paste and grated stuff, mix until all combined. Grease up a medium baking tray and then pour in your mixture. Bake for about 35 minutes. Once ready, take out and place on a cooling tray until fully cool

While the cake is baking we can make the topping. In a mixing bowl add the icing sugar and cocoa powder, melt the butter and add that too. Start whisking (if you have an electric one then use that), add water as need until it is all nice a smooth. Set aside whilst the cake is cooking. When the cake is completely cool, use a knife and spread the mixture on top. Once all on top sprinkle the nuts on top. Cut into slices and serve.

For the salt caramel:
100g sugar
75g butter
125ml double cream
1 tsp salt

Melt the sugar and butter together over a medium heat until it starts simmering, don't forget to stir so it doesn't burn. Simmer for a couple of minutes and then add the cream and salt. Mix together and give a taste (careful not to burn your tongue), if it tastes right then take of the heat and let cool down.

For the white chocolate mascapone butter
70g white chocolate
100g butter, softened at room temperature
1 tsp vegetable oil
100g mascapone cheese

Put the white chocolate and oil together and melt. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes. Add the mascapone and butter and the beat together until all fully combined.

All these together make a really great dish but you can also use each component separately in other things too. The salted caramel works with many kinds of cakes and desserts and the white chocolate mascapone butter is a great cake filler. Experiment, see what works but don't forget the original combo. I assure you that you will fall in love with it.