Cookie Cutter Blog

This recipe is for the best chocolate cake I have EVER eaten.  Remi you must send me a picture of this INCREDIBLE recipe.  In fact I can’t believe the frenchman even shared it with me and the blog.

Method

Take 200g of butter and 200g of dark chocolate (lindt 70%) that you put together in the microwave until it’s melted, stir, and add 250g sugar little by little and stir.

Let it rest a few minutes, you can prepare the tin for it (put butter and flour so that it doesn’t stick).

Come back to the cake, add 5 eggs (1 by 1) and stir a lot, then 1 big spoon of flour and it’s ready put it in the tin.

Bake 25 minutes at 180 degree (the middle should still be a bit melt).

Serve it with custard cream, whipped cream and vanilla ice and say thank you to the chef

I made several batches of hot cross buns over Easter, and every time I did, those who saw photos (or ate the results) asked for the recipe, assuming that hot cross buns must be extremely difficult to bake.

Firstly: here is Citrus and Candy’s hot cross bun recipe. 

Secondly: hot cross buns are SO EASY to make. No machines needed! All mixing by hand, a bit of yeast action, then straight in the oven! 

This recipe is foolproof — works every time, as long as you let the yeast do it’s thing in a warm place. But it doesn’t have any mixed peel in it, which I believe is essential in a real hot cross bun, so I added 1/2 a cup of mixed peel to this recipe. I also experimented with different fruit (chopped dates, apricots, giant raisins), different spices (more cinnamon, clove instead of allspice), and different jam glazes (orange marmalade, apricot jam, rhubarb jam).

Serve with a mug of tea and whatever jam you used for the glaze. I don’t think these should be a strictly Easter-only baked treat…

Beef & eggplant moussaka… Inspired by leftover eggplant… So yum!

Indian Feast - Easy samosas:

Ingredients:
3-4 Potatoes, boiled, peeled & mashed
1/2 cup Green Peas, boiled
1-2 Green Chilies, finely chopped
1/2tsp Ginger, crushed
1tbsp coriander finely chopped (optional)
Few chopped Cashews (optional)
Few Raisins (optional)
1/2tsp Garam masala
Salt to taste
Red chili powder to taste
1/2 tsp. Dry Mango powder( Amchur) (optional)
Large pinch tamarind
Large pinch carraway seeds2-3 sheets puff pastry

Method:

• In a bowl add mashed potatoes and all dry masalas (salt, chili powder, mango powder, garam masala) and green chilles, ginger and Mix well.
• Add green peas, cashews and raisins and mix well.
• Add coriander and keep aside.
• Take sheets of puff pastry and cut into squares approx 10cm by 10cm

• Place a spoonful of stuffing into centre of pastry square, and fold one corner like a paper aeroplane
• Pinch top and along side to join, and fold base up to form a flat end, and pinch closed.
• Brush with lightly beaten egg or milk. Bake in oven at 180 degrees for around 15 min until golden.
• Serve samosas hot with your favourite chutney.

Thanks Kara for this submission - yummm really makes me want to eat Indian, especially now that Sydney has turned cold.  We look forward to seeing whatever exciting dishes you cook up in Canada, now that you’ve just moved over!

I made these for an American housewarming party using this recipe (which is great, because it’s a rare pecan pie recipe that doesn’t call for corn syrup!)… with a few alterations. I used my standard go-to shortcrust recipe (250g flour, 125g butter, 1 egg, pinch of salt, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tbs cold water). And I used walnuts instead of pecans because they’re cheaper. And I used a tiny-cupcake tin instead of a full-sized pie tin. The only thing better (okay, almost as good as) a slice of pecan pie is a handful of mini maple walnut pies!

Thanks Olivia… these look delicious!

Indian Feast:

Cooking indian butter chicken curry is a lot easier than it sounds, and curry is the perfect dish for the cooler weather we have been enjoying(?) lately.

Serve with home-made samosas, deep fried poppadums, naan, saffron rice and mango chutney; this dish is a real winter crowd pleaser!

Here is the recipe:

http://www.indianfoodforever.com/non-veg/chicken/butter-chicken.html

Thanks Kara for this submission!

Kara sent me these beautiful salad ideas, yum figs really are the flavour of the season!

Autumn salads:

#1. Fig, pistacchios, walnuts, fetta and baby spinach with caramelised balsamic dressing (foreground).

#2. Cashews, chickpeas, beetroot, white beans, sultanas and rocket (background).

Perfect for lunchtime entertaining with minimal preparation time! Serve with stuffed mushrooms and/or hot crusty bread for a touch of warmth.

Cinnamon Fig and Ginger jam

Nice idea Olivia! I made this jam last night with a pile of leftover figs.  I’ve just tried some on buttered toast with my cappuccino at work this morning - it is sooo yummy!  This recipe doesn’t have ginger, however you’re a fanatic like me, add some chopped crystalised ginger which become chewy jewels of goodness in the sweet compote.

Enjoy!

Sexiest Salad in the World    Sharnie’s Potluck dish

Almost as bad as turning up to a party in the same dress - bringing the same dish to a pot-luck dinner! Luckily it was just a core ingredient blunder (Sharnie we do have good taste!).  The beauty of this one is it’s simple and sexy as Jamie Oliver puts it, taking minutes to prepare and nicely washed down with a glass of sparkling red wine.

Fresh figs, prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, give this dish its panache, click here for the recipe.

My Pot Luck Dish:

Fig, Prosciutto & Gorgonzola Pissaladiere, Bourke St Bakery Cookbook

Puff Pastry, caramelised onions, figs, prosciutto and gorgonzola baked in the oven until cheesy-crispy-yum.  If you like these ingredients separately you will love them baked together in mini-pizza style canape.  The recipe recommends larger squares, I cut mine small so you have canape in one hand, wine in the other.

Delish.