Masterchef and Cooking Classes No 3

No please...I am not putting myself in Masterchef class at all…but the 2007 series of Masterchef Goes Large has just finished here in New Zealand
Read about it here.
This is a sensational programme and thanks to the wonders of My Sky Digital Television I have watched every episode for the last 8 weeks. When we were away in Sunshine Coast it was all recording for me I had 7 episodes to watch….gosh that and Project Runway have kept me very busy.
Finales for both shows last Friday night.
Anyway back to Masterchef this is when you realise how you are only an enthusiastic home cook. It’s a bit disheartening when you see what the contestants have to do I'm in awe. But they are turning from amateurs into professionals before your very eyes. So many skills for me to learn still.
In the swing of things Katie my daughter and I are off to cake decorating classes. A new skill for me. I have never been very creative with cakes. Katie already has made stunning creations but it is going to be fun and I will show my efforts even if they are useless.

Back to Day 3 Cooking lessons for Sophia.
We were a bit behind on Friday. We also had been a bit ambitious with our choice of menu and the time available, but we carried on like the good soldiers we are.
Of course the night before we had been at farewell drinks at The Crib (where our son Daniel plays on Thursday nights) for Shelton another of our presenters at Juice TV taking off for greener pastures in the UK. There is never any shortage of drinks and Dale & I had our fair share.
It always seems that we can’t make it till the band comes on but Daniel and Johnny Love did an early set. The full band is called the Corporate Voice Experience. They are a wonderful covers band with excellent original material as well.

So of course I wasn’t feeling too crisp but we got on with it.

It was a kid friendly meal as we had invited Mia and Joseph for lunch
Plus we also had Katie, and dear friends Barbara, Jane and Ben Christie
First we prepared the fudge cake. It needed to set in the fridge
This recipe I got off the Nestle Highlander Condensed Milk website

Ingredients
2 tablespoons Nestles Baking Cocoa
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
150 gms butter
250 gms plain biscuits, crushed
1 cup desiccated coconut
½ chocolate chips
½ cup raisins
White chocolate chips
Jelly snakes or alligators

Combine cocoa, condensed milk and butter in pan
Heat stirring constantly until mixture comes to the boils
Remove from heat and leave till cool

Combine biscuit crumbs, coconut, chocolate chips and raisins in large bowl
Add cocoa mixture and mix well
Press into a well greased tin and chill for at least 20- 30 minutes

Ice with chocolate icing and decorate with white chocolate chips and jelly animals

Hint The recipe called for only 100 gms of butter, the mixture was very tasty but too dry for my liking. So I have increased the butter to 150 gms
The little kids loved the icing and the jellies but weren’t that wrapped in the cake…maybe a bit dry for them. The adults liked it.

The toffee apples were a disaster.I have bought some more apples and I am going to try again. I have rung my friend Adrianne who is a wonderful baker and I have her recipe. If they are a success I will post

So the menu
Fried Chicken, Chip Butties and Salad

The chicken was to be marinating in butter milk overnight so I prepared this on Thursday night.
This dish is shallow fried then finished off in the oven. Very crunchy and tasty
The kids really would prefer the chicken taken off the bone and looking like Chicken nuggets but there you go. They haven't discovered the joy of gnawing on a bone yet. It will come.

Also if cooking for adults only, I would spice up the flour with some cayenne pepper maybe some cumin!!!

Chicken Drumsticks 1-2 person
Buttermilk
Flour well seasoned with salt & freshly ground black freshly ground black pepper
Rice Bran oil for frying

Dredge the marinated chicken legs in flour

Place about 3 cms oil in pan heat oil to 175C
Carefully place drumsticks in oil and fry 2-3 minutes each side till golden

Don’t overcrowd the pan cook in batches. Remembering to bring the oil up to temperature again before frying the next batch
Place on a rack and into a 170C for about 30 minutes.

Cool a little…good at room temperature

The Chip Butties you can see them here

Sophia made a salad which we served with Condensed Milk dressing
The salad was like an American Chopped Salad.
We cooked some asparagus.

Sophia learnt about the snapping point.
She added chopped cucumber, cherry tomatoes and iceberg lettuce broken into small pieces.

She also peeled the potatoes for the chips and buttered the bread.

Now would you believe mad blogger that - I am…I forgot to take photos of the guests.
But there are 2 little sad photos of what it looked like when they went home

And Cooks treat...
A glass of wine and a white bread sandwich made from fried chicken and mayo.

Eaten in front of the TV Project Runway I believe.

But the real bonus was the lovely gift from Sophia

The divine flowers

And inside the lovely card

Isn’t that precious?