Heaven - Little Chocolate Tarts for Little Treasures

Heaven on a Plate

Look at that little face. Thursday at Grandma's
I decided to give the Kids Chocolate Tarts for dessert. It was a popular choice.
This so simple I bought some sweet pastry shells from Faro Fresh.
I had some Chocolate Spread left over.

This is an excellent product. Made from Belgian Chocolate. I bought it by mistake but I think I will keep it in the pantry for emergency Kid Supplies.

So to make the filling
I took a large tablespoon of the Choclate
Popped in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften
I then folded it through some whipped cream
Then I defrosted 2 tablespoons of frozen raspberries
Added 1 large tsp sugar
Mashed them up together
And folded into the chocolate cream

Just fill the cases
Into the fridge to chill it down and firm up the mixture

The proof is in the eating...What do you think?

Cooking for Kids - Chicken Lasagne with a Twist - Sausage Casserole

Our Grand daughter Sophia is about to turn 14 , where has that time gone, here she is with her friend Annabel, just little kids, only 5 years ago

now they are beautiful young ladies…anyway I digress, I am contributing my Chicken and Corn Lasagne for dinner on Sunday, to celebrate her birthday.
We are about to swan off for the weekend, so I needed to get it made and into the freezer .
It is not strictly speaking Italian.
The Chicken part is actually a Chicken and White Bean Chili that I have borrowed from Giada de Laurentis, Food Network.com
The kids like it and it makes an excellent filling for the lasagne.
I bought free range breast and thighs and minced them in the food processor.
Nothing but the best for our kids!
I cut out the chili powder, there are some young mouths not quite ready for heat, but I did add a little red chili flakes. You need a little bite.
The addition of celery salt, I really like, I feel it helps to give an authentic flavour to the chili.
I also disregarded the Swiss chard (Silverbeet) for the kids...but have left it in the recipe, I think I would like it, if making for a wider audience. it would add great colour

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds/1 kg ground chicken
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons chili powder
3 tablespoons flour
2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch (about 1 pound) Swiss chard,(Silverbeet) stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
11/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

Directions
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven,
heat the oil over medium-high heat.
Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the ground chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, celery salt and chili powder.
Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.
Stir the flour into the chicken mixture.
Add the beans, Swiss chard, (if you are using it) corn, and chicken stock.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
Simmer for 55-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened.
Add the red pepper flakes and chopped parsley, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Also make a béchamel sauce
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoon white flour
2 cups milk infused with peppercorns, a peeled shallot and 2 bay leaves
Just pop the milk into the microwave about 2 minutes
Heats and infuse all at once.
20 gms grated Parmesan
20 gms grated Feta
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grated Mozzarella for the topping
Melt the butter
Add the flour
Cook for about 3 minutes to cook the flour out
Add the strained hot milk
Stir well and bring to the boil to thicken
Simmer about 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom.

Cool a little
Add cheeses
Stir well
Taste and adjust seasoning

To assemble
Lightly cover the bottom of gratin dish with béchamel
Place lasagne sheets on top
Layer of chicken

Lasagne
More béchamel
Lasagne
More chicken
Lasagne and then cover with the remainder of the béchamel

Pre heat oven to 180
Into the oven for 20 mins

Cool
add grated Mozzarella then a sprinkling of breadcrumbs for a little crunch at the end

I then covered it and into the freezer for Sunday.

Now onto the Sausage Dish for the Thursday Night Feats With Grandma
Veal Bratwurst Casserole

I love Veal Bratwurst and its not easy to find in the local Supermarket, but Faro Fresh, over on the North Shore has a wonderful selection of Deli meats. IN fact all of their meat is excellent. More about that later. I bought a few packets while I was there. Some for the Freezer
Great dinner, for the kids and to get the vege into them, how about a nice casserole.
Just a base of carrots, onions, celery and garlic.
I added some White Balsamic vinegar for acidity and also it has a lovely sweetness to it
And separately, I fried some onions. Sausages and onions. Oh Yes
This is so tasty and so, so simple, soft meaty sausages, topped with a fluffy Cheesy Potato Topping.
A kids delight.

5 Veal Bratwurst Sausages
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion fine chop
1 small carrot finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 stick of celery finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
A little water
2 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

For the fried onions
1 large onion peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups chicken stock
I browned the sausages in a pan and then transferred them to a casserole dish

Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pan
Season and sauté till they get a little colour and start to tenderize.
Add a little water and let that absorb
Add white balsamic vinegar

Meanwhile in another pan
Add olive oil and the sliced onion
Cook slowly to caramelize
Add flour stir well and let cook for a few minutes

Add chicken stock
Bring to the boil stirring while you do
Simmer about 5 minutes
Add the other vege

Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary
and then pour the finished sauce over the sausages

Potato Topping
4 large potatoes peeled and chunked
3 tablespoon milk
Big knob of butter
70 gms cream cheese
1 shallot peeled and finely chopped
1 egg
Sea salt and ground white pepper

Meanwhile cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender
Strain and make sure they are quite dry

Heat the milk and butter in the microwave or a small pot
Now I am with Delia Smith, when it comes to mashing.
You can either put the hot potatoes through a ricer, or just get out your hand beater
and whip them up with that.

Start off slowly, you don't want to end up with it all over you
Add the hot milk and butter

Beat them up
When they are smooth
Add the shallots and cream cheese
You can start beating with a fork now
Add egg
Season with salt and white pepper
Continue to beat till smooth
Pile on top of sausages

I have popped this into the fridge and will finish it off tomorrow night
From room temperature,
180C for 30 mins
Should be a winner

Roasted White Vegetable Soup- Always Room for Improvement

My friend JT liked my post of the White Soup
and decided to make her version with the ingredients she had.
She experimented by par -boiling the vegetables and then slow roasting them in butter and oil.
Into the blender, whiz up and voila Potage.

I cut the vege into large chunks I didn’t want them to be over roasted.
Plus I sautéed the cabbage instead of roasting. I think the flavour is improved this way
So here we go
A lovely soup
I will put on My Net Diary Blogs  with all of the calories for those interested.


1/2 Cauliflower 350 gms
1 large potato 235
1 leek white part only 200 gms
2 med parsnips 220 gms
1 med swede 260 gms
2 x stalk of celery 75 gms
1 large onion peeled and quartered 200 gms
1/2 white cabbage 500 gms


20 gms olive oil
50 gms unsalted butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper


10 gms olive oil
1 tablespoon Stock powder
Cold Water about 2 litres

Cut all the vege except for the cabbage into large chunks
Cover with water
Add salt and bring to boil

Simmer for about 8 minutes, till just starting to get tender
Strain and keep the stock
Set aside
Pre-heat oven to 160C

Into a roasting dish add butter and 20 gms olive oil
Pop into the oven to heat up
Add the drained vege toss around to coat with oils
Season with Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Into the oven around 50 minutes
After 30 mins take out the leeks and cauliflower before they get too caramelized.
It makes them bitter

Meanwhile
Slice cabbage
And sauté in 10 mls of oil for 5 minutes
Season with Stock powder, Vegeta is good but any chicken stock powder is also good
(Vegeta is Vegetarian and also Gluten...They also make very good Beef and Chicken flavoured stock powder)
Add reserved stock and simmer for about 10 minutes till cabbage is soft

Put the cauliflower and leeks that you have removed into the cabbage

Then add the rest of the roast vegetables 
Mix well and into the blender
Whiz till smooth
This amount will take 2 gos in the blender
Back into pot
Taste and adjust seasoning
I found it needed more salt and freshly ground black pepper

I popped some into a plastic container for my daughter to have for her dinner.
We had it for lunch.

4 ladlefuls only 139 calories
Filling and gorgeous.

Oh My friend Phil also made it and he added some spinach.
Nice addition

White Soup for White Times

At the moment in New Zealand we are in the midst of a Polar Blast. Very unusual to be this cold.
Katie and Chris are in the South Island for a spot of Snowboarding, which is normal at this time of the year. Great ski grounds down there. in fact they are stuck there, all flights cancelled till the weather has improved. Not too bad a place to be.

But snow on the ground in the North Island is very unusual. Very pretty but bloody cold

I made this soup using pale vegetables to warm the cockles of our hearts

You can use any amount of ingredients that you like...doesn't matter, it will always taste great.
The sweetness of these vegetables, is really intensified, just by gently frying  them in butter

2 tablespoons of butter
2 onions chopped
3 stalks of celery chopped 
3 parsnips peeled and chopped
1 large swede peeled and chopped
1/4 cauliflower broken into florets
1/2 white cabbage sliced
1 tablespoon Vegeta Chicken Stock Powder
Ground white pepper
Boiling water

Melt the butter in a soup pot
Add onions
Soften them
Season with Chicken stock powder and white pepper
Add the parsnip, swede, cauliflower, celery
Stir well and keep on cooking gently
Add cabbage stir well.

Cover with boiling water
bring back to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes until vege are tender
Taste and adjust seasoning if you need to.

Put half of the soup into a blender and whiz up
Return to pot and serve

Have iPad - Will Travel…Anywhere

I really don't know what I would do one without my iPad.
Currently I am looking after my 2 youngest grandchildren.

While their parents are having a well earned holiday in the snow.

My daughter emailed me a list of things relevant to the girls
I picked it up on my iPad Email, copied the txt and pasted it in Notes.

I also made a list of all the things I can't live without, while I'm away.
You know, the camera, plus charger, plus chord to connect to computer for downloading.
There’s also the ipad charger which is a multi-tasker and charges the phone as well.

When I first started my blogs, It was all about food, (really still is, but I must sing the praises of this Gadget, The iPad)…Anyway I filled copious notepads and diaries,

which then had to be typed onto the computer,

Now I sit in front of the TV,
writing on the Notes App, about the programmes, I have recorded on My Sky.
Then I email them to myself. Voila there they are, already typed and ready to go on my Mac.

Must just drop in here, how fabulous My Sky is.
I used to religiously tape, every cooking programme I fancied.
Watch it, replay, make notes, wipe, ready for the next nights viewing, then cook.
Blog that recipe and start all over again.

At the beginning, Chefs were rather precious about their recipes but slowly most of the Food Networks have great Web pages, with almost anything you want to make.
I can go online, find a recipe from a Chef who has inspired me... and I want to trial...copy and paste it into Notes (which is synched into my iPhone)
Using my Shop Shop List (which is also synched to my iPhone)
Compile the ingredients onto Shop Shop

Pop the phone into my purse and a-shopping we will go.
To cook, place iPad on bench.
Open up my recipe and away we go.
Cook away. Make any notes
Email finished product to my Mac

Download pictures from the trusty camera
And I'm ready to go with a new blog.
Get rid of all that paper.
AND on the Notes App, each page is dated and there is an index making it easy to find everything.

So onto more delights.
I have loads of book Tucked Away in my Kindle.

So, farewell the box of heavy books, I usually used to lug around.
There also TV shows, Movies right from iTunes.

And to keep me up to date Wunder Radio

I can tune into any local or overseas station that I fancy.
Our friend Stu hosts a show on Eastside FM radio in Sydney on a Thursday
I can tune into him while I am cooking, cleaning or blogging.
Even listed to Mark Kennedy on 2UE on his midnight to dawn shift a few weeks ago.

On top of that s of course the games...favourites are
solitaire in 3 variations

And the fads,
Flight plan,

Angry birds,

Scrabble.

So I can pick my emails, read and comment on my FB page,
Read the paper.
All of this before I get out of bed.
Oh and I forgot my granddaughter Mia showed an excellent app called Relax and Rest

Have trouble sleeping? Turn this on, when you are ready to sleep and this lovely lady does the whole Yoga wind down, to totally relax you and work out all of the stresses of the day.

Another excellent App is My Net Diary.

Easiest way of recording what you eat everyday
Also synched to the iPhone and the Mac
I have just quietly dropped about 5 kilos over 6 weeks.
No stress…even room for a wine or 3

So the list goes on.
Oh how about the Maps and GPS

And another thing, We had a power cut the other night....cant find a torch, use your iPad. (Actually I have used my phone before today, as have many of you, I'm sure) The iPad is  mush better because of their size. Bigger Screen...Bigger light.

Thanks to the Taymacs who lent this to me, and Then, gifted it to me...you have changed my life.
I will never be bored in retirement.

All I need is for my iPad to do my exercise for me and my life is close to perfect.

Vegetable Soup-How to Peel Garlic in a Flash

That Vegetable Bin in the fridge, has bits and pieces of Vege in there. All looking a little tired.
My favourite Phrase 'Waste Not, Want Not'. came to mind

Carrot, red onion, parsnip, kumara celery and red cabbage.
Peel and chop
Just heat a tablespoon of oil and throw in the prepared vegetables
Season with a tablespoon of Vegeta and some freshly ground black pepper
Cover with water
Bring to the boil
Simmer till the vege are tender
Take half of the soup and blend
Return to the pot, stir and serve
Great quick lunch.

Now I have an excellent hint
Peeling Garlic
Normally I cut the root end off and bash it
The skin just comes off.
BUT here is a really easy way and you are left with an un-bashed clove of garlic.
Just pop the garlic into the Microwave
Zap for 10-12 seconds
Onto the bench and the skin just slides off

Perfect

Best Beef and Red Wine Stew-Wonderful for a Sunday Lunch

I saw this Beef Stew on TV the other day and was quite excited about all of the flavours.
I made it for the “Sunday Lynchers Lunch Club” that we have going, six of us once a month and it was a huge success, they loved it. Beautiful tender meat with a deep rich sauce, with Brussels Sprouts scattered in there. Ginger, herbs with a hint of citrus.
Originally, it called for Beef Cheeks but they are not easy to acquire, so I went for Cross Cut Blade steak. This is without doubt, in my opinion, the best cut of meat for casseroles.
All of that connective tissue, just melts away and you are left with tender pieces of beef.
The Chef on TV (I'm sorry, I don't know who he is, but he was French, and was guesting on Nevin's Home Cooking programme...) made a Bouquet Garni, which was excellent and also a little bag with dried Cepes.
I did that, but next time I will not bother with the bag of Cepes.
Obviously he didn’t want the actual mushrooms, just using them for flavour.
I think the best idea is to soak the cepes in water and use the liquor…perhaps one could use the actual plumped up mushrooms for something else.
I also made a quick stock, using the trimmings of the beef, carrots, and onions.
Sprig of thyme and a bay leaf
Some salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring to boil and simmer for about 30 minutes
Strain and reserve
Waste not want not

So for 6 people
1 Kilo Cross Cut Blade Steak , fat removed and cut into 2-3 cms cubes
2 tablespoon flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Olive oil


3 Medium onions peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
3 medium carrots cut into rings
75 gms semi dried tomatoes


Make a Bouquet Garni of
Zest of orange
30 gms chopped ginger
Peppercorns
Fresh thyme
Bay leaf

Make another bag of dried cepes 25 g
Or alternatively, steep the mushrooms in boiling water, for about 20 minutes and reserve the liquor.
Bottle red wine
1/2 litre of water or beef stock

Garnish
About 200 gms of Brussels Sprout leaves
Grated Ginger about 2 cms
Grated zest of a small lemon

Method
Toss the cubed meat in the seasoned flour and brown in a skillet
Using 2 tablespoons of oil
Remove and place in your casserole dish
You will have to do them in batches

Add another tablespoon of oil and add onions
Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Saute till soft
Add garlic, semi dried tomatoes and carrots
Toss around and cook gently for another few minutes

Add red wine to pan to deglaze.
Bring to the boil
Reduce down for a couple of minutes

Meanwhile prepare your little bouquet garni
Add to casserole dish

Add to wine along with the Cepe liquor and the stock

Tip into casserole dish
Make sure the meat and vege are covered
Into a 180C oven
Cook for about 30 minutes
Turn down to 160C and gently cook about 2 hours

Just before it is ready
Blanche the Brussels Sprout leaves in boiling salted water for about 1 minute
Drain and run under cold water to keep the colour.

Toss in with the Stew
Grate the ginger and lemon zest over the top and serve with Mashed potatoes.

A real treat.
After they had gone look at the remains.
An excellent lunch

The next morning, the Beloved washed the wine glasses. A work of art I feel.
It was scary taking this piece of art apart.