World Bread Day - The Best Homemade Bread for Sandwiches - Thanks Michel Roux

It's World Bread Day today, Zorra Kochtopf over the last few years has gathered together Food Bloggers to share their Bread making. I love making Bread and this is a great event.

So I thought I would share this wonderful loaf that  I found, whilst surfing through the internet.I came across a blog Blahblogblah 

The blogger, named Injera, had posted about a Programme, that we haven’t had here in New Zealand yet, called “Great British Food Revival”,

Of course I clicked in and found a recipe from Michel Roux Jnr for this 

Sandwich Bread Loaf

Being a sucker for any new Bread recipe, particularly if it looks ‘So Simple’.

I immediately saved the post and this morning I made the bread.

My Loved One reckons, it is one of the best I have made and I tend to agree

So Thank you Injera and Thanks to Michel Roux Jnr,

The recipe is on the bbc.co.uk/food website, worth while getting into this food lovers. 

Great recipes from all of the Celeb Chefs, featuring on the BBC

I used Dry yeast in the little foil packets. I think they weight about 8 gms

It is not easy to find fresh yeast around where I live. 

The yeast in foil is brilliant,

keeps for ages too

Also I really like to use Pyrex loaf containers. 

Easier to see when the loaf is brown.

Excellent for pies as well

Milk, butter and golden syrup makes this loaf particularly rich and delicious, and it keeps well too

Ingredients

    20g/1oz golden syrup

    25g/1oz melted butter

    350ml/12fl oz warm milk

    10g/1/2 oz fresh yeast or 1 Pkt Dried yeast

    250g/8oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting

    250g/8oz strong bread flour

    10g/1/2oz sea salt

Preparation method

Stir the golden syrup and melted butter into the warm milk until well combined. 

Crumble the yeast into a large bowl, then pour over the warm milk mix and 

stir until the yeast has dissolved.

I let the yeast foam up. 

Takes about 6-7 minutes 

Add the remaining ingredients and mix until a smooth dough forms. 

Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside for about 5 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and 

knead for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. 

Once again, the ipad is indispensable, just propped up again the wall. Michel's recipe there for me.

 

Meanwhile oil the bowl

Return the dough to the bowl, 

Cover with cling film and place into a warm place for 1 hour, 

or until the dough has nearly doubled in size.

  

Meanwhile, grease and flour a 12cm x 20cm/5in x 8in bread tin.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface again and knock back a few times. 

Divide equally into two pieces and shape into balls. 
Best way to get a nice ball 
Flatten the piece of dough
and then pull in the edges to the middle

When you have formed a ball turn it over and lightly massage it

A Lovely globe

Place the dough balls side by side in the prepared bread tin, 

cover with cling film and set aside to rise again, until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 220C/410F/Gas 7.

Using a sharp knife, slash the dough a few times and place into the oven immediately. 

After 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 180C/350F/Gas 4 

and bake for a further 30 minutes, or until the bread is golden-brown. 

To check if the bread is done, remove from the tin and tap the bottom with your knuckles   

it should sound hollow.

Leave the bread loaf to cool on a wire rack.

I love the way you can tear the bread apart, just like my childhood.
My Mother would send me out to buy half of loaf of bread. 
I think it cost about threepence 
The shopkeeper would break the bread in half
Wrap a strip of paper around it,
The smell of the fresh bread was too much for me and I used to pick at the soft crumb. 
Tearing little strips off. Trying to make it look like a little mouse hadn't been there.
Who did I think I was kidding?
My Mother never commented, but I bet she had many a laugh with my Father 
It looked just like this
Memories 

 Made great Toast served with Peanut Butter and Banana, grind of black pepper... one of my favourites

Super Smoked Kahawai Fish Pie

The Family have been fishing

They caught some Kahawai

This local fish, is a slightly oily fish

It needs to be bled as soon as caught.

Makes great fish cakes, not exactly a fish to pan fry

Chris home smoked it

He really nailed it

It was so moist and full of flavour

(Not too smoky. I not an over-smoked type of person

Must be all those years smoking cigarettes. Got enough smoke then, to last a lifetime!!!)

Anyway, I digressed, sorry.

What to do with Smoked Kahawai, 

of course Smoked Fish Pie

A Super Fish Smoked Pie

I have taken all the ideas for Fish Pies, that I have made over the years

I think I really got it with this one.

Sweet, lightly sautéed leeks, grated carrot and not a bit of cheese in sight

Lovely citrus, from fresh lemons

My secret ingredient this time, was some leftover Hollandaise sauce.

Genius!

We had a trip to the country in the weekend and came home with lots of Fresh, fresh, fresh vegetables, including Asparagus.

Plus gnarly juicy lemons off Debbie’s tree

Don’t you love spring?

My friend John McCready, put a post on Facebook of his Asparagus and Poached Egg dish.

Gave me inspiration

Looked very good but need a little something else.

Hollandaise is an excellent added extra.

First find a So Simple recipe

Found this on the net for an easy peasy Hollandaise Sauce

From a blog site by Elise Bauer  click here to connect to Elise 

 

    3 egg yolks (see how to separate eggs)

    1 tablespoon lemon juice

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

    10 tablespoons unsalted butter

Method

1 Melt the butter slowly in a small pot.

Try not to let it boil – you want the moisture in the butter to remain there and not steam away.

2 Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne (if using) into your blender.

Blend the egg yolk mixture at a medium to medium high speed until it lightens in color, 

about 20-30 seconds.

The friction generated by the blender blades, will heat the yolks a bit.

The blending action will also introduce a little air into them,

making your hollandaise a bit lighter.

3 Once the yolks have lightened in color, 

turn the blender down to its lowest setting

(if you only have one speed on your blender it will still work),

and drizzle in the melted butter slowly, while the blender is going.

Continue to buzz for another couple seconds after the butter is all incorporated.

4 Turn off the blender and taste the sauce.

It should be buttery, lemony and just lightly salty.

If it is not salty or lemony enough,

you can add a little extra lemon juice or salt to taste.

If you want a thinner consistency, add a little warm water.

Pulse briefly to incorporate the ingredients one more time.

Store until needed in a warm spot, like on or next to the stovetop.

Use within an hour or so.

I placed the Hollandaise into a little insulated container

to keep it warm 

The Leftover sauce went into the fridge, in the container and frankly was fine the next day

Hence the addition to my Super Fish Pie

In fact such a great addition to my Fish Pie, I would make it especially for a special occasion. 

So on with the Asparagus Dish

The whole thing was delicious

Just cook some Asparagus

and Poach an Egg

I added some cooked Prawns as it was dinner 

Smothered it with Hollandaise sauce 

Just break the yolk
Divine

Sorry it has taken me ages to get to the main recipe, but here ya go.

Finally

 

Super Smoked Fish Pie 

To feed 4 people

200 gms Smoked fish of your choice flaked , check for bones

Slosh olive oil

1 leek washed and sliced

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Little water

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 carrot grated

4 tablespoons plain flour

2 cups full fat milk, warmed

Sea salt and freshly ground black freshly ground black pepper

Zest of I lemon

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 large potatoes peeled and chopped

1/4 cup hot milk

3 teaspoons cold butter

White pepper

Potato Topping

Cook potatoes in boiling salted water, till fork tender

Mash, or put through a ricer for really smooth potatoes

Add hot milk

Beat well and beat in the cold butter

Season with a little ground white pepper

Set aside

Leek layer

In a medium size sauté pan, gently heat the olive oil

Add sliced leeks

Season with S & P and toss well

Cook for about 2 minutes

Add about 2 tablespoon water

Cover and cook about 4 minutes, till just soft but still nice and green

Remove from pan and set aside

Sauce

In a pot add butter

Melt

Add grated carrot

Sauté till soft

Season with S & P

Add flour and stir and cook for 3-4 minutes

Add milk and stir well till thickens

Let gently bubble, approx 4 minutes

Continue to stir so that it doesn’t stick

Add juice and zest of lemon

Add Hollandaise Sauce

Taste and adjust seasoning if it needs it

Stir well, add flaked fish and

Set aside

Time to assemble

In a gratin dish

Line with a small layer of the sauce

Cover with the leeks

Cover them with the fish sauce

Plonk the potatoes on top and fork it to make a raised pattern

Into 180C over and cook for 30 minutes

It should be golden and bubbling

So delicious, this is a Dinner Party Dish

Roast Lamb Rump With Mushrooms - Pinching Ideas from Jamie

When I was trying to beat Jamie at his 15 minute meals, earlier in the year.
(By the way I haven't finished that project.
Just been a little distracted over the last couple of months.
We have now moved into a lovely apartment and are settled, so it's time to get back to blogging.
Something I really enjoy.)
Anyway I digress, I did pick up some great ideas, not only wonderful tasty food but some
excellent, simple techniques.

So I had 2 lovely little lamp rumps in the freezer and in the fridge, some Portobello Mushrooms

Yes... Dinner.
One of the ideas that I pinched from the Jamie series, was to roast the mushrooms in the same pan as the meat.
Makes sense.
1 pan meals, are good for the "dishwasher"...in this house, that's the same person as the cook
To be truthful, I did use other pans for the vege
Let's not be picky though.

So, quantities are not important here.
It's entirely up to you and the number of people that you are cooking for.
I just matched this Meat and Mushroom dish, very simply, with Frozen Peas, Edamame and Crushed Potatoes

Very Much the Comfort Food

2 Lamb Rumps
Sea salt and pepper
Olive oil
4-6 Portobello Mushrooms ripped into pieces

Potatoes, peeled, chopped and cooked till tender
Crush.
Season with pepper and a nice knob of butter


I use the microwave for frozen vege, quick, easier washing up
This seems to be a theme in this post!
and also season and add a little knob of butter

To cook the Lamb
Bring your little Lamb Rumps to room temperature.
Season both sides well with Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Rub over with some olive oil
Let sit, while you heat the oven to 200C

Add your mushrooms to a bowl season them with  S & P and a slosh of oil

Heat a pan which will go into the oven to med hot heat
Add seasoned lamb
It should sizzle
Cook on 1 side for about 3 minutes
Turn over
Push the oiled mushrooms around the lamb and into the oven

Cook for about 6-8 minutes
For med roast Lamb
Remove, take out of pan and let rest for about 6 minutes

Carve the Lamb
Pour the Mushrooms and juice, over the top and serve

One of the joys of Roast Meat is the left over cold meat the next day
Just perfect for Sandwiches
I made a loaf of superb bread, courtesy Michel Roux
Click here to read about this and get the recipe
Some doorsteps with a little butter
A little mint jelly,
Sliced lamb and
Voila, Lunch

Not exactly a diet lunch...but you don't do this every day and it was delicious

Gluten Free Appetizers

Nice to have some Gluten Free Nibbles, that everyone likes

We had friends over for drinks last night and we have a coeliac in our midst
I really didn't want to go out to the shops, so I made do with things that I had on hand

First Prawns on Potato Slices

I want give amount that is entirely up to you

Peel and slice thinly in the food processor as many potatoes as you wish
Bring to the boil in salted water and cook for about 5 minutes
Don't over cook or they will fall apart
Drain and cool
Pre-heat oven to 200C
Spray a baking sheet using an olive oil spray
Layer potatoes on tray
Spray the potatoes with the spray as well

Cook till just starting to crisp up
Cool on a rack

Meanwhile cook some prawns click here on best way to cook them
Cool
I also made some mayonnaise
I wanted to make sure that it was gluten free

Simple to assemble
Place some mayo on the potatoes and pop a prawn on top
I didn't have any herbs for some colour, some chopped parsley would be nice over the top

Then the Proverbial Cheese and Pineapple on Toothpicks
Remember
Stuck into an orange, at every party in the 50's and 60's
Bit hard with Brie normally done with cheddar
So I just laid them on a plate
Small wedges of brie cheese, with a piece of pineapple on top
Delicious

Of course I had cooked too many potatoes
That's easy, pop them into a nice container and just eat them as they are homemade chippies
All washed down with delicious wines

Delicious Pork Chop - Pinching Ideas from Jamie

A couple of Posts ago, was one in my series, 'Taking on Jamie'  the Golden Chicken with Braised Greens and Potato Gratin. Whoops that's a bit arrogant, calling it My Series but
I am working my way though his 15 minute Meal Idea.
Haven't been that successful with completing the meals in 15 minutes... but there has been some very yummy meals out of this exercise

I decided to adapt the technique of cooking  the chicken breast, a la Golden Chicken, to a pork chop.
It worked very well

All it takes is a Good Pork Chop, per person
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
10-12 sage leaves chopped
Olive oil

Lemon juice

Accompany this with Oven Fried Chips
and a favourite, Peas

Of course you could cook the Braised greens and Potato Gratin. 
Check that out.

Pre-heat oven to 180C

First score some notches in the skin side of the pork chop with a sharp knife
This helps the fat to cook in the fairly short time it takes to cook the chop
Don't salt the meat until just about to cook as it will extract juice from the meat.
The aim of this dish is to keep that Pork Chop really juicy and delicious

Lay a piece of baking paper on the bench
Drizzle over some olive oil
Grind some pepper and sprinkle with sage leaves 
Place the chop on top and turn over so the whole chop is smothered with the tasty oil

Cover with the other side of the paper and let sit for about an hour or so just to let the flavours meld

Heat an oven proof pan to medium to hot
Season the chop with sea salt
Add to pan
Cook about 2 -3 minutes to get a nice colour

Turn and place in oven for about 4 minutes

Remove and set aside to rest for about 5 minutes

The chop should be just cooked and beautiful and juicy
Add juice of a lemon to the pan to make a little gravy
Pour over the cooked chop

Serve with whatever you like
Mashed potatoes and peas would be good but the chips and peas went down very well in our house

Decadent Date and Ginger Chocolate Slice - Divine

I remember when as a kid we made homemade chocolate, which consisted of melting Kremalta
(vegetable shortening) with cocoa and sugar
Mix with Rice Bubbles and you got Chocolate Crackles

Children's Dream

My friend Elsje gave me this recipe... I'm not sure where it came from, but I just had to share it

So here is a grown up version. Absolutely Decadent,
Flavoured with soft date and ginger
Crunchy with the cornflakes
Instead of Cocoa and sugar you use the best Drinking Chocolate
That makes the most delightful Chocolate Topping
You must make this.


The Base
155 gm pitted dates sliced
125 gm unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
60 gm preserved ginger chopped
3 cups cornflakes


Line a Swiss roll tin with baking paper

Add to a saucepan
Dates, butter, sugar and chopped ginger  in saucepan ,
Stir over low heat until dates soft
Add cornflakes
Press into prepared tin

Chocolate Topping
240 gm Kremelta
2 cups Best Drinking Chocolate Powder

Melt Kremelta over low heat 
Add Drinking Chocolate
Turn into bowl

Place in Fridge until it reaches soft spreading consistency .
Spread
Set

Tidy up the edges.
Cooks treat!
Cut into squares
Eat

I made this for an afternnon tea that I was invited to
out int he country

What a spread, Just a close up of my contribution

One piece should be enough as it is so rich
But I have forced down 2 pieces and I wasn't sick!!!
Just Divine

Taking On Jamie - #5 - Golden Chicken with Braised Greens and Potato Gratin

 I liked this dish so much, I made it for friends that came for dinner last week
As seen above

It appears to be very rich, but really there is only 100 mls cream and 30 gms cheese

Of course it took a lot longer cooking for 9, I didn’t race the clock then

Didn't time it

But it seems when I did it for 4, the "15 minute" version

15 minutes was too hard

By the way 

This is a great way to cook chicken breasts

You know how easily they dry out

Well they were tender and moist  

 In fact I liked the method of seasoning and bashing so much,

 I carried through this prep and bread crumbed the breasts and the Children had a wonderful Chicken and Chips dinner on Tuesday

They loved it

As I don’t have any fresh herbs on hand, 

I used the tube of Rosemary Paste, 

warning this has wheat in it so not Gluten Free, so to be Gluten free use fresh herbs

Gather your ingredients

Olive Oil

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Large Sheet Baking paper

200 gms Frozen Peas

1 x Leek washed and sliced

200 gms Baby Spinach

4 x 120 gm  Skinless Chicken breasts

Few sprigs of fresh Rosemary or Rosemary paste

2 rashers of middle Bacon

8oo gms Potatoes  sliced

3 Onions  peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon chicken stock powder

1/2 bunch sage leaves

100 mls cream

30 gms grated parmesan

For the “15 minutes” version

Get everything ready

Kettle filled with boiling water

Oven Grill on high

Food Processor (thin slicer ) rearing to go

Medium lidded pot on high heat

Larger High sided roasting  pan on high heat

Large frying pan on high heat

Let’s go

Put the potatoes through the slicer

Throw into hot pot

Pour over boiling water from kettle

Add salt

Lid on and bring to boil, let simmer

Slice onions

Into roasting pan add 2 tablespoon olive oil

Throw in onions

Season with S & P

Tear in sage leaves

Stir regularly adding a little water if they start to catch

Lay out baking paper

Toss the chicken with S & P and rosemary

Fold the paper over and bash the chicken with a rolling pin till flattened about 1.5 cms

Cook in frying pan with 1 tablespoon oil

Turning after 3-4 minutes until golden and cooked through

Remove and set aside

Add chopped bacon and toss around till cooked

Drain potatoes which should be fork tender in colander

Add to onions in pan

Spread into a flat layer

Pour cream over

And sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top

Into oven under grill

Grill till golden about 4-5 minutes

Meanwhile in the empty potato pan

Still on high heat

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil

Throw in prepared leeks

Toss around till just tender

Add peas and spinach

Stir till spinach wilted and peas tender

Pile on platter

Place Chicken breast and bacon on top

Remove Potatoes from oven

Serve
Delicious Food