Fava Dip ©
Fava with chopped tomato, capers and diced onion.
Easy.
6 Persons
Ingredients
2 cups fava yellow split peas
5-6 cups water
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 small onion peeled
2 bay leaves
1 onion sliced or diced
1 tomato cubed
2 tbs capers
1 lemon cut into segments
Method
The best fava peas you can buy, are from a ‘Mill’ in Greece, whole sale. Otherwise buy organic from your local health food shop.
1. Measure out your fava peas onto a tray and look through them carefully for any small stones, as one would do for lentils. Place in sieve and rinse.
2. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with 4 cups of water.
3. Bring to the boil and simmer. Remove with a slotted…
View original post 381 more words
Crème Brûlée © Creme Brulee ©
Something for a special occasion!
Easy
4-6 Persons
Preparation Time : 20 minutes
Cooking Time : 45 minutes or until set
Ingredients
500 ml cream
6 egg yolks
50 g vanilla sugar
caster sugar for topping
1 grated zest of lime and or a small knob of ginger, peeled and finely grated. (Optional )
Ideal Gadget:
Jamie Oliver’s Blowtorch
Method
1. Preheat oven to 150.C. Put water onto boil for Bain Marie. This recipe can be made the day before.
2. Put the cream into a non-stick saucepan and heat gently to simmering point.
3. Place the egg yolks and the sugar in a bowl, mix with a whisk and pour cream from a height onto the egg mixture so that it cools slightly, stirring it continuously.
4. Pour through a fine sieve into a jug, add the zest of Lime and or Ginger, if using and pour into one large oven proof dish or into individual ramekin bowls.
5. Place ramekin bowls in roasting tin and fill tin with water that is just below boiling point until it reaches the hight of the custard. No more, or they start to float! This is called a “Bain Marie” and enables the custard to cook in the oven, without the eggs curdling.
6. Place carefully in oven, so as not to spill the water, and cook for 45 minutes, or until they are fully set. Test each one with the point of a knife in the centre, if it does not come out completely clean, they need longer. This is important.
7. Remove from oven, take out of ‘Bain Marie’ and allow to cool. Reserve in fridge until ready to use.
8. One hour before serving, sprinkle with sugar, using a small sieve, enough to cover the top and knock off any excess, by tapping tilted ramekin over a bowl. Using a blowtorch, burn the sugar on the top, just enough to lightly brown it. Take care as the ramekins get extremely hot!
When cold the sugar will go hard.
Some like to flavour their custard with very finely grated, ginger, lime or orange.
N.B. Do not put in the fridge, once you have used the blowtorch, or the caramel will go soft. If you want to make the custards the day before and reserve them in the fridge, that is fine, but the burning of the sugar, must be done an hour before serving the Crème Brûlée and not put back into the fridge.
COOKING TERM : “Bain Marie”. See Cookery Terms listed in Index.
This is what you are aiming for.
Gather together all your ingredients before you start cooking.
Choose nice fresh free-range eggs.
I keep a special jar of sugar with vanilla pods inside for when a recipe calls for vanilla sugar.
Separate egg yolks into mixing bowl.
Add sugar.
Arrange ramekins in roasting tray and heat up hot water in kettle.
Place the cream in a small saucepan and heat to just before boiling point.
Beat egg yolks and sugar until well combined.
It is best to use a whisk to do this.
Pour heated milk onto egg yolks from a hight, so the milk slightly cools and does not curdle the eggs. ( If it does discard and start again ).
Through a sieve, pour egg mixture into ramekins. Depending on the size of your ramekins, you will fill 4-6. Fill tray with boiling water up to the neck of the ramekin.
Place in pre-heated oven 150.C for 40 minutes or until the point of a knife placed in the centre to the bottom of your ramekin , comes out clean. Remove from oven and dust with sugar. Tap ramekin over bowl to remove any excess sugar as you are aiming for a very thin crust.
What a blowtorch looks like! Jamie Oliver!
Turn on the gas of your blowtorch, light with a lighter and burn the sugar as evenly as possible to a light brown. Take care not to touch the ramekins as they become very hot!
Final result!
Crème Caramel With Fresh Fruit ©
A family favourite! Just the thing for New Year’s Eve!
Light and delicious!
Happy Happy New Year! And THANK YOU so much for following my blog!
Easy
Feeds 10 Persons
Preparation Time 1/2 Hour
Ingredients
Caramel
200 g sugar
4 tbs water
Crème
5 eggs
75 g caster sugar
3/4 pint milk
1 Vanilla pod
Garnish
Soft fruit that is in season : Summer fresh peaches, winter raspberries
Caramelised nuts : Nut brittle if available.
Method
Pre-heat oven to 180. C. Make one or two days before, for full flavour.
- Choose an oven proof dish to pour your caramel into first!Place sugar and water in saucepan and heat over high heat, stirring continuously to dissolve the sugar granules. These should all be dissolved before it boils. If not remove from heat and stir. Return to heat and leave to boil rapidly until it starts to turn colour. This takes about 5 minutes, but for safety stay close by! Once it starts to colour stay over it until it is darkening. See photo. If it is too light, there is not much flavour, so you just need to burn it a bit more, but not to smoking!
- Pour with great care caramelised sugar into fire/oven proof dish and wearing oven gloves, immediately roll the liquid caramel around the dish, including the sides.
- In the same saucepan that the caramel cooked in, add the milk and heat gently without boiling.
- In a bowl add sugar and eggs and beat with a whisk for two minutes to break up eggs. Pour over the heated milk and mix well.
- Using a sieve, pour egg mixture into caramelised oven proof dish and place in roasting tray. Fill with boiling water from a kettle, this forms your ‘Bain Marie.’It enables the creme caramel to cook in the oven without curdling.
- Cook for 45 minutes and test centre with a sharp knife to the base. If it is cooked the knife should come out clean! If not leave a little longer and test again.
- Once cool place in refrigerator to chill and for the caramel to be absorbed into the creme. I usually make it one to two days before.
- When ready to serve, run a sharp knife around the bowl and place a deep serving dish on top. Turn over with a quick flip of the wrist.
- Decorate with fresh soft fruit and if available sprinkle with nut brittle.
Cook’s Tip : Bain Marie : Is a typical French Cooking Term for cooking delicate egg recipes in water, so that they don’t curdle!
To make nut brittle, follow caramel recipe and add hazelnuts at the last minute.Pour out onto greased marble surface. When cold break up in pestle and mortar.
This is what you are aiming for when you have a fresh peach topping. Otherwise any soft fresh fruit topping can be used, as you have seen with the raspberries above.
Use sugar that you have stored in a jar with Vanilla pods. Otherwise slice vanilla pods down the centre and scrape vanilla into sugar.
Place sugar in saucepan along with water and stir over a high heat until all the sugar granules have dissolved. This is important ‘before’ it begins to boil, or it can crystallise.
After 5-10 minutes sugar will start to change colour. Stay over it and as soon as it is as the above colour pour out into fireproof bowl.
Wearing oven proof gloves tilt bowl and allow caramel to cover base and sides. The caramel sets quickly so do this immediately.
Do this immediately as the caramel goes solid quickly!
In another bowl add eggs and sugar and beat with a whisk to break up eggs.
Add warm milk that you have heated up in caramel saucepan.
Place in pre-heated oven in “Bain Marie.” Bake for 30 minutes and test in centre with a knife. If it comes out clean it is ready, if not leave in oven another five minutes.
Run knife around the edge and make a right and left motion to bowl to make sure caramel has come lose. Place plate that has a little depth over the top and flip caramel out.
This is what it should look like.
If you like decorate with fresh soft fruit, in this case fresh summer peaches.
Decorate with fresh geraniums.
You can sprinkle your creme caramel with nut brittle!
What's Cooking In Jane's Kitchen 