BLOODY MARY

This is always a great pick-me-up especially when feeling a little weary after a night out!Bloody Mary

60 ml vodka

120 ml tomato juice

½ Tbsp lemon juice

1 splash Worcestershire sauce

3 to 4 dashes Tabasco

1 tsp horseradish,

1 stick celery

Method

Mix all the ingredients together except the celery. Taste and adjust if necessary!

Add lightly crushed ice and serve in tall glass with a pinch of salt and a grind or two of pepper.  Serve with a stick of celery.

BRIOCHE

This classic French bread is rich and slightly sweet, with a soft, golden crust and a yellow, buttery, cakey crumb. It is widely eaten in France – with coffee for breakfast, as a roll with dinner, or as a base for any number of desserts.

It’s also pretty straightforward. The dough is very soft to handle though, so kneading in a food mixer is easier. You can make and bake brioche all in one day, but it benefits from sitting overnight in the fridge – the very soft dough stiffens as it chills, making it easier to shape.

Makes 2 small loaves

400g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting

5g powdered dried yeast

10g fine salt

90ml warm milk

2 Tbsp caster sugar

100g butter, softened

4 eggs, beaten

To glaze

1 egg

2 Tbsp milk

METHOD

To knead by hand, mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, and bring it all together to form a dough. Knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth and shiny. Or, if you’re using a food mixer, fit the dough hook and add all the dough ingredients to the mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until combined, and leave to knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth and shiny.

Shape the dough into a round, place in a bowl and cover tightly. Leave in the fridge overnight. The next day, divide the dough in two and form into the shape of your choice. Lightly flour the loaves, lay them on a wooden board or linen cloth and cover with a plastic bag.

Leave them somewhere nice and warm to prove until almost doubled in size; this could take 3–4 hours, as the dough is cold.

Preheat the oven to 200C.

For the glaze, beat the egg and milk together.

Transfer the risen loaves to a baking tray and brush all over with the glaze. Bake for about 10 minutes, then lower the oven setting to 180C and bake for a further 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

 

TOASTED MUESLI

When making muesli it really is up to you what you would like to put in it.  Some people like nuts others like more fruit, some like it toasted and others don’t.  The below recipe is a great beginning but as I mentioned feel free to make it yours!

Makes 8 x ½ cup servings

2 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking (not instant) rolled oats

2/3 cup rye flakes, or wheat flakes

1/3 cup coarsely chopped almonds

2 Tbsp flaked coconut, (sweetened or unsweetened)

½ cup raisins

2 Tbsp brown sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of cinnamon

1/4 cup flaxseeds, ground (optional)

Method

Preheat the grill on the oven to m

Place the rolled oats, coconut, rye flakes and almonds on a baking sheet, scatter over the brown sugar and roughly combine.

Place under the grill until the oats start to colour and smell toasted.  Carefully turn over the oat mixture and return under the grill to toast this side.  Do Not Leave the oven unattended as they burn very fast!

Remove and cool.

Add all the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and add the cooled oats.  Toss to combine.

If stored in an airtight container the muesli should stay fresh for a 3 weeks to a month.

 

 

POACHING FRUIT

When it comes to poaching fruit the options are endless and one that brings huge satisfaction.  Some fruits are better poached than others, peaches, apricots and pears come to life once again from poaching.  Always use good quality fruit, be gentle and ensure the fruit is cooked!

1 litre water 1 1/3 cup (265 g) sugar 4 pears, peeled, cored, and quartered

Additions: One cinnamon stick, 2 teaspoons whole cloves, black peppercorns or allspice berries, one lemon half, one split vanilla bean, 2-3 star anise, 6-8 fresh ginger slices

Method

In a large saucepan, heat the water and sugar until warm and the sugar is dissolved. Add any of the additions that you wish.

Slide in the pears and cover with a round of greaseproof paper, with a small hole cut in the center.

Keep the liquid at a very low boil and simmer the pears until cooked through, 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the pears.

 

The perfect poached egg

When it comes to poaching an egg, fresh is best and quality is essential.  Vinegar or lemon juice will help hold the egg together. 

Large pinch of salt 1 large fresh egg, preferably organic 1 drop of white wine vinegar (optional)

Half fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add a hefty pinch of salt.

Meanwhile, crack the egg into a small jug or bowl and add a drop of vinegar.

Stir the boiling water vigorously with a balloon whisk until you have a whirlpool then immediately slip the egg into the center, lowering the jug a couple of centimeters into the water.

Turn the heat down low, and cook for three minutes – use a timer to prevent overcooking.

Drain the egg on kitchen paper, and serve immediately. If you're poaching it in advance, drop it straight into a bowl of iced water instead, or it will carry on cooking; to reheat, simply warm the egg through in a pan of gently simmering water.

 

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

The trick to this sauce is patience! Some things in life you can’t hurry drop by drop with the clarified butter and continuous whisking….

Serves 4

4 egg yolks

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

115g unsalted butter, melted or if using salted butter, check before seasoning

Pinch cayenne

Pinch salt

Method

Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use for the eggs benedict. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.

EGGS BENEDICT

Timeless classic and one that we should all feel comfortable preparing – The key to making this work is to be organised/preparation – hollandaise, toast muffins, poach eggs = assemble and enjoy!

Serve 4

8 slices ham

4 English muffins, split in half

8 free range eggs, poached

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Hollandaise sauce, recipe above

Toast the English muffins, cut sides up, on a baking sheet under the grill. Add the ham and keep warm.

Make the hollandaise sauce and set aside somewhere warm.

Poach the eggs as mentioned above.

To assemble: Place 2 warmed muffin’s with ham on a warm plate, followed by poached eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon hollandaise sauce over the eggs. Serve immediately.

 

 

OATY HOTCAKES OR PANCAKES

Oats make a nice addition to pancakes and children don’t seem to mind them either!

Makes 12

2 eggs ½ cup oat or other milk 1 Tbsp brown sugar ½ cup rolled oats 1 cup self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Mix the milk, eggs and brown sugar in a bowl with a whisk.

If you like slightly lighter hotcakes, you can separate the eggs, add the yolks at this stage, whisk the whites to a soft peak and fold into the batter after adding the dry ingredients. Add the oats, and sift in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon.

Stir until well-mixed. The trick is to leave the batter to stand for half an hour so the oats can soak up the moisture and the mixture thicken a little.

To cook, spray a non-stick pan lightly with oil and put over medium heat.

When the pan is hot, ladle or pour about ¼ cup of the mixture into the pan and spread out a little. Do not overload the fry pan if possible.

The hotcake should be thick and rise in the middle as it cooks.

Cook until nicely browned on the bottom. Check by lifting the hotcake and peeping underneath. When brown, turn it over and cook the other side. Make sure it is cooked all the way through. If the pan is too hot, remove it from the heat for a short while.

To serve, stack the hotcakes, top with yoghurt and fruit and drizzle with syrup.

 

 

 CORN FRITTERS

Everyone needs to have a corn fritter recipe up their sleeve and this is the one.  If you are gluten free then simply substitute the flours to suit!

Makes around 12 medium sized fritters

100g butter or oil

3 cobs corn, husks and silk removed (or 1 cup frozen corn – defrosted)

430ml milk

240g plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

30 g butter, melted

1 free range egg

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

1 tsp chopped chives a pinch of salt

Good quality bacon and maple syrup (optional)

Method

Fill a large pot with water and bring to the boil over high heat.  Drop in the corn cobs and cook for 8 minutes or until tender.  Remove the corn and drain and cool over a colander.  When you are able to handle the corn, run a sharp knife down sides of each one.  You should have about 250g corn.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into large mixing bowl, then make a well.  Whisk egg with milk and pour into dry ingredients.  Whisk well until you have a smooth batter, add the herbs, corn and melted butter.  Allow the batter to stand for 1 hour at room temperature, covered with tea towel.  If you don’t have the luxury of 1 hour then by all means you can still cook them straight away they just don’t have quite the same finish!

Heat enough butter or oil to cover the base of a non-stick or a heavy based fry pan over medium heat, then using a small ladle to ladle in a few portions of batter.  Leave to cook until the underside is golden.  Flip over and cook through.  Continue until all the batter is used, adding butter as needed.  Serve corn fritters immediately with bacon and maple syrup.