The Hangry Chef

I have finally decided to try my hand at Croissants, they have always daunted me for some reason. It's probably because I'm not a one for patience, which is one of the main ingredients in croissant-making. I've rarely made puff pastry, opting for store bought every time. I'm not proud to admit it, but I'm just not interested in spending such a huge amount of time laminating dough (you know, all the folding of the butter in the dough so you get all the layers required in a good puff). But I'm conquering my fears and making croissants which uses the same technique of laminating dough, with the added fun of using a yeast-risen dough (yay more waiting). So here goes my first attempt at croissants... I was already worried when the recipes I looked up online told me that I definitely WOULD NOT get these right the first time. Well, thanks for the vote of confidence guys! I feel like maybe this doesn't apply to me seeing as these recipes are targeted at at-ho...

A few simple steps and you can have yummy banana bread, you can slice this loaf up, wrap it up and freeze it for lunch boxes or eat it all in one go! You will need... 3 ripe bananas 2 eggs 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup margerine 3/4 cups caster sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicard soda 2 cups plain flour Method... 1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius, grease and line a loaf tin. 2. Peel all the bananas, mash two in a bowl using a fork, and slice the other banana lengthways and set aside to place on top of the banana bread. 3. Sift all dry ingredients together into a bowl. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, add the milk and mashed banana. 4. Melt the margarine in the microwave and set aside to cool. 5. Form a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients slowly while mixing with a wooden spoon, stir well to make sure there are no lumps then finally add the melted margarine and stir to combine well. 6. Pour the batter into the pr...

What a beautiful day it was today! I woke up pretty late but snuck out of bed to let Matt sleep while I made buttermilk pancakes for a breaky surprise... This is a recipe of my own invention, I've honed it so that it makes the lightest, fluffiest American-Style Buttermilk Hotcakes. For 2-3 generous serves you will need... 2 eggs, separated 2 Tbs icing sugar 2 Tbs unsalted butter 1/2 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out 1 cup self-raising flour, sifted 1 cup buttermilk 2 Tbs butter, extra for cooking Lashings of maple syrup to serve... Maybe a side of bacon too ;-) Method 1. Melt the butter in the microwave and leave to cool slightly, then whip your egg whites to stiff peaks using an electric mixer. 2. In a separate bowl whip the egg yolks with the icing sugar and vanilla seeds until it becomes a bit lighter in colour 2. Turn your electric mixer to low and begin adding the buttermilk and flour, alternating the two until both are well combined, then pour in the melted but...

I always hated the idea of French toast as a child. The thought of dipping bread in egg and frying it really didn't sound appetising. It wasn't until I worked in a restaurant that did breakfast service that I discovered that it was so much more then that! There are a few elements that are a *must* when you make a good French toast; like you need day-old freshly cut white bread. I like buying a square loaf from the shops the day before, and cutting it into around 2cm-1inch thick slices... Don't just use eggs, mix them with pure cream, vanilla essence and cinnamon for extra luscious French toast.. And always, always cook in butter. If you don't cook in butter its not really French is it? (Oh and I like mine with a side of bacon!) You will need... (2 serves) 4 slices of thick-cut white bread 2 large eggs 1 cup pure cream 2 tsp vanilla essence 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 2 heaped tablespoons of butter For the blueberry maple 1 cup of frozen blueberries 1 1...

Brioche is kind of like if a loaf of bread and a cake got together and made a baby, although its not sweet the texture is more cake then bread... If that makes sense! It chef terms, it's a leavened dough using yeast as the raising agent, and it is enriched with butter and eggs. I made a free-form one, but I think next time I'll bake it in a mould, or even a ring or loaf tin because it took a while to cook like this and ended up splitting, it still tasted delicious though! You will need.. 400gr plain flour (strong flour if you have it 5gr dried yeast 10gr fine salt 90ml warm milk 2 Tbsp of caster sugar 100gr butter, softened and cut into small chunks 4 medium, free range eggs, beaten For brushing, 1 beaten egg and a splash of milk Method... Chilling time: Overnight Proving time: 3-4 hours Make a day ahead 1. Add yeast to milk with the caster sugar and set aside to activate (let it become a bit frothy) 2. Sift the flour and mix in the salt and sugar. 3. ...

I've been wanting a waffle iron for a while now... Since our trip to the U.S.A, my husband has been dying to 'waffleize' something #willitwaffle  http://www.willitwaffle.com  YES, it's a real thing. So anyway, I employed close family to keep an eye out for waffle irons on sale because they're not cheap here in Australia- small ones are around the $50 range! So as fate would have it, my mother-in-law found some on sale at Kmart and we got one!  The first thing we tried was the amazing waffleized mac-n-cheese. I won't paste the recipe because all we did was cook two packets of microwave cheesy mac and thicken it up with an egg yolk and some extra cheese and flour before setting it in our waffle iron and toasting that bad boy up.. Here's a pic of it if you're interested and we ate it with sauce (tried barbecue, tomato and my latest obsession-sriracha). We may have over-cooked it, but it still tasted delicious! So as we have the new cont...

Image from taste.com I've noticed a lot of my friends having to turn to gluten-free diets for various reasons of late. These days 'gluten free' has just become the  norm, and even my local supermarket have an entire isle dedicated to gluten free products.  I'm quite partial to some gluten free recipes, like my gluten free brownies , chocolate cake and probably one of my favourite desserts; the orange and almond cake . This recipe has been adapted from a recipe found at taste.com, the original recipe was double the amount of ingredients (I had a half-sized bar tin) and had a mix of soy flour and rice flour, but I found soy flour hard to source and the end result with just gluten free self raising and rice flour works well. You can double the recipe if you have a deep loaf tin or two smaller pans. Ingredients... 125g Nuttelex spread 1 teaspoon vanilla essence ¾ cup caster sugar 2 eggs ¾ cups self-raising gluten-free flour ¾  cup rice flour...

No more boring breakfasts! No one should have to start the day with cold toast or soggy cereal! Eating a tasty, nutritious breakfast is not only a great way to start your day but its also a good way to keep you eating better throughout the day. The breakfast quesadilla isn't a new thing, and in my opinion its really a no-rules meal. You can put whatever you like in it, as long as you have cheese in it then you're on the right track! You will need (one serve)... 1 12-inch tortilla ( Mission brand are my favourite and this time I bought wholegrain) 1/2 zucchini 2 cauliflower florets 5 cherry tomatoes a handful of low fat cheddar cheese (or full fat if you prefer) 1 shallot, diced 1 clove garlic sprinkling of paprika salt and pepper canola spray for cooking 1/4 avocado sriracha or preferred chilli sauce for serving Method... 1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees celsius 2. Slice the zucchini, the cauliflower and the shallots. Halve the cherry tomatoes and crus...

I personally think breakfast muesli is an awesome start to the day. It fills you up for longer and gives you enough energy to get you to morning tea if not lunch! Bircher is perfect for those of us on the go who don't have time to fiddle around making a healthy and hearty breakfast in the morning. It's also perfect for those warmer days when you are sick of eating cereal but can't bear a hot breakfast. This recipe needs to be made at least one day ahead of time. My trick is that I make it on Sunday, and I make enough for about 4 serves. So Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are taken care of, and by Friday I'm keen to change it up a bit and make myself something savoury. You can do it one of two ways, you can buy the rolled oats on their own, and then add your own nuts and dried fruits. You can put whatever you like in it, almonds, pepitas, apricot, shaved coconut, raisins, linseeds, dates, walnuts, dried apple, the list goes on. Or you can buy a pre-made mue...

I first saw a version of this recipe on an episode of Nigellissima , in which she so aptly named them 'Eggs in Purgatory' . It's a very basic, peasant-style dish, but is absolutely delicious and perfect for a warming snack or as an easy, no-fuss dinner. This recipe works best if you bake it in individual earthenware ramekins, as it yields a warm and wonderfully rustic flare. But if you don't have those, you can just as easily bake it in the skillet or pan you use to cook the tomato sauce in- as long as it doesn't have plastic handles! You will need (for 4 serves) 1 tin organic peeled and diced Italian tomatoes 2 cloves garlic 1 small brown onion 3 sprigs fresh oregano salt and pepper 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes (if you desire extra spice, by all means use more, or use fresh chilli if you wish) 1 tbs olive oil 4 large free-range eggs (the fresher the better) freshly grated parmesan cracked pepper to serve crusty Italian bread to serve Method... 1....

Ever wonder how your banana bread always looks anaemic compared to the ones you see online or in cookbooks? 'How can I get mine that beautiful caramelised, rich brown colour?' you ask? Well, it's as simple as getting a nice, sweet, over-ripe banana and mashing it a good 10 minutes before you add it to the mix so that it oxidises and goes all smooshy! Using rich brown sugar also helps a bit! This actually isn't my banana bread because I somehow lost the image of mine, but it looks quite similar! Image from  http://kichencorner.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/oatmeal-banana-bread.html You will need...  For 12 slices 1 ¼ cups (185g) SR flour 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½  tsp ground nutmeg 1 vanilla pod 20g butter ½ cup (100g) firmly packed brown sugar 1 egg, lightly beaten ¼ cup (60ml) milk ½ cup mashed banana (done a little while in advance) ½ cup chopped walnuts Oats, brown sugar and a few extra walnut pieces to sprinkle on top. Method... 1...

Breakfast Of Champions! OR Lunch... OR Dinner for that matter. You will need... (for 6 people) 12 slices thick-cut white bread For the Bechamel; 60gr (3 Tbs) butter 30gr (1/3 cup) flour 1 Lt milk 1 Tbs seeded mustard salt and pepper 250gr Gruyer cheese, grated 6 thick slices freshly shaved ham 1. To make the béchamel:   Bring the milk to the boil in the microwave. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan on the stove on a medium heat. Turn the heat to low and add the flour. Cook for 1 minute. 2. Use a whisk to mix well while you gradually add the milk. Once the milk is added, season with salt and pepper, and use a wooden spoon to continuously mix while cooking over a low heat until the sauce thickens.  3. Remove from the heat, pass through a sieve into a clean bowl, mix through half the cheese and the mustard then cover with gladwrap to stop a skin from forming. 4. To assemble:  Lay out the bread on the cutting board a...