The Hangry Chef

This is a great afternoon snack or morning tea. You can make it a day or two ahead, and wrap it up nicely for lunch boxes or to serve with a nice cup of tea to fend off three-thirtyitis. You will need... 250gr packet of Arnott's Marie biscuits 2 Tbsp desiccated coconut 125gr unsalted butter, melted 2 tins sweetened condensed milk 3 lemons, zest and juice 4 eggs, room temperature, separated 3/4 cup of caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract extra desiccated coconut Method... Grease and line a 25x15cm (roughly) lamington or slice tray. Combine the biscuits and 2 Tbsp desiccated coconut into a food processor. Blend until biscuits become a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined. Spoon biscuit base into the prepared slice tray and press firmly with your hands to form an even base. Place in the fridge for 1 hr. To make the filling, combine egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and lemon rind with 3/4 cup of lemon juice. Pour filling onto base and pop i...

Nothing goes better with a sausage BBQ then potato salad. This is a nice, light summery one that you're friends and family will love, which can be a good thing-but also a bad thing if they demand you make it for every occasion!! You will need... 2kg of washed chat potatoes 1/2 lemon, finely zested and juiced 1/4 bunch of dill 1/4 bunch parsley 1/4 cup capers (or more if you like!) 1/2 spanish onion 1/2 cup cornichons (again, more if you like!) For the aioli dressing... 2 egg yolks (i use smaller, free-range eggs, but if you use larger eggs one yolk should suffice) 1 clove garlic 1 Tbs lemon juice 1 tsp white wine vinegar 1 tsp Dijon mustard salt and pepper, to taste 1 cup vegetable oil 2 tbs luke-warm water Method... 1. Cook the potatoes the night before by bringing a pot of salted water to the boil, then placing them in whole* and cooking until just soft (check with a sharp knife-if you put the knife in and it slides straight out then its cooked, but it the po...

The beef I am using is organic grass-fed rump. It's totally up to you what kind of meat you use, and I'm not going to push anything down your throat, but I'm being conscious of what I put into my body at the moment. The saying goes 'you are what you eat', and that goes for animals too- so if a cow has been munching on lovely nutrient-filled grass then it's meat is likely to contain more vitamins and minerals (B & K as well as calcium, magnesium and selenium) if you'd like to read more go to;  http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-differences-between-grass-fed-beef-and-grain-fed-beef/#axzz2hMbrtNP6 You will need... (for 2 or three people) 400gr beef rump (or you could use lamb, pork or even chicken) 1 clove garlic 1 pinch chilli flakes 1 pinch dried parsley 1 pinch dried thyme 1 pinch (you're liking my measurement system here?) dried rosemary* course salt freshly ground black pepper 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar 1 splash (again so spec...

This is my first post of the new year! I thought I'd kick off with some of the wonderful goodies I prepared over the Christmas break- and this was one of my favourites! It's only evil because it's THAT good that you can't stop eating it and you don't realise how much you've had until you have a sore belly and feel like you're about to have a food baby... It's evilness is definitely counteracted by the fact that you can be a social hostess with this dessert, it's made the day before so you can sit back and enjoy it with your guests. You will need.. For the cream... 3 eggs, separated 2/3 cup of caster sugar 1 vanilla pod 250ml of thickened cream 250gr soft mascarpone cheese For the filling... 250ml strong black coffee 100ml Kahlua Coffee Liqueur (you could use Tia Maria if you prefer) 100ml Bailey's Irish Cream 1 plain chocolate sponge cake, un-filled, about 300gr worth* 1 cup thickened cream 1 cup dark chocolate for melting** ...

This is an easy winter warmer, I know winter has now come to a close, but the nights are still a bit chilly and this is a nice dessert to quickly whack on to cook while you're eating dinner. You will need... 2 cups of milk (500ml) 300ml pouring cream 1/2 cup of medium grain rice (either arborio or calrose work fine), rinsed and drained 1/2 cup caster sugar 1 cinnamon quill (I used Cassia bark, which is in the same family but has a spicier, more pungent flavour, I only put the quill in while boiling the milk, and removed it before placing in the oven so the flavour wasn't too intense) 1 vanilla bean, split 2 egg yolks some freshly ground nutmeg custard and banana to serve Method... 1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius, grease a 1Lt capacity baking dish. 2. Bring the milk and cream to a simmer, with the sugar, vanilla bean and cinnamon. Stir, then add the rice. Cook for 1 minute on low, then set aside for 2 minutes to infuse. Carefully remove ...

I received Herman two weekends ago. Herman Day 1 Herman is a sourdough cake with a history dating back around 40 years. The base is made up of yeast, flour, milk and sugar. and basically, the idea is to pass the uncooked sourdough cake mixture around amongst friends and family. Each person that receives a batch of Herman, needs to stir and feed him intermittently on a 10 day cycle. On day 9 Herman can be divided into 4 portions, shared with three other people. The fourth portion is reserved and baked according to recipes that can be sourced online (or made up if you're feeling creative!) Herman Day 5: Herman has been fed and the yeast is growing and developing! A more in-depth description of the process of how to care for and cook Herman can be found here: http://www.hermanthegermanfriendshipcake.com Once I had divided my mix, I passed on two of the Hermans to my friends, and kept two portions for myself, one of which I baked on day 10 and the other I kept to start the...

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...

http://nutritionstripped.com/dark-chocolate-avocado-mousse/ I guess I was a skeptic too when I saw this recipe. I'm definitely a purist when it comes to most traditional recipes but truth be told I do like to try 'healthier' versions of recipes as long as it doesn't impact on the flavour of the dish too much. But trying this dairy-free avocado mousse has got me sold on this alternative to thickened cream and egg whites. It still has that decadent richness of dark chocolate and the creamy smooth texture you expect from any mousse. Try it for yourself, you won't be disappointed! You will need... 2 ripe avocados, room temperature 3 Tbsp maple syrup (or rice malt syrup if you prefer) 1/2 fresh vanilla pod or 1/2 tsp vanilla paste 1/3 cup coconut cream, room temperature 1/4 cup cocoa powder 150gr dark good quality chocolate (70% cocoa works well for this recipe, you can use a vegan chocolate if you want to keep the recipe full vegan) Method... 1. Cut the avocados...