Sauces and dips...

For the lads birthday dinner we had chicken nuggets and hot chips, and then I made some dipping sauces....

At the top is Aioli Sauce, red one in middle is Tomato Sauce (see previous posts), bottom one (yellow) is Mustard Sauce, and green one is Mint and Bean Puree.


Aioli Sauce Recipe
Easier than expected, and yummier too!
4 cloves garlic
2 egg yolks
1/4t salt
1C olive oil
2T lemon juice
1T chopped parsley
1t prepared mustard


Put all into food processor, and blend! Thats it.
Then use as required - on steaks, as dip, over cooked veges, in baked spuds... list is endless!


Mustard Sauce Recipe
This one is more work, and although recommended for boiled meats (corned beef etc) I think the edmonds recipe is better for that.


2t butter
1T chopped onion
1/2t dijon mustard
1/2t grainy mustard (I didn't have any, so used 1t dijon total)
1/4C white wine
1/4C water
2-3tsp extra butter or 2T cream


Melt butter in saucepan, with lid.
Add very finely chopped onion. Cover pan and cook gently until onion is tender.Stir in mustards, then add wine, and water, and boil briskly, stirring often until reduced in volume by half.
Beat in teaspoon lots of second measure of butter or cream (with a whisk). Stop when sauce is smooth enough to coat veges.


Could easily use extra onion in the mix. 


Mint and Bean Puree
I made this so I could say I had offered veges to the kids!


I got about a handful of mint and about 1.5 cups of frozen beans. Cooked them in a pot of water for about 5 mins (until tender) then put in food processor with some salt, and olive oil until it was a smooth creamy mixture.


The verdict was - not a whole lot of flavour - so next time I would add about twice as much mint, and some pepper, and maybe even cream and butter instead of oil... Tis all about experimenting!

No butter? Make some of these choc chip bikkies...

So, I wanted to make scones, but, I had a very small amount of butter that needed to be saved so I could use it for kids sandwiches. (Do scones use butter?!)


I googled recipes with no butter, and found a few variations. Most were either peanut butter or choc chip ones. So, 'cos I have a peanut butter hating child, I went with choc chips... she probably won't eat these either, but, there is more chance!


1 1/2C flour
1/2t baking soda
1/4t salt
1/4C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2C oil
1 large egg
1t vanilla essence
1 1/2C choc chips
3/4C rice bubbles


Stir flour, baking soda, and salt together.
In another bowl, whisk sugars, oil, egg, and vanilla essence together.
Add flour mixture.


Stir in choc chips and rice bubbles.


Make into fairly tight balls and cook at 180 for 8-10 mins.


One suggestion was to add walnuts for flavour, but I didn't! (same amount as rice bubbles)


They turn out really yummy, thank goodness... 

The Birthday Cake

I used two cakes to create one large layered cake.
One is a rich mud cake, the other is a sponge cake...

Mud Cake
1T instant coffee
1/2C water
100g dark cooking chocolate (or choc chips)
100g butter
1C sugar
2T sherry, whisky, brandy (or I used cider!)
2 lrg eggs
1t van essence
1 1/4 C flour
1/2t baking soda


Oven at 150.


Warm instant coffee, water, broken up chocolate, butter and sugar until choc has melted and sugar is dissolved, stirring all the time (if using a pot) or intervals (if microwaving). Cool to room temp, then stir in the liquid (brandy etc).


Beat eggs and vanilla together.


Sieve flour and baking soda together, then combine the three mixtures. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and thinner than most cake mixtures.


Line a tin, and pour cake mix in.
Bake for an hour, then remove from oven and leave in tin for 10 mins before removing.


Dust with icing sugar and serve, or serve with cream or icecream....


3 Min Sponge
A very easy sponge!!


75g butter
2 lrg eggs
3/4C sugar
2T milk
1C flour
2tsp baking pdr


Oven at 175


Use a bowl big enough to hold the whole mixture.
Melt butter till just liquid. Add eggs, sugar and milk. Sift flour and baking pdr in.


Using electric beater or good hand beater beat until mixture is well mixed, looks creamy and is slightly paler in colour (about 40-60 seconds).


Pour into tin, and bake for 20 mins (I actually had to cook for about 30, so keep an eye on it).


More photos coming after we have cut the cake!


Windows were done with melted white chocolate piped into shapes.
Spiders were done with melted dark chocolate and make into shapes. Many deformed spiders were eaten in the process... !

'Mum's Famous Cake'

Bit more effort involved here... but not much more!


A yummy cake, with icing that is extraordinary. 


100g butter
200g chocolate (125g and 75g lots)
50g golden syrup (about 2 T)
50ml yogurt (any flavor, I have used apricot, and also strawberry)
175g brown sugar
3t vanilla essence
4 eggs (thank goodness I have laying chooks!)
250g flour (about 2C)
3t baking powder
50g cocoa
1 jar berry preserve (or less, depending on how much you use! I only use about 1/2 a small jar)
150g icing sugar.


Need a 20cm cake tin, and oven at 180.


Melt butter, 125g choc and golden syrup.
Remove from heat and add (1 at a time, mixing between each) yogurt, sugar, van ess, eggs. 
Sift flour, bk pdr and cocoa together then add to choc mixture.
Whisk till smooth.


Pour into cake tin and bake for 50 mins. (Keep an eye on it, as mine cooks in about 45 mins).


Cool cake. Cut in half and spread bottom half with preserve. Put top half back on.
Icing - Melt 75g choc and beat in 75g preserve. Add icing sugar, and enough water to make thick and creamy. Spread over cake... Serve!

Curried Sausages, quick and easy... and tasty!

6-8 sausages
1 chopped onion
1t curry pdr
1T flour
3/4C beef stock
1T relish or chutney


Cook 6-8 sausages in frypan for about 10 mins (until browned and cooked through). Remove from pan.


Add to pan one chopped onion. Cook until clear, then add one teaspoon of curry powder, cook for 30 seconds, then add one tablespoon of flour, and cook for 30 seconds. Then add 3/4 cup beef stock, stir until boiling, then add one tablespoon of relish or chutney and the sausages again. Cook for about five mins more.


Then serve!


Easy peasy, and very edible!

Chocolate Apple Cake - Fancy but easy

Topping.
1/4C brown sugar
2T flour
1t cinnamon
25g cold butter
2T chopped walnuts.

Cake
2-3 apples
125g butter melted
1 large egg
1C sugar
1 1/2 flour
2T cocoa
1t cinnamon
1t baking soda

Prepare topping in food processor. Tip into another bowl for later.

In unwashed processor chop unpeeled apples. Add remaining ingredients in order given. Mix briefly to combine.

Put mixture into prepared tin.
Sprinkle over topping

Cook at 190 for 30 minutes.

Serve as is, or with cream

Scrummy

Yoghurt Cake - really light and delicious

75g butter
1C sugar
2 eggs
1t vanilla essence
1 1/2 C flour
1 t baking soda
1/4t salt
300g plain or flavoured yoghurt

This is supposed to make 2 loaves, but I can't see how, as it only made two very small ones!

Melt butter till liquid. Put in sugar, eggs, vanilla essence, and butter into food processor. Mix thoroughly.
Add flour, baking soda, salt and yoghurt. Process briefly until just combined.
Mixture will be light and airy.

Pour into loaf tins, handling as little as possible.

Cook at 180 for 30 mins.
Dust with icing sugar, serve with fresh berries, yoghurt, or cream...

(Or, as master apprentice was so impatient, eat as a plain cake)

The 'Eating Cake'

So, I said to Miss Apprentice we were going to make a cake.... 'What sort of cake, Mum?', 'an eating cake', I replied... and so it began..

In a food processor put 1 orange, and chop up until it is pulp. Remove from food processor.

In unwashed processor put
125g softened butter
1C sugar
2 eggs.
Blend until mixed (about 20 seconds... count them... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - or get your apprentice to do the counting for you)
Then add
1tsp baking soda dissolved in 1/2C water
1t vanilla essence
2C flour
1C sultanas
Mix in pulses.

Add in the fruit pulp, and mix until all combined.

Tip into baking tin, andbake at 150 for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 mins.

Then... EAT (as it is an eating cake)