Broccoli Slices

Broccoli Slices

30ml butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
450g broccoli, finely chopped
250ml flour
10ml salt
5ml baking powder
2 eggs
250ml milk
250ml grated mozzarella cheese
125ml grated parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 21cm x 28cm ovenproof dish with cooking spray. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper and set aside.
Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and add the butter.
Add the onion and cook until soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Now add the broccoli and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Take the saucepan from the heat and tip the broccoli mixture into a large mixing bowl.
Add the flour, salt, baking powder, eggs, milk and grated mozzarella and mix it through with a spatula.
Pour the mixture into the ovenproof dish and sprinkle the parmesan cheese over.
Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.
Remove the dish from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
Slice the broccoli into squares and place them on the lined baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for another 15 minutes.
Remove the slices from the oven and serve warm.

Pineapple Brulée

Pineapple Brulée

2 pineapples
40g cornflour
50ml + 450ml milk
4 egg yolks
50g + 50g caster sugar
5ml vanilla
100ml granulated sugar

Halve the pineapples in their length.
Cut a 1cm border from the edge with a small sharp knife.
Scoop out the flesh with a melon baller or a teaspoon, taking care not to break the skin.
Chop the flesh into small pieces and keep aside.
Add the cornflour to a large mixing bowl and stir in the 50ml milk.
Add the egg yolks and 50g caster sugar and whisk together. Set aside.
Pour the 450ml milk into a small saucepan and add the other 50g caster sugar to it.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Take it from the heat as tiny bubbles start too appear around the edges of the saucepan.
Drizzle the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking constantly.
Now pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place it on medium-low heat.
Stir continuously until thickened.
Allow to cook for 30 seconds before removing it from the heat.
Add the vanilla and stir through.
Pour the mixture onto a dinner plate and place plastic wrap directly on the surface.
Allow to cool completely.
Add the pineapple flesh, stir through and spoon the mixture into the pineapple.
Sprinkle about 25ml sugar over each pineapple and brulée with a blowtorch.
Serve the pineapple cold.


Bacon Flapjacks

Bacon Flapjacks

250g bacon
1 egg
62ml sugar
62ml + 62ml milk
15ml vegetable oil
250ml flour
10ml baking powder
1ml salt

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Cut another piece of baking paper that is slightly larger than your baking tray and keep aside.
Lay the bacon flat on the prepared tray.
Place the extra paper on top of the bacon and another baking tray on top of the paper.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
Cool the bacon on a cooling rack and pat it dry with paper towel to remove excess fattiness.
Add the egg and sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk together by hand.
Add 62ml milk and the vegetable oil and whisk until amalgamated.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the mixture and stir to combine.
Drizzle in the last 62ml milk while mixing, to form a thick, smooth batter.
Place a large frying pan on medium-high heat.
Pour in a splash of vegetable oil and wait for it to warm up.
Dip a bacon rasher into the batter and then immediately into the pan.
Fry for 3 minutes per side or until cooked and golden.
Serve the bacon flapjacks with maple syrup or honey.


Condensed Milk Cupcakes

Condensed Milk Cupcakes

125g butter, cubed
1 x 385g can condensed milk
5ml vanilla
300g self-raising flour
2 eggs
250g mixed berries
icing sugar, to dust

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cups.
Add the butter and condensed milk to a small saucepan set over medium-low heat.
Stir the mixture for about 3 minutes, until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.`
Add the flour to a mixing bowl and pour the mixture into the flour.
Whisk the eggs together with a fork and add this to the mixture as well.
Fold through until the ingredients are just combined.
Set aside 24 of the berries and add the rest to the batter. Fold through.
Spoon the batter into the paper cups and press two berries into the top of each.
Bake the cupcakes for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and tin and cool on a cooling rack.
Sift some icing sugar over to serve.

Chocolate Biscuit Slice

Chocolate Biscuit Slice

200g plain sweet biscuits
125g butter, melted
395g can condensed milk
290g dark chocolate, chopped

Line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper.
Add the biscuits to a food processor and blitz to a fine crumb.
Drizzle in the melted butter and add 80ml of the condensed milk.
Pulse until the mixture is combined.
Spoon into the prepared tin, smooth the surface and set aside.
Add the rest of the condensed milk to a heatproof bowl and add the chopped chocolate.
Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate has melted.
Stir the mixture well and pour over the biscuit base.
Spread it out into an even, smooth layer.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Remove from the tin and slice into squares.

Honey-Mustard Smashed Potato

Honey-Mustard Smashed Potato

700g – 1kg small potatoes
45ml olive oil
60ml mayonnaise
60ml wholegrain mustard
30ml honey
5ml white wine vinegar

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and spray an oven tray with cooking spray.
Cook the potatoes until just done, but fully cooked.
Add the mayonnaise, wholegrain mustard, honey and white wine vinegar to a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
Smash each potato down with a flat-bottom coffee mug and place them in the oven tray.
Drizzle the olive oil over and season with salt.
Spoon half the honey-mustard dressing on to the potatoes.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Flip the potatoes over, spoon the rest of the dressing over and bake for another 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Jam Squares

Jam Squares

Yields about 35 squares.

250ml sugar
250g butter, cubed
2 eggs
a pinch of salt
10ml baking powder
750ml flour
125ml apricot jam

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a swissroll pan (32cm x 22cm) with cooking spray.
Add the sugar and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on high speed until creamy.
Add the eggs and beat on high speed for 1 minute.
Scrape the mixture down and mix again.
Add the salt, baking powder and flour to a mixing bowl and stir to mix.
Turn the mixer to a low speed and add a few spoons of flour at a time, allowing time for it to integrate into the mixture before adding more flour.
Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and divide in two portions.
Press the one portion of dough into the swissroll pan and even it out with your hands.
Spoon the apricot jam on top and spread it evenly over the dough layer.
Push the other portion of dough through a coarse grater, as though you are grating it. The dough is very soft and you will have to push it through with the heel of your hand and then spread it evenly over the jam layer.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes and cool completely on a cooling rack.
Slice into squares or fingers once cold and store in an airtight container.

Easy Fudge

Easy Fudge

This may not be the best looking fudge but on boy, it delivers on taste…!

100g butter
750g caster sugar
1 x 385g can condensed milk
150ml milk
2,5ml vanilla

Line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper and set aside.
Add the butter, caster sugar and condensed milk to a medium-large saucepan and place over a medium to low heat.
Allow the butter to melt.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and simmer for 25 minutes while stirring regularly to prevent the mixture from sticking to the saucepan.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the vanilla and whisk for 5 minutes with an electric whisk. You are cooling the mixture down and want it to be really thick.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin and level the top.
Set aside to cool for an hour and cut into squares.

Mini Caprese Tomatoes

Mini Caprese Tomatoes

12 cocktail tomatoes, about 3,5cm in diameter
150g tub of small bocconcini cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper
12 basil leaves

Trim a sliver off the base of each tomato so that it can sit on a plate.
Slice about 0,3 cm off the top of the tomato and scoop the pulp out with a teaspoon or back of a teaspoon.
Season the inside of the tomato with salt and pepper.
Slice the bocconcini in quarters and stuff a piece in each tomato.
Drizzle with olive oil and season again with salt and pepper.
Place a basil leaf on top of each tomato and serve.