You’ve probably heard it is important to keep your cholesterol levels low, but if you want to protect yourself against heart disease you have to get more specific about the types of cholesterol you care about.
09/15/2009
09/06/2009
Zesty lemon meringue mess recipe
Source: Cook Yourself Thin
Lemon meringue pie is a British classic and rightly so. Apart from looking stunning with all that swirling cloud on top, it combines contrasting flavours and textures. Although this recipe omits the pastry, you will find that the crunch of the meringue, the softness of the cream and the sharp ouch of the lemon is all that this dessert needs.
Serves 6
Nutritional Information: 266 calories per serving
Ready in 2 hours 35 minutes
Ingredients
The meringue
- 2 free-range egg whites
- 115g caster sugar
The lemon curd
- 2 level tablespoons cornflour
- 100g golden caster sugar
- Juice of 5 lemons and the zest of 2
- 2 free-range egg yolks
- 120ml whipping cream
Method: How to cook zesty lemon meringue mess
1. Preheat a conventional over to 120ºC or a fan-assisted one to 100ºC.
2. First, make the meringue by whipping the egg whites with a handheld whisk until quite stiff, then gradually whisk in the sugar, a tablespoon at a time.
3. Once you are satisfied that you have a feminine and glossy-looking mixture, dollop six blobs onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and pop into the oven for two hours.
4. To make the lemon curd, put the cornflour, sugar, lemon juice (strain this in with a sieve to prevent lumps later) and the lemon zest into a small saucepan over a medium heat.
5. Stir for roughly seven minutes until thickened.
6. Take the pan off the heat for five minutes in order to cool slightly. Beat in the egg yolks with a balloon whisk until combined and set aside.
7. Whip the cream with a handheld whisk until soft but not stiff.
8. To assemble, roughly crunch up the meringue so that you have a mixture of different-sized chunks and textures.
9. Gently fold most of the lemon curd, followed by all the cream (this is important to create the ripple effect) into the meringue before dividing the mess up.
10.
Finish off by running the remaining curd in swirly whirlies over the
mixture in the bowls. You could garnish with some lemon zest or a spot
of mint to smarten it up a notch.
Harry's Tips
1. Meringues keep really well for a couple of days in an airtight container or tin if you wanted to make them ahead of time.
2. If you don't fancy making the meringue, you can always buy it and save yourself the hassle, but make sure that you spend the money on good-quality bought meringue as opposed to that white chalk that sets your teeth on edge.
3. If you're pregnant (or feeding a baby, or if you're an elderly person), then do note that this recipe contains raw eggs.
08/12/2009
Chilli Beans
Source: FreshLiving August 20
Serves 4
Comfort food for those cold winter evenings.
Ingredients
- Glug of oil
-
2 onions, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 Tbsp (l5 ml) ground cumin
-
2 tsp (10 ml) ground coriander
- 1 tsp (5 ml) chilli flakes
- 2 x 410g cans chopped, peeled tomatoes
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable stock
- 2 x 400g cans butterbeans, drained
- 1/2 avocado, sliced
- Coriander, to garnish
- 2 tomatoes, finely chopped 1fz onion, finely chopped
- 1 chilli, finely chopped
- Salt and milled pepper
- Heat oil in a pan. Add onions, garlic and green pepper and saute until soft.
- Add spices and chilli and cook for another minute.
- Add tomatoes and stock and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add butterbeans and cook to heat through.
- Mix salsa ingredients together.
- Season and place chilli beans in bowls.
- Serve chilli beans topped with salsa, avocado and coriander.
BEEF AND BEER PIE
Source: FreshLiving August 2009
Serves 4
Hearty stuff. Comfort food at its best. Bulk up your pie with extra steak and chunks of potato.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Hearty stuff. Comfort food at its best. Bulk up your pie with extra steak and chunks of potato.
Ingredients
- Oil, for frying
- 8 baby onions, quartered
- 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
- 600g boneless beef chuck steak
- Seasoned flour, for dusting 1 Tbsp (15 ml) tomato paste
- 2 cups (500 ml) beef stock 1/2 cup (125 ml) beer
- Salt and milled pepper
Pastry:
- 1 roll (400g) ready-rolled short-crust pastry
- Milk, for brushing
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Heat a heavy-based pot.
- Add a glug of oil and saute onions and carrots until golden. Remove from pot and set aside.
- Cube beef. Toss in seasoned flour and pan-fry in batches to brown.
- Return onions and carrots to pot and add remaining ingredients. Season.
- Simmer partially covered for 45 minutes, until mixture has reduced and thickened. Cool.
Pastry:
- Cut pastry to fit into 4 small (7cm) ramekins. Spoon in beef mixture and cover with pastry.
- Cut a small hole in the centre of pastry and brush with a little milk. Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp and golden.
- Instead of carrots, use parsnips or potatoes.
- Add curry paste for a spicy option.
06/02/2009
Roasted Butternut, Rosemary & Feta Quiche
Serves 4 - 6
SHORT CRUST PASTRY
250g Flour
125g Butter
1 /2 tsp Salt
2-3 tsps Douglasdale Milk
1 Whole Egg
Method
- Sift dry ingredients.
- Make a well in the centre.
- In the well place egg, softened butter and milk.
- Bring all the ingredients together with fingertips.
- Be careful not to handle too much, allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling.
(Note: If pastry becomes too crumbly while mixing add a little egg white.)
FILLING
200g Roasted Butternut
50g Feta Cheese
5g Rosemary
4 Eggs
500ml Douglasdale Milk
Salt and Pepper
Method
- Preheat oven 160ºC.
- Roll out pastry on a well floured surface and line a flan dish. (size: 23cm)
- Line flan dish with pastry.
- Place the rosemary, butternut and feta evenly into dish.
- Whisk the eggs and Douglasdale Milk together and season.
- Pour the Douglasdale Milk mix into flan.
- Bake for 45mins.
