Apple Crostata with a Twist

Winter.. winter.. Brrrrrrrr..

Ingredients

For the pastry:
• 2 cup flour
• 4 tablespoons Caster sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks very cold unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:
• 4 Large Green apples
• 1/4 teaspoon orange zest
• 2 tablespoons Icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Method:
1- Starting out with the pastry by placing the flour, sugar, orange zest and salt in the food processor and pulse to combine.
2- Add the butter and mix.
3- Add the 4 tablespoons of water gradually while mixing until combined and the dough starts to form.
4- Remove the dough from the food processor and form into a disk.
5- Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for one hour.
6- Prepare the filling by peeling the apples and cutting into wedges.
7- Toss the wedges with the cinnamon and icing sugar.
8- Once the dough is cool, remove from fridge and flour the rolling pin and the surface to roll the dough into a circle and transfer it into a baking sheet.
9- Place the apples in the middle of the dough away from the edges.
10- Role up and fold the edges to hug the apple mix and enclose the dough to form a circle.
11- In a preheated oven 180 degrees, place the crostata to bake for 35-40 minutes until the crust turns golden and the apples are tender.
12- Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Serve with icecream or whipped cream.

Chicken Yellow Curry ~ Homestyle

A really delicious and easy to make recipe. It's filling and has loads of goodness, when I made it the aroma filled the kitchen... you can always have it with steamed rice.

Ingredients:

6 Chicken fillet pieces
2 Hot green chillies
2 Red chillies
2 Dundicut peppers
Handful of chopped parsley
1 Small onion, diced
1 Tomato sliced
1/2 Can coconut milk
1 KDD cream
2 tablespoons Curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black peppers
1/2 yellow bell pepper

Method:

- Boil the chicken breasts and cut it into cubes.
- In a frying pan put some oil and fry the onions until golden.
- Add the tomatoes, red chillies, green chillies, yellow bell peppers and dundicut peppers and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add in the chopped parsley, curry powder, cumin, salt & pepper.
- Finely add in the KDD cream and coconut milk and mix until well blended.
- Lower heat, over and simmer for atleast 10 minutes.

Serve with white rice.

Enjoy...

My Choc-Caramel Turtle Madness

Cake Batter Ingredients:

2 Cups flour
2 Cups Sugar
3/4 Cup Cocoa
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Buttermilk (Leban)
1 Cup Oil
1&1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla
1 Cup Boiling Water

Caramel pecan mixture:
1 bag of caramels pieces
1/2 cup evaporated milk (Carnation)
1 cup chopped pecans

Plus:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips


Method:

- Preheat Oven at 350 degrees.
- Greese & flour a springform baking dish
- Place all the cake batter ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix on medium to high speed and make sure to scrap the bowl occasionally until all ingredients are blended and smooth.
- pour half of the batter into baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the caramel pecan mix by heating the caramels and evaporated milk over medium heat and stir constantly until caramels are melted, then stir in the pecans.
- Pour the caramel mixture over the cake from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips.
- Pour over the remaining batter and bake for another 28 minutes until the cake is fully cooked.
- Cool the cake for 30 minutes and serve with either ice cream, or more caramel & pecans topping.

Enjoy...

Homemade Sticky Date Pudding

Ingredients:
1 cup dates pitted & peeled
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda ( found in Sultan Center Kuwait)
a pinch of nutmeg (if available)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten


Toffee Sauce Ingredients:
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup KDD Cream
1&1/3 cups dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons water


Method:

- Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.
- Place the dates in a saucepan with 1 cup of water, vanilla extract, and baking soda. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. leave to cool.
- Prepare a mini cupcakes baking pan by buttering & flouring it.
- Cream the butter in a mixing bowl, add the date mixture.
- Combine the dry ingredients together: flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and sugar.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter and dates, add the beaten egg and stir gently to combine.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking pan until half full.
- Bake the mini cupcakes for 25 to 30 minutes.

While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the toffee sauce:
- Combine butter, KDD cream, brown sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and set aside keeping the sauce warm.

- Once the mini cupcakes are done, remove from oven, pour sauce on each mini cupcake individually (be generous) and put it back in the oven to bake for 2 more minutes.

- Remove from oven, set to cool then remove from baking dish to serve.

- Can be served with ready made custard, vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Enjoy...

My Strawberry CheeseCake w/ Strawberry Glaze

This is one of the oldest recipes I make, I have started making this cheese cake since 1992. Long time ago... it never lost it's flavor, always a classic!

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

a small box of McVitie's Digestive

half a stick of butter, melted

For the Cheesecake filling:

800 g philadelphia cream cheese (4 boxes)

3/4 cup sugar

5 teaspoons cornstarch

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

1&1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Glaze:

1 Strawberry Jello (prepared as instructed)

2 tablespoons Cornstarch

Method:

- Crush the digestive cookies and stir them together with the melted butter until well combined.

- Press the crumbs mixture evenly at the bottom of a springform pan. set aside.

- In a bowl combine the cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar and the cornstarch. Beat them with an electric mixer until all combined and smooth.

- Add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, beating after each addition. Add in the vanilla extract.

- Pour the mixture on top of the crust in the springform pan and spread evenly.

- Bake at 350 degrees f (170 c) for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 225 degrees f (100 c) and bake for one hour and 10 minutes.

- Remove the cake from the oven, chill it for a few hours or over night without removing it from the pan.

- Once chilled completely, prepare the stawberries, cut them in half and layer them on the cake.

- Prepare the glaze by making the jello and adding the cornstarch, then let it cool. Once cool pour it on top. Chill the cake in the fridge until the glaze is completely cool.

- take the cake out of the pan and serve.

Enjoy...

My Happy Carrot Cake Cupcakes.

Just last night I baked those lovely and heavenly tasting cupcakes, everyone raved about them and the process of making them was so easy.
The ingredients below make around 1 dozen cupcakes, so double the ingredients if you want more !!

Ingredients:

3 or 4 large carrots, peeled and grated finely
1/2 cup ground walnuts - or chopped to small pieces & toasted
2 medium size eggs
1/4 Leban or buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon baking soda ( found in sultan center - Arm & Hammer is the one I use)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
zest of one orange
1&1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

& for the frosting:  

1/2 stick butter (unsalted)
1 cup cream cheese (Philadelphia)
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Method:

- You start off by preheating the oven at 180C.
- In a bowl, place the carrots, eggs, leban (buttermilk), sugar, oil, orange zest & vanilla and whisk well.
- Then seperetly, in a different bowl whisk your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda & powder, salt, ground cardamom & cinnamon.
- mix both the dry ingredients & the carrot mixture together gently to incorporate.
- add the toasted walnuts, folding them in gently.
- Using cupcake pan (regular size) and paper baking cups, scoop 3/4 of the mixture into each paper cup.
- Bake for 28 minutes at 180C.
- While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the frosting by combining 1/2 stick of butter, 1 cup of cream cheese (Philadelphia cream cheese) and 3/4 cup powdered sugar beat until well combined. set aside.
- Remove cupcakes from oven when done. Allowing them to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Take them out of the pan and on to a wire rack.
- When fully cooled, spread the cupcakes with the frosting

Enjoy...