BBQ Birthday

I turned 18 on the 8th of April this year and never got round to having a party because I was busy (celebrating with my family, doing revision and heading to a metallica concert!) But I finally got round to holding a pool party with many of my closest friends.
I made a couple of things to eat because everyone loves a BBQ with LOADS of food (especially me because I love left overs - though, 3 days later, I am a bit sick of eating couscous and kebabs).



I made;

• roasted vegetable couscous
• vegetable rice
• tomato and mozzarella pasta salad
• lettuce salad
• potato salad
• vegetable skewers (aubergine, courgette - yellow and green - mushrooms and peppers)
• strawberry pavlova
• mascapone cheesecake
• lemon and blackcurrant Victoria sponge 
• trifle (made by my mum)

Strawberry Pavlova;
(serves 8)
Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees C. Whisk 3 egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually, tablespoon by tablespoon, whisk in 175g caster sugar, beating well after each addition. Separately, combine a teaspoon of cornflour with a teaspoon of vinegar. Add this to the egg white mixture. Line a baking dish with parchment paper and spread 2 tablespoons of the mixture into an even circle in the middle. Dollop consecutive tablespoons around the edge until the circle is complete. Turn the oven temperature down to 140 degrees and bake for 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Whip 300ml cream and dollop all in the middle. Decorate with strawberry halves and serve.

Vegetable Rice;
(serves 6)
Steam 500g basmati rice in boiling water in a pan over the hob for 10 mins (with the lid of the pan on). Remove the lid and pour in 200g frozen chooped vegetables and return to steam for 5 mins. Serve.

(For left-overs my mum made egg fried rice with this;
Pour the rice into a warm frying pan. Crack an egg or two - depending on amount of rice - into the middle and stir until the egg is cooked and mixed into the rice. Serve)

Vegetable Couscous;
(Serves 6)
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C. Dice 1/2 a large aubergine, 1 orange bell pepper and 1 red pepper. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a baking dish and then pour in the cut vegetables. Bake for 20 minutes until the vegetable look slightly shriveled and roasted. Then pour enough boiling water to just cover 250g couscous in a pan. Wait for 10 minutes until the couscous is fluffy without putting the pan on the heat and then season with salt. Stir in the mixed veg with their oil and juices and serve.


I'll be doing a student dinners section very soon, teaching all the Uni students how to cook quick and delicious 'mummy' meals. Stay tuned :D

Super Simple Pitta Pizzas

I've just rustled this up for my lunch tomorrow. It's a pizza made on a pre-made pitta and is very very fast.

Ingredients:
1 wholemeal pitta bread
1 tsp tomato puree
1 tsp fat free soft cheese
grated cheese
tbsp black, pitted and sliced olives
4 small basil leaves

Method:

1. Baste the pitta bread with the soft cheese and the spread the tomato puree on top
2. Sprinkle enough grated cheese to cover the base thickly and sprinkle on
3. Spread the olives out on top of the cheese 
4. Grate more cheese that will provide a thin layer and sprinkle over the olives
5. Grill (I did this step in the microwave) for 4 1/2 minutes 
6. Immediately remove from the grill and ensure that the cheese has melted
7. Then arrange the basil leaves on top 

Lemon Drizzle

I was very lucky this Christmas to receive Paul Holloywood's 'How to Bake' recipe book. It features some wonderful recipes including this; which is named Mr's Post's Lemon Drizzle Cake. I made it today and it was an absolute treat and very light and fluffy. I found it best to do this recipe solely with a wooden spoon.

Makes 9 squares
Ingredients:
Cake:
75g butter
125g caster sugar
150g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 tbsp lemon curd
2 1/2 tbsp full-fat milk

Drizzle:
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp granulated sugar

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees

1. Beat butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy
2. Add all the other ingredients (for the cake) and beat until thoroughly combined
3. Pour the mixture into a medium square baking tray
4. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden
5. As soon as the cake is taken out of the oven, mix the lemon juice and sugar (for the drizzle) in a small saucepan until just boiling (with small bubbles forming on the edges) and the sugar is dissolved
6. Pour evenly over the hot cake and allow to completely cool
7. When cool, cut into 9 squares
8. If you want, dust with icing sugar

Almond Shortbread

These shortbread biscuits are made at the suggestion of my good friend Danielle (www.greyeyesblueskies.blogspot.com) and were great to celebrate the end of my Jan exams! :D These were delicious but just needed a tad more sugar to the original recipe (which I have now added). I hope you enjoy their melt-in-the-mouth texture as much as I did!

Makes 15
Ingredients:
150g plain flour
150g butter
75g cornflour
100g caster sugar
1 tsp almond essence
handful of flaked almonds

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees

1. Either in a food processor or with a wooden spoon, combine the flour, butter, cornflour, caster sugar and almond essence until it forms a strong dough (about 3 mins)
2. Place into a lined medium square baking tray and flatten to fill out the tray
3. Sprinkle the flaked almonds evenly on top and prick the shortbread all over with a fork
4. Bake for 40 minutes until golden and firm
5. Leave until lukewarm and them cut out 15 pieces leaving in the tin
6. When completely cool removed and store

Mary Berry's Apple Cobbler

This recipe is the best Mary Berry recipe I've ever made and is remarkably easy as well as sweet. With such a recipe at your hands, it is no doubt that you will be viewed as a professional chef in no time! (Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture for this recipe)

Serves 5
Ingredients:
Filling;
200g raw brown sugar
45g plain flour
30g butter
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 large cooking apples

Cobble dough;
150g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
45g butter
175ml milk

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees

1. Measure out brown sugar and flour (for the filling) into a small saucepan with 250ml water
2. Bring to the boil over a medium heat and continuously stir
3. When thickened remove from the heat
4. Immediately stir in the butter, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg (for the filling) until melted and thoroughly combined
5. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples
6. Arrange into a medium sized round baking dish
7. Pour the sauce over the apples
8. Now begin the dough; combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl
9. Rub in the butter with fingertips until loosely combined (not thin like breadcrumbs)
10. Add the milk and mix loosely so as the mix is still lumpy
11. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture over the apples but not in a way that the entire bowl is covered in the dough
12. Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden
13. Serve immediately with cream/ ice cream

Juicy Teabread

This is a very quick, store-cupboard fruit loaf (or teabread) that is a perfect uni recipe or alternatively a lazy Saturday one (or Sunday if you're not in the middle-east). I've made this before and I find it so tasty so I wanted to share it with you.

Juicy Teabread
Ingredients:
Soaked fruit (150g raisins, 150g dried apricots and 50g glace cherries soaked for 30 mins in 150ml boiling water)
75g brown sugar
1 egg
175g self-raising flour

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C

1. Grease and line a loaf tin
2. Add the sugar and egg to the soaked fruit, folding in with a spoon
3. Sift in the flour into the same bowl and fold in until completely combined
4. Place in the oven for 50 minutes checking that the cake is cooked by inserting a skewer and ensuring that it comes out clean 
5. After 10 minutes, turn out the cake onto a wire rack to cool

Banana Bread; a twist

Banana bread is one of the most crucial recipes that anyone should learn but it super delicious and  moist. It is perfect as a warm pudding or taken in slices for packed lunches - like I had today :) This is my twist on the recipe which incorporates bananas, walnuts and coffee and finishes off with a toffee sauce. This is by far my favourite way to get rid of those over-ripe bananas without them going to waste.

Laura's Banana Bread

Ingredients:

3 large over-ripe bananas (mashed)

250g caster sugar

125g unsalted butter

2 eggs

'coffee concentrate' (2 heaped teaspoons of instant coffee dissolved in 50ml boiling water)

260g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 handfuls of walnuts

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup cream

1/3 cup butter

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C

1. Line and grease a loaf tin with grease-proof paper
2. Whisk together the bananas and sugar for a good 4 minutes until smooth
3. Now beat in the butter until the mixture is, once again, smooth
4. Beat in the eggs, once at a time and then mix with 2 tablespoons of the coffee 'concentrate'
5. Now sift in the flour and baking powder and FOLD in with a wooden spoon
6. Fold in the walnuts pieces and the spread into the loaf tin
7. Bake for 45 minutes (This mixture tends to be quite wet so insert a skewer or fork from the top to the base of the cake to ensure it is fully cooked through - the skewer should come out of the cake clean)
8. Remove from the tin and leave to cool
9. Once cool, combine the brown sugar, butter and cream in a saucepan and constantly stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved
10. Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture until thickened the pour directly over banana bread