Bruschetta with Roast Beef

Ingredients

2 red vine tomatoes
2 plum tomatoes
1.5 tsp crushed garlic
0.5 white onion (small)
0.5 tsp pesto
dried basil
salt
fresh ground pepper
ciabatta bread
sliced lean roast beef
aged white cheddar
margarine


Take the ciabatta bread, slice baguette diagonally to create angled round slices, place on stove top grill to toast. Set the stove at a low heat and flip the bread as necessary to allow bread to become brown and crunchy.

Wilde Oscar says: Even better if the bread is a bit stale- you can toast it to a more satisfying crunch this way. But remember: stale, not moldy.

Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes into small cubic pieces, finely dice the onion, and mix in a bowl. Add the pesto, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Add plenty of dried basil and mix liberally. Add a squirt of fresh lemon if desired.

Wilde Oscar says: The key to making a good tomato mix is using different types of tomatoes: the different varieties brings out more flavour and gives it a good kick. It also works best if you let the mix sit in the fridge for a few hours to infuse, then bring back to just below room temp.

Once browned, remove the bread and spread thin layer of margarine and slice of roast beef. Add the tomato mix. Top with aged white cheddar and freshly ground pepper.

Strawberry Rhubarb Empanadas [Mexico]

Strawberry and Rhubarb... a killer combination:




Okay, back to work.

To make the empanadas you'll have to first make the pastry.

Ingredients-

Pastry Dough:

3 cups flour
0.5 cup white sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
0.25 tsp salt
3-4 tbsp cold water

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling:

3 cups of rhubarb

3 cups strawberry

1 cup sugar

2 tbs apple juice (orange juice works too)

1 tbs cornstarch

1 egg

0.5 cup brown demerara sugar

In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and eggs (one at a time). Use a food processor on a low setting to mix the ingredients, and add the cold water as necessary. Knead until you get a moderately firm dough.

The dough'll be too soft at this point, so separate it into two batches, flatten, wrap in plastic, and stick in the fridge to chill for an hour or so. You may want to use this time to start on the filling (below).

When you're ready, bring the dough to a flat surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out. You want it to be reasonably thin- thin enough to fold, but not so thin as to tear when stuffed.

Wilde Oscar says: As it warms, the dough'll stick to everything so make sure the surface you're rolling on and the rolling pin are well coated with flour. This'll help keep the dough from sticking and making a mess.

Once you've got the dough flattened, use something with a round shape, 8-10 cm in diameter, to make circular rounds. If you haven't got a cookie cutter of the right size, a small bowl works well.

Wilde Oscar says: Letting the dough get too warm causes it to melt out of shape. It's not a bad idea to put the rounds back in the fridge to cool as soon as you've made them instead of letting them melt while you roll and re roll the dough.

To prepare the filling:

Chop the rhubarb and strawberries into small pieces. Toss them into a saucepan and add the cornstarch and apple juice. Mix well.

Optional: [to make sure rhubarb cooks] On low/medium heat, allow the filling mix to heat up, very slightly, for a minute or two. You really don't want to over do this.

Stick the mixture back into the fridge to cool completely- warm filling will melt the dough and make a mess. The filling must be cold when you start.

When you're convinced that the dough and filling have chilled, pull them out of the fridge. Line your baking pan with parchment paper, and lay the dough circles on it. Crack the egg and separate the white from the yellow. Whisk them both.

Brush the whites on the edges of the disk, pour a small amount of filling on the lower half, and fold. Use a fork to seal the edges.

Brush the whisked egg yellow onto the outside of the empanada to give it a nice shine.

Sprinkle the demerara sugar on top.

Wilde Oscar says: If you run out of filling before you run out of disks, be creative. White nectarines dipped in the run off liquid of rhubarb and strawberry makes a killer filling as well. Depending on the fruit, you may not need to heat the mix to soften. White nectarines were fine uncooked.

You can go ahead and place the finished empanadas into an oven preheated to 160C.

As the heat warms the filling faster than the dough cooks, you might find mini eruptions in the dough causing some spill out. This isn't a problem, but if you want them to come out without the little red volcanoes, put the empanadas back in the fridge for 30 mins to chill before you bake them.

Let them cook until they're a golden brown colour. About 10 minutes. Pull them out and eat them hot with loads of ice cream.

Empanadas actually are Spanish and Portugese in origin, but were carried down to Latin America where the stuffing, shape, size and glazes changed. The Mexicans got it right, I think, changing the filling from savory stuff like pork, fish, and vegetables, to fruity desserts. They also were the ones who decided to add whipped cream and serve them for breakfast. Brilliant

Simple Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
0.25 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
0.25 tsp. dried thyme
0.5 bay leaf
0.25 cup chopped yellow onions
0.25 cup chopped celery
0.25 cup peeled and chopped carrots
0.25 cup chopped white button mushrooms
0.25 cup chopped red-skinned potatoes
0.25 cup cabbage, cut into 1 inch squares
1 cup chopped cooked chicken
0.25 cup cooked fresh or frozen corn
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
frozen puff pastry to cover selected baking bowls
1 egg whisked with 1 tsp. water

Wash and chop all your vegetables. Be sure to leave the skin on the red potatoes.

Heat a saucepan on low to medium, and melt the butter. Add the flour and stir continuously to keep from sticking. Allow the mixture to cook for 1-2 mins. Add the chicken broth and whisk to ensure a smooth base.
Add the thyme and bay leaf and allow another minute before adding the onions, cabbage, celery, mushrooms and carrots. Allow the vegetables to cook in the base for about five minutes, until soft. Stir constantly.

Wilde Oscar says: Now is not a good time to get distracted; if the World Cup happens to be on, be creative. ---> ---> ---> --->

Add the chicken, corn, potatoes, salt and pepper, and cook for another five minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Make sure your puff pastry is rolled out and room temperature. When ready, dish out the filling into the pot pie bowls. Moisten the rims of the bowls with some of the egg white/water mix and press the puff pastry over the edges firmly, covering the dish. Brush the remaining egg white mix on to the top of the pastry.

Place in an oven preheated to 160C until the pastry is a golden brown colour. Remove, allow to cool slightly, and serve.

Chocolate Mascarpone Crepes

Salima- this one's for you. Word has it you're a crepe fan. Cheese and chocolate wouldn't normally be my idea of a good mix- but this is definitely one of the most successful desserts yet. Can only assume it was the Kahlua- apparently alcohol's good at getting things to mix.

Ingredients:

For the crepes:
2 tsp cocoa powder
0.5 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
6 tbsp all-purpose flour
2-3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tbsp Kahlua
1 cup milk (or more to achieve desired consistency)

For the filling:
0.75 cup mascarpone cheese
0.33 cup powdered sugar
0.5 cup heavy cream
3-4 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp Kahlua
pinch of salt
3 bananas

To Prepare the Crepes:

Mix the cocoa, eggs, vanilla, and Kahlua in a bowl. Whisk in flour and butter and mix until smooth. Use a saucepan to scald the milk and allow simmer at a low temperature (but not boil off). Slowly mix with dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. If batter looks too thick to pour, add more milk as necessary to get appropriate batter consistency. Chill for 40 mins.

To Prepare the Filling:

In a bowl mix the mascarpone, cream, powdered sugar, cocoa, vanilla, liquor, and salt and mix until properly integrated. If the consistency is too runny (will depend on mascarpone used), add more cocoa and a pinch of flour to thicken.

Wilde Oscar says: You don't want a liquid filling; it should be just a bit runnier than a nutella spread. Maybe close to a soft margarine.

Heat a non stick pan on low to medium heat (or use cooking spray if necessary). Spoon out the chilled batter in 0.25 cup proportions on to the center of the pan and swirl the pan to spread evenly. The pancake should cook through and probably won't need to be flipped to cook on both sides. However if one side is burning without the top cooking through, go nuts - try and flip. It's all in the wrist. Don't tear the crepe.

Spread a thin layer of the filling onto the center of the crepe, and top with three to four banana slices. Fold sides and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.

If done correctly, you'll find that the Kahlua and bananas have provided enough sweetness so that no extra sugar will be necessary. The mascarpone filling should be light, airy, and sweet, offsetting some of the richness of the cocoa.