Pecan Cinnamon Twists

We were looking for a maple and pecan recipe (to try to 'do' a Danish like the ones J sees in the Waitrose cafe) but then realised we didn't have any maple syrup.  With this in mind, we decided to make up a 'post-Christmas' ingredients recipe to use up some of the things we had in the cupboards.  This is how we hit upon a recipe to use ground cinnamon and pecan nuts.

Having finally found some Silly Yak gluten free pastry (in the normal chiller with other pastries at Tesco) we thought we'd use this too.

We gathered the following ingredients -

35g dark brown sugar
25g pecans, shelled
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
200g puff pastry (rolled out to 20 x 25 cm sheet)  (we used Silly Yak gluten free which we'd finally tracked down in the chiller cabinet at Tesco)








To start, we combined first three ingredients in a the small hand blender bowl and blitzed till finely and combined.

Next the puff pastry was rolled out.  We used silicone sheets and lots of flour to make sure the pastry was thin and didn't stick (too much).

Once rolled out, the pastry sheet was brushed with the beated egg and then the sugar/nut mix was spread over it.

Using a pizza cutter, we cut the sheet into strips which were then twisted and placed on a chilled, non-stick, baking sheet.  We made sure to push the ends down in the hope this would stop the twists from straightening during baking.

We placed each finished sheet in the fridge to keep the twists chilled.

The twists were then baked in a hot (180ºC fan) oven for 12-15 minutes until golden (this time will vary depending on how thick you made your twists)

Cooling the twists for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, they were then transferred to a rack to fully cool.

YUM!

Chocolate Fudge

 

Forget the calories involved in this dish... if you're bothered about them, then this recipe is not for you!  We've been trying to make fudge for a couple of years (not continuously!) and found this recipe online which seemed promising... it needs just one can of condensed milk (397g), 4 Tablespoons of butter (we used 62g) and a POUND of chocolate (eek).

Gathering the chocolate, we went for a mixture of bars (broken up), chips and nibs... milk and plain.




Then the butter and chocolate were placed in a metal bowl which went over a pan with boiling water in.



At this point the condensed milk was added and the mix was left to heat through.















We then stirred the mix regularly until it was smooth before turning into a greased and double clingwrap lined Pyrex dish.

The fudge was then left to cool before being covered with more cling film and then put in the fridge to set completely.  Once cooled it was divided into very small pieces and stored in airtight containers.  We put some in cellophane bags for gifts for friends and the rest was ALL FOR US!  (it did last a very long time)

Tuna, Walnut and Grape Salad

As the title suggests, this is a tuna salad with grapes and walnuts.  Added to the 'mix' is some mayonnaise to bind things together but, apart from a generous twist of freshly ground black pepper, it's a simple dish to make.

Ingredients gathered as follows - one 185g tin tuna (drained), a good handful of walnut bits (about 75g), a small bunch of seedless grapes (about 125g) and a large dollop of mayonnaise (we used 3 heaped dessert spoonsful)














The walnuts were roughly chopped and the grapes were halved (this not only makes them go further - a thrifty tip - but also makes Sous Chef J able to eat them more easily)


Having drained the tuna, the mayonnaise was mixed through and then the other ingredients were added and combined. 

Finally, seasoning with some freshly ground pepper and the salad was then ready to eat.  We served it with crisps and a green salad. 

It's a great dish for a packed lunch, goes well at a bbq and you can adjust the amounts/ratios of ingredients according to your taste or availability of ingredients.

Devilishly Delicious Desserts

We tracked down some interesting looking cartons in the chilled dessert section of the supermarket the other week.  On the side of the cartons there was lovely, clear labelling to say the contents are Gluten Free.  As Sous Chef J likes all things yellow we decided to try out the Sicilian Lemon Pot and also the Pannacotta.

The instructions on the back of the carton are nice and simple, just as we like them to be.  So, we opened the Sicilian Lemon carton, poured the contents into a non-stick pan and boiled, vigourously, for 2 minutes as instructed.  We did remember to stir a couple of times during the boiling and also used the time to find our ramekins.

Once the two minutes was up, the dessert was shared between the ramekins as evenly as possible.  These were then placed in the fridge to cool for a couple of hours (but we think they could also be made the day before you needed them, covered and chilled til serving time.)  Finally we 'attempted' to pipe some whipped cream on top... the rustic result was very tasty!

Sous Chef J thinks that the addition of some lemon zest would be good the next time we make them.

You can find out about the other products here - http://www.devilishlydelicious.co.uk  - and they have a handy stockists' finder on the site too.

Pasta Royale

When there's not much time and/or we're short on supplies there's a 'dish' we all like.  Amongst other things it is very quick to make as well. (Apologies to the easily terrified amongst you - Sous Chef J was making use of his newly found werewolf gloves and thought they added something to the above pic!)

So how did we make this simple dish?  Easy! We gathered together pasta (today we used Salute Gluten free spaghetti), frozen peas, frozen sweetcorn (or you can use drained corn from a tin), grated cheese, a knob of butter and some tomato ketchup.  Cooked the pasta per instructions... and 4 minutes before the boiling time was done, added the peas and sweetcorn (you can add both/one or none of these depending on supplies/likes). Brought the pan back to boil and then cooked for remaining pasta cooking time.


Once we drained the pasta/veg mix (we used a sieve) we added the butter to the cooking pan and swirled it around a bit to melt it before adding the now drained pasta/veg.  Then we mixed the melted butter through, added a handful of grated cheese (we used mature cheddar but parmesan works well too), a dollop of ketchup and some freshly ground black pepper.  Combined it all together and served.

This can be made dairy free by omitting the butter and cheese - in this case, use a little oil and some chopped and sweated garlic in place of them.