Apple ‘Tarte Fine’

Ingredients

5 egg yolks
500 g puff pastry
flour, for dusting
15 golden delicious apples
3 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
120 g butter
Grand Marnier, for drizzling, optional

Ice Cream

260 ml cream
260 ml milk
100 g glucose
1 vanilla bean, scraped
60 g sugar

Caramel Sauce

200 g sugar
50 ml water
260 ml cream

Method

1. Turn on ice cream machine to cool down. Preheat oven to 220ºC.
   
2. To make the ice cream, place the cream, milk, glucose and scraped vanilla bean in a saucepan and heat to just below boiling.

3. Place sugar and egg yolks in a bowl and whisk to combine. While whisking, slowly pour hot cream mixture over eggs until well combined. Return mixture to the saucepan and set over medium heat, stirring, until mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Remove from heat, strain into a bowl and cool down over iced water.
4. Churn cooled mixture in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Once churned, set aside in the freezer.
5. To make the tarts, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to 3 mm thick.
6. Using a 15 cm round cutter, cut out six discs & place on grease proof paper lined tray. Crimp the edges with fingertips pressing firmly. Prick each disc with the tines of a fork to prevent the pastry from rising and set aside in the fridge.
7. Cut the ends off each apple then peel, cut three cheeks off each apple avoiding the core. Slice each apple cheek as thinly as possible. Cut out 6 x 2.5 cm discs of apple.
8. Remove pastry discs from fridge and fan apple slices on each puff pastry disc until only a small hole remains in the center. Fill the hole with a disc of apple.
9. Sprinkle each tart with sugar and place a dot of the butter on top. Place in the oven to bake until apple is colored, about 20 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven, drizzle lightly with Grand Marnier, flip over tarts then return them to oven to continue cooking until brown and crispy. About a further 5-10 minutes.
11. To make the caramel sauce, place sugar and water in a saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook, brushing down the saucepan sides with water until sugar is golden and caramelized. Remove from heat, add cream and whisk to combine.
12. Serve tarts with ice cream and caramel sauce

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Australian Masterchef

French-style Braised Chicken Breasts, Fennel, Tomatoes, and Garlic

Ingredients

6 small fennel bulbs, 3 lb total, trimmed
2 tomatoes, diced or 14-1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 skinless, bone-in chicken breast halves, 5 oz each, trimmed of visible fat
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

Method

1. Cut each fennel bulb in half lengthwise through the base. Cut each half into 4 wedges.
2. In a large nonstick frying pan, combine the tomatoes, wine, orange zest, garlic, vinegar, and pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Arrange the chicken and fennel over the tomato mixture, spooning a bit of the sauce over them. Cover and cook until the chicken is opaque throughout and the fennel is tender, about 25 minutes.
4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and vegetables to a warmed platter.
5. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.
6. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and sprinkle with the parsley.
7. To serve, divide among individual plates.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Mayo Clinic

Chinese-style Scrambled Egg with Fried Fish Maw

Ingredients

4 eggs
1-1/3 oz fried fish maw
1 slice ginger
2 stalk green onion
2 stalks cilantro

Seasoning

1/3 tsp salt
1/8 tsp of sesame oil
pinch of ground white pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp chicken broth mix
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Method

1. Soak fried fish maw in cold water for an hour. Squeeze out excess water.
2. Boil 3 cups of water with 1 slice ginger and 2 stalks green onion. Add fried fish maw and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Squeeze out excess water with a wet towel when fried fish maw is cool. Chop fish maw and mix well with seasoning ingredients.
4. Whisk eggs with 1 Tbsp oil. Add fried fish maw and whisk again.
   
5. Stir-fry egg mixture with 4 Tbsp oil. Remove when egg is set. Garnish with cilantro before serving.

Source: Hong Kong magazine

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Pancakes with Peanut Butter

Ingredients

1 cup pancake mix
1/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup skim milk
1 large egg
1-1/2 tsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup sliced strawberries
1/3 cup pure maple syrup, warmed

Method

1. Combine pancake mix, peanut butter, milk, egg and oil, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
2. Heat a non-stick griddle to 375ºF or a large fry pan on medium heat. Spray lightly with cooking spray.
3. Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto griddle. Cook until bottoms are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn to brown other sides. Top pancakes with strawberries and syrup before serving.

Makes 4 servings, 3 pancakes each.

Source: What’s Cooking

French-style Veal Chop with Minced Meat

Ingredients

2 double veal chops
6 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup dried white bread crumbs, soaked in 2 tbsp cream until soft
all-purpose flour
bread crumbs
2 free-range eggs
vegetable oil (enough to shallow-fry)
salt
black pepper

Method

1. Take the meat off the chops and set the bones aside. Trim the meat and remove any sinew, then mince the meat with the butter and mix in the softened bread crumbs. Season the mixture well, then shape it along each chop bone to reform the shape. Place the chops in the fridge to set.
2. Spread the flour and bread crumbs on separate plates and whisk the eggs in a bowl.
3. Dust the chops with flour first, then dip them into the egg, and lastly coat with bread crumbs. Place the chops in the fridge again to chill and set before frying — don’t be tempted to skip this step, as it is important that the chops be firm before frying.
4. Heat enough vegetable oil in a frying pan for shallow-frying. Add the chops and gently brown them all over. Turn them carefully so that all of the crumb coating is beautifully golden — you’ll need to hold each chop with tongs to brown the edges.
5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the browned chops in the oven until the meat is cooked but still pink, about 15 minutes. Slice each chop in half and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: The French Kitchen