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

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

Chia Seed Pudding with Home-made Almond Milk

Ingredients

1 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup black chia seeds
1 to 2 tsp maple syrup
1 cup wild blueberries
zest from 1/4 lemon
6 to 10 mint leaves, chopped, to taste (reserve some for garnish)
1/4 cup almonds, toasted and chopped

Almond Milk

1 cup almonds, raw
4 cups water, divided

Method

1. To make almond milk, combine 1 cup almonds with 1-1/2 cups water in a small bowl. Cover and let soak for 6 hours.
2. Remove almonds and discard soaking liquid. Rinse almonds. Place nuts in blender with 2-1/2 cups water and blend on highest setting for 5 minutes, or until smooth milk-like liquid is formed.
3. Line fine-meshed sieve with 2 layers of cheesecloth and strain almond-water mixture through it slowly, taking care to separate the solids from the milk. Squeeze out any remaining liquid by pressing the back of a wooden spoon on collected solids.
4. To make chia seed pudding, mix together yogurt, 1 cup prepared almond milk, chia seeds, and syrup in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or until mixture has a thick, creamy consistency and chia seeds are swollen.
5. To serve, mix wild blueberries, zest, and mint into chia seed pudding until incorporated. Divide mixture among 6 small bowls or glasses and top with toasted almonds. Garnish with mint.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Alive magazine

Roasted Pork Belly with Ginger Beer

Ingredients

1.5 kilogram piece boneless pork belly, skin on
2 onions, sliced
3 cups good quality ginger beer
3 firm but ripe pears, halved
1–2 fennel bulbs, cut into thick wedges through the root

Seasoning Paste

3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
sea salt and ground pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 210°C convection bake.
2. Combine the paste ingredients in a bowl. Spread over the flesh side of the pork.
3. Arrange the onions in the base of a baking dish and place the pork, skin side up, on top.
4. Rub the skin with a little olive oil then sprinkle with sea salt.
5. Add enough ginger beer to come half way up the side of the pork but don’t let it touch the skin.
6. Roast for 30 minutes then remove from the oven.
7. Place the pears and fennel around the pork, spooning over some of the pan juices (but not over the pork).
8. Reduce the oven to 160°C convection bake.
9. Return the pork to the oven and roast for about 40 minutes or until the pork is tender when pierced with a skewer and the fennel and pears are tender. Cooking time will depend on how thick the pork is.
10. If the skin is not crisp and you would like the pears to have more colour, place the baking dish under a hot grill for a few minutes until the skin is golden.
11. Slice the pork and serve with the pears and fennel. Spoon the pan juices over before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Dish magazine