Recipe Share - Creamy Chicken, Leek & Blue Cheese Pie

No, not reallly seasonally appropriate I know. But a recent facebook discussion on favourite chicken thigh recipes has prompted me to share this one. You see I have trawlled allover cyberspace, and can't find a link for it anywhere, so I have created my own. You asked for it Yvette - you got it :) Creamy Chicken, Leek & Blue Cheese Pie From Food A real winter warmer. Rich, creamy and delicious. Ingredients: 2 sheets short crust pastry, thawed 1 tablespoon oil 500 g Chicken thigh fillets, cubed 60 g butter 2 leek, halved, washed, finely sliced 125 g mushrooms, sliced 1 thyme sprig, leaves removed and chopped 300 ml thickened cream 2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour 45 g creamy bue cheese, crumbled 1 sheets puff pastry, thawed 1 egg, beaten mashed potato, peas or other vegetales to serve Directions: 1. Preheat oven to hot (200℃). Place short crust pastry sheets next to each other on a lightly floured surface, with edges overlapping. Join together by rolling overlapped edges with a rolling pin. Gently ease pastry into a 6 cup capacity pie/baking dish, allowing to overhang. Chill for 20 minutes. Bake for 5 minutes 2. While chilling pastry, heat oil in a frying pan on high. Sauté chicken in batches seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, until browned. Transfer to a plate. 3. Melt butter in same pan on high. Sauté leek for 5-10 minutes until caramelised. Add the mushroom and thyme and sauté for 5-10 minutes until mushroom is tender. 4. In a jug, blend cream and flour together. Blend into leek mixture with cheese. Season to taste. Bring to the boil on high, stirring. Add chicken. Reduce heat to low and simmer for three minutes. Cool. 5. Pour mixture into pre-baked pastry case. Cover with puff pastry and press down edges firmly. Trim excess. Press a fork around edges to seal. 6. Brush pastry with egg. Make a small hole in centre of pastry to allow steam to escape. Bake for 25-30 minutes until pastry has risen and is golden brown. Serve with mashed potatoes and peas or other vegetables of choice. (Serves 6) If you like a stronger blue cheese taste, use the whole 90g packet of creamy blue cheese. Alternatively if blue cheese isn't your thing, try camembert, brie or any other soft and crumbly cheese. Print Friendly Version

Recipe Share -Sunday Pancakes

Alternative Post Title: Too good not to be shared :) So both boys are out of the house this morning, so we girls decided we would have a pancake breakfast! I don't know about you, but I love a good pancake. But for me it has to be light, fluffy, piping hot and melt in your mouth and at least a centimeter and a half high. Do you know how hard it is to get a GOOD pancake when out for breakfast? Most places I have been to they end up being rubbery, flat, cold and good for nothing but Frisbee frankly! Well, no more! Put down that "Shake'n'Pour" because I have the mother of all pancake recipes. I found this probably eight or nine years ago and I can honestly say that I have never ordered pancakes form a breakfast menu again! (Except for twice from the Pancake Parlour while on holidays. And let's face it, if an establishment specialises in pancakes we can pretty much guarantee that they are going to be good.  The reason I have never again ordered pancakes from a breakfast menu or buffet? While I am perusing the menu I am thinking to myself "Don't do it, you know you're going to be disappointed, it doesn't matter how good they claim to be - you know yours are better!"  and so I move on to Eggs Benedict or the pastry basket! Yes this recipe really is that good! Sunday Pancakes Ingredients: Dry Ingredients     ¾ cup plain (all-purpose) flour, (cake flour is excellent!)         ¾ cup plain wholemeal flour         1 tablespoon sugar, heaped         1 tablespoon baking powder, heaped         pinch salt Wet Ingredients     1¼ cups milk         1 egg         2 teaspoons vanlla extract         2 egg yolks, from separated eggs         2 egg whites, beaten stiff         unsalted butter and oil for frying For Serving     Maple Syrup, best quality         cream         butter         icecream         jam         cinnamon sugar Directions: Sift (or whisk) the dry ingredients into a bowl. Combine the wet ingredients Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Place a large frying pan/skillet over a low heat. Heat until the pan is hot enough so that droplets of water "dance" for a second or two. Add a teaspoon each of butter and oil to the pan and swirl around until meted Pour in half ladle sized portions an when bubbles rise to the top, flip and cook for a further 30-60 seconds. I like to keep a baking dish covered with foil in the oven on the "keep warm" setting. Pop the cooked pancakes in here to stay warm until all the batter has been cooked. Serve in stacks with butter, maple syrup, fresh seasonal fruit, cream, icecream, jam or cinnamon sugar (or all of the above!). Makes 12-14 10cm diameter pancakes (Serves 4-6) Print Friendly Version But don't take my word for it. The proof is in the eating as they say

Recipe Share - Butter Tandoori Chicken with Wilted Garlic Baby Spinach

Wow, that's a mouthful! But you better believe a delicious mouthful :)

I first tried this when Meg made it for our cooking club. So delicious I had to get the recipe. The original recipe comes from taste.com.au, I have added the baby spinach to introduce some greens for a more balanced meal.

Butter Tandoori Chicken with Wilted Garlic Baby Spinach
Ingredients:
For the Chicken

• 1 tablespoon Welly Boot Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 500g chicken thigh, cubed
• 3 tablespoons Tandoori paste
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 375ml can lite evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornflour
• 15g butter

For the Spinach

• 150g Baby Spinach, washed and drained
• 1 clove garlic
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

Directions:
Heat oil in a frying pan, add chicken and cook for 2 minutes.
Add Tandoori paste and tomato paste and stir until chicken is coated.
Combine the evaporated milk, sugar and cornflour and pour over chicken, mixing well.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add butter and stir until melted.
Garnish with flaked almonds. Serve with steamed basmati rice.

While the chicken is simmering, place the water and garlic in a large pot  and bring to the boil. Add the spinach leaves, immediately cover the pot and turn off the heat. Leave for 3-5 minutes until just wilted. Squeeze lemon juice over wilted leaves, salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

(Serves 4)

The best tandoori paste I have found (and the one that Meg turned me on to) is "Maharaja's Choice" brand available from Coles.
This is pretty family friendly. But you can adjust the heat by adding more or less Tandoori paste. eg 1 tablespoon = mild, 2 tablespoons = medium, 3tablespoons = hot (for little kiddies anyway). Our kids like to mix in some plain yoghurt to turn the heat down if needed.

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Dinner Last Night - Recipe Share

Classic Shepherd's Pie

Classic winter warming family favourite

From Food

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon Welly Boot Extra Virgin Olive Oil


• 1 brown onion, halved, finely chopped


• 1 clove garlic, crushed


• 1 carrot, peeled, finely chopped


• 2 celery sticks, trimmed, finely chopped


• 3 rashers bacon, finely chopped


• 500 grams Beef Mince


• 2 tablespoons plain flour


• 500m l (2 cups) beef stock


• 1 dried bay leaf


• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce


• 1 tablespoon tomato paste


• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

For the Mashed Potato

• 4 kg mashing potatoes, halved (unpeeled)


• ¼ cup unsalted butter


• ⅓ cup double cream


• Melted butter, to brush

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, carrot, celery and bacon. Cook stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add beef mince and cook, stirring to break up any lumps, for 5 minutes or until mince changes colour.

Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until combined. Add stock, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile: Boil the halved or chunked (but unpeeled) potatoes in a large pan of lightly salted water. When they are soft enough to mash, drain them thoroughly then push the potato pieces through a ricer.

With a wooden spoon, beat in the warm cream and butter and season with salt, pepper and some freshly grated nutmeg, to taste.
Spoon lamb mixture into a 2L (8-cup) capacity ovenproof baking dish. Top with mashed potato and use a fork to spread over mince mixture. Brush with butter. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until mashed potato is golden brown. Serve immediately

TIP: To save on preparation time, I using the chopping blade of my food processor for the onion and garlic. Then while they are still in the bowl I switch to the dicing/chipping blade for the celery and carrot. Also, I like to use Prima pre-diced bacon from the small goods section of the supermarket. Minutes of chopping and dicing has now become mere seconds!

Scrappers, don't forget to check out this post to be in the running to receive a raw chipboard RAK!

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