Saffron Mango Mousse (Shrikhand)

Prep Time: 15 min
Chill Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

Mango – 1
Sugar – 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp or to taste
Cream Cheese – 8 oz, at room temperature
Sour Cream – 1/2 cup (4 oz)
Saffron (Kesar) – pinch
Milk – 1 Tbsp
Cardamom Powder – 1/8 tsp
Chopped Pistachios – 2 Tbsp, chopped

Method:

1. Warm up Milk and soak the Saffron in it.
2. Set aside till ready to use.
3. Wash and peel the Mango.
4. Cut around the stone (seed).
4. Put the Mango in a Food Processor.
5. Add Sugar and give it a couple of quick pulses.
6. Roughly cube the Cream Cheese and add to the Food Processor.
7. To this add in Sour Cream, Saffron soaked in Milk and Powdered Cardamom.
8. Close Food Processor and mix well.
9. Half way through you can do the taste test and make sure the Sugar is right on for you.
10. Add 3/4th of the chopped Pistachios to the food processor, save balance of the nuts for topping.
11. Give the mousse one more quick pulse.
12. Transfer into a serving dish or pie.
13. Garnish with the balance of the Pistachios and a few stands of Saffron (optional).
14. Allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
15. Serve Chilled.

Ice Cream with pistachio’s and rose water

Ice Cream with pistachio’s and rose water
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 400 mls of milk
• 400 mls of double cream
• 100 g’s of caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs yolks
• 2 teaspoons of rose-water
• chopped pistachio nuts

Preparation:

• If you are using an ice cream maker make sure your bowl is frozen
• You will need a storage container
• whisk the cream until thick

Method:

1. Pour the milk into a pan and slowly heat to boiling point.
2. pour the egg yolks into a bowl and add the sugar and rose-water
3. Mix in well with a hand whisk
4. Add the egg yolk and sugar to the milk continuing to whisk
5. Return to a low heat and stir constantly until the mixture forms a glaze over the back of a wooden spoon but do not let it boil or the ingredients will separate.
6. Remove from the heat and place to one side until cold
7. When cold fold the cream into the milk mix and stir in
8. Either pour this into your freeze bowl and follow the instructions for freeze churning
9. OR pour into a storage container.
10. When the Ice Cream is beginning to set add the pistachio nuts and return to the freezer or continue the freeze process.

Christmas or New Year cheesecake

Christmas or New Year cheesecake


Ingredients

• 200g packet digestive biscuits
• 85g unsalted butter, melted
• 500g cream cheese
• 100ml Dairy Farmers Thickened Cream
• 3 eggs
• 200g caster sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste*
• 300g Dairy Farmers Sour Cream
• 150g Dairy Farmers Traditional Natural Yogurt
• 300g frozen cranberries
• 2 tbs port
• 1 tsp arrowroot
• 8 small rosemary sprigs dusted with icing sugar, to garnish

 

Method

 

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Step 2

Process biscuits to fine crumbs in a food processor. Add butter and whiz to combine. Press evenly into the base of a 20cm springform cake pan and chill while you make the filling.

Step 3

Place cheese, thickened cream, eggs, 100g caster sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste in the (cleaned) food processor, and process until smooth. Spread filling over biscuit base.

Step 4

Bake for 30 minutes or until filling has set. Remove cake from oven and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.

Step 5

Meanwhile, combine sour cream, yoghurt, another 50g caster sugar and remaining vanilla paste. Spread over cake, then return to oven for a further 10 minutes. Set aside to cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Step 6

Place remaining 50g sugar, cranberries and port in a saucepan over low heat. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove lid and stir.Continue to cook until the cranberries give off their juice. Stir arrowroot into a dash of the juice, then add to pan with berry mixture and continue to cook until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and cool.

Step 7

To serve, top cake with cranberry sauce and garnish rosemary sprigs dusted with icing sugar.

 

Coconut berry Ice

Coconut berry Ice Block

Serving size: Serves 10 or more
Cooking time: More than 2 hours

INGREDIENTS

300g frozen raspberries
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 cups thickened cream
2 cups coconut cream

Equipment: Wooden spoon; medium saucepan; small bowl; electric mixer; large bowl; 1⁄3-cup ice-block moulds; 16 ice-block sticks

METHOD

Stir raspberries and sugar in medium saucepan over heat until sugar dissolves; bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for about 5 mins or until mixture thickens slightly. Transfer to small bowl and refrigerate until cold.

Beat thickened cream in small bowl with electric mixer until firm peaks form. Add coconut cream and beat only until combined. Transfer to large bowl.

Fold raspberry mixture through cream mixture until rippled through. Spoon mixture into ice-block moulds and insert sticks. Freeze for about 4 hrs or until set.

Remove ice-blocks from freezer and stand for about 5 mins before removing from the moulds. Enjoy!

Crispy Fish Salad (THAI SPECIAL)

Crispy Fish Salad

Ingredients

Crispy Fish
• 250g flathead fillets
• 50g smoked trout
• 80ml fish sauce
• 400ml canola oil

Salad
• 10g coriander
• 10g mint
• 15g lemongrass
• 1 lime leaf, finely sliced
• segments of pomelo fruit

Dressing
• 1 long red chilli, seeded
• 2 - 3 coriander roots
• 10g peeled ginger
• 3 peeled garlic cloves
• 1 red scud chilli
• 150ml lime juice
• 30ml fish sauce
• 40g palm sugar

Method

1. Mix flathead fillets in a bowl with the fish sauce.
2. Place on drying racks on a tray.
3. Place in oven and dry out on 90°C for about two hours until dry but not crisp. Cool. (This can all be done the day before)
4. Blend the cool dry fish in a food processor with the smoked trout. (This should only be done just before you fry.) It should look like bread crumbs.
5. Heat the canola oil in a wok or heavy pan to 160°C to 180°C.
6. Rain in a small hand full of the fish crumbs.
7. Let it sizzle for 30 seconds then pull it together gently with two egg slices and lift out when it is a golden brown. Place on absorbent paper. Continue until all fish is used.

Dressing
1. Pound garlic, coriander root, ginger then the chillies to a paste. Add palm sugar and fish sauce, incorporate well.
2. Pour over the lime juice. Mix together well. Taste for seasoning - it should taste sweet, sour and salty.

Salad
1. Place fish on serving plate. Mix salad ingredients together. Lightly dress salad over the fish and serve.
2. Serve the rest of the dressing on the side.
3. Try not to moisten the crisp fish to much otherwise it will turn soggy quickly.

NOTE *Palm Sugar and Palm Oil are two very different products and it is the destruction of the Orang-utans natural habitat to produce Palm oil in some areas of the world which is a concern. It is a complex subject as palm oil is also produced in some areas without any affect on orang-utan's lives, however the issue here is that palm sugar, on the whole is a sustainable product.

Grilled Chicken with Lemon & Oregano

Grilled Chicken with Lemon & Oregano

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 20 min + marinating time

Cook Time: 20 min

 The grilled lemons are a nice touch to squeeze on top.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/3 cup (about 2 lemons) lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh oregano
2 Tablespoons olive oil (plus more for grates)
coarse salt & freshly ground pepper
2 pounds chicken breast
4 medium lemons, halved crosswise
oregano sprigs for garnish, optional

Directions:

1. Prepare marinade: In a small bowl, whisk lemon zest and juice, oregano, oil, 2 teaspoons coarse salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Divide marinade between 2 large re-sealable plastic bags. Divide the chicken between the bags; shake to coat. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning bags occasionally.

2. Grill the chicken: Preheat grill to medium; lightly oil grates. Remove chicken from marinade, and pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken on grill. Cover and cook until lightly browned and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Turn chicken over, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through (an instant-read thermometer should read 175° when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken). If chicken is browning too quickly, move to cooler parts of grill or turn grill to low heat.

3. Transfer chicken to cutting board. Tent with foil; let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place lemon halves on the grill, cut side down; cook until slightly charred, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve chicken breasts with grilled lemon halves. Garnish with fresh oregano sprigs, if desired.

Grilled Watermelon Salad

Grilled Watermelon Salad

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 5 min

A nice summer salad that's just a little bit different...
 

Ingredients:

1 small (5 pound) seedless watermelon, cut into 8 (1-inch-thick) slices
2 Tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
2 bunches watercress or arugula, trimmed
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup crumbled goat or feta cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat grill.

2. Brush watermelon slices with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill watermelon 1-2 minutes on each side.

3. In a medium bowl, toss the greens with vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

4. To assemble, sprinkle each grilled watermelon slice with goat cheese. Top with the greens.