Nothing better

There is nothing I like better on a nice sunny day that some tasty guacamole, my dad does the best but I'm slowly learning.

Simple mix one fresh avocado, with half a chopped tomato, half a diced Spanish onion, 2 minced garlic, a sprinkle of coriander and the juice from half a lemon. Leave in the fridge for an hour or two before serving to let it all marinate and enjoy. Perfect and simple as we're going into summer.

I also tried to make, what should have been delicious, version of the Girl Scout Samoa cookies, my favourite, by One Hungry Chef. Sadly I didn't watch my caramel so while they looked amazing the caramel could break teeth, I'll try them again some time now that I know they could taste so good.

Bagles Take 2

I made my second attempt with bagels this weekend, doughnuts too but that'll come later. I finally managed to get the bagels right, although it took at least an hour longer to be ready to boil than it should have.

 

The recipe I followed is by Peter Reinhart as dictated by The Wednesday Chef, one of my new obsessions.

Makes 8 bagels

3 1/2 c plain flour
2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp honey
1 c +2 tbsp water
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt (yes I put this again but it's used separately from the other salt and I didn't want to confuse anyone)
Poppy seeds

Mix flour, salt (the 2 tsp), yeast, honey and water by hand until they form a ball of dough. Add more water if needed than let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes until stiff but a bit sticky, not too sticky though. If it is too sticky or soft add a bit more flour. Place the dough in a greased bowl (Crisco is the best), cover with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Line 2 baking sheets with lightly greased baking paper. Remove dough from fridge and separate into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into loose balls by rolling on a dry, unfloured surface. If the dough wont sticky to roll into a ball lightly wet the spaces (I couldn't really wrap my head around this but it completely works). Once all the balls are rolled out begin rolling them out into snakes 10 inches long, making sure they are narrower at the ends. Take the snake and wrap it around your hand so the two ends are in your palm overlapping. Squeeze the ends together and roll them back and forth until they are sealed. Place the bagel onto the lined baking sheet.

Cover bagels with plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight.

90 minutes before you're going to cook the bagels take them out of the fridge (I had to do about 2.5 hours). While the bagels are coming to room temperature fill a large pot with water, at least 4 inches deep. Cover the pot with water to bring it to a boil. Heat the oven to 450 F. When the water is boiling add 1 tsp salt and the baking soda then reduce the heat to simmer with the lid on.

To see if the bagels are ready place one in a bowl of cold water. If the bagel sinks without floating within 10 seconds take it out and put it back on the tray. Wait 15-20 minutes and try with another bagel. Once the bagel floats gentle lift a few and put them in the pot. After boiling for 1 minute flip the bagels over and boil for another minuet.

Use tongs of a slotted spoon to remove the bagels once boiled and place back on the tray. Once the tray is full sprinkle the bagels with poppy seeds and put into the oven. Bake for 8 minutes, rotate the baking tray and bake another 8-10 minutes. Once golden brown remove from the oven and let the bagels cool for 30 minutes before eating.

Eat and enjoy.

Cinco De Mayo and Tex-Mex

Having lived in Texas for so many years I love the excuse for a Mexican food themed evening and Cinco de Mayo was it. I made everything from scratch starting with fruit salsa, moving on to ranchero pork with marinate lime onions (complete with homemade flour tortilla's) and finished with warm sopapillas drizzled in honey. The fruit salsa was finished well before everything else, the rest of the food was finished just as we were ready to eat it, so it is the only thing I actually had time to photograph. So here we are with a delicious, light salsa recipe, perfect for anyone going into summer (those in the states who I am so jealous of).

Fruit Salsa (serves 8)

Salsa
1 orange (or mango if it's in season)
1 regular kiwi or 2 small
1/2 pint strawberries
1 can crushed pineapples, drained
2 small chilies, chopped, leave the seeds in if you want more spice

Cinnamon & Sugar Tortilla Chips
Pack of soft tortillas
butter
cinnamon
sugar

Salsa: Chopped fruit and chilies (I used the small Ned Kelly's from my garden) and mix in a bowl with the drained pineapple. Leave to sit overnight if you can to help the flavors blend together.

Chips: Heat oven to 375 F. Brush tortillas with melted butter and then sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake in oven for 5-10 minutes until slightly crisp. Once cooled use a pizza cutter to cut into chips.

Serve and enjoy,  I know we did.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

In honor of St Patrick's Day I have made Guinness cupcakes, a delicious recipe I got from Confessions of a Tart. Now she was a bit more fancy then me with a ganache filling and such but I'll give it a try next time.

Cupcakes:
1 c Guinness
1 1/4 c butter
3/4 c cocoa powder
2 c flour
2 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 sour cream


Bailey's frosting:
3 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c butter
2 tbs Bailey's
2 tbs heavy cream

Pre-heat oven for 350°

Melt butter with beer over medium heat. Once melted add the cocoa powder and mix until smooth then set aside to cool a bit.

In a bowl mix flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In another bowl use a mixer to beat together eggs and sour cream until smooth. Beat in the beer mixture then beat in flour mixture until all smooth. Pour the batter into cupcake foils, about 3/4 of the way up. Bake for 15 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.


Once the cupcakes are cool mix up the frosting. Beat the butter until it is fluffy. Add the sugar a bit at a time and mix well until the frosting is a bit stiff. Add the Bailey's and heavy cream, mix and then decorate the cupcakes and enjoy.

I brought them in for afternoon tea today and they went very quickly so give these a try.