Cheesecake Chocolate Eggs

Posing as real half boiled eggs, alongside servings of sweet puff pastry soldiers, these would be an amazing treat for Easter or if you want to create something a little quirky. So simple to make and with so much of a wow factor, these must be top of your to-do list.

This Easter I wanted to do something different and a little less complicated seeing as I had final year exams to revise for. Compared to my Mango PanEggs, these were a breeze to make. I had the utmost fun constructing them and of course, they tasted just as divine as they looked - so my guests said. 

[A late post, but as they say better late than never hey!]

Ingredients:
6 Kinder eggs (or any similar sized hollow chocolate eggs)
250g marscapone
100g philadelphia
80ml double cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
100g digestive biscuits
50g caster sugar
1/2 can mango pulp (you won't use all)
1 puff pastry sheet
1 egg.

Method:

• Heat a knife and carefully cut the tops off the eggs and place in egg moulds or an egg box.
• Mix the marscapone, philadelphia cheese, caster sugar together.
• In a food processor, grind the biscuits until they resemble all crumbs, not too fine. Fill the base of the eggs with these.
• Add the vanilla and slowly add the cream and whip until soft peaks form.
• With a piping bag and a round nozzle, pipe the cheesecake mixture till about three quarters of the way through.
• With the back of a teaspoon scoop out a tiny bit of the cheesecake from the middle of your eggs.
• Fill the mini holes with mango pulp to resemble the yolk.
• Cut the puff pastry sheets into thin strips to resemble soldiers and brush with a beaten egg and some caster sugar and place in the oven until risen and gold in colour.

These are really so easy and so effective to do! You don't have to make the puff pastry soldiers if you don't have that much time, but I just thought they went well with these 'half boiled eggs!'

You'd be a fool not to try these out next Easter!

Dainty Cook xox

Rose Apple and Cinnamon Puffs

An artistic take on the traditional Apple Turnover, these apple puffs, performing as red roses, will wow family members or dinner party guests and will leave your stomachs satisfied on a nippy autumn evening.

I first saw these on those baking/cooking tip videos that were circulating on social media. Usually I create quite technical or super time consuming bakes, but this looked so simple, I had to place it on the top of my to-do list. When made, they were an utter delight to eat and admire.

Ingredients:

2 large red apples (or 3 small)

1 sheet of ready to roll Puff Pastry

A handful of cinnamon

A Lemon

Apricot Jam (Strawberry or raspberry can work well too)

Red Food colouring (optional)

Method:

• Using an apple corer, carefully remove the core of your apples. If you don't have a corer, simply remove the core once sliced (more time consuming).
• Turn the apple to its side and slice vertically about half a 3mm thick either with a knife or slicer.
• Cut these slices in half so you are left with two semi circles without cores.
• Get a bowl of water and fill with warm water, adding the apples to this, then squeeze a lemon on top and mix. This is to stop them browning.
• Microwave for 3 minutes.
• Place the puff pastry sheet in 'portrait mode' and roll out so it is thinner and cut across small strips about 4 cms in width.
• Get your jam and mix it with 3 tablespoons of warm water. Spoon this evenly on your strip.
• Then, places your apple slices on the top of the strip, making sure they overlap each other by at least half and continue until you reach the end. 
• Sprinkle over some cinnamon, roll the strip and repeat with the remaining apples.
• If you want them more red looking, mix a drop of red food colouring with water and brush the tops and sides of the apples.

*Picture courtesy of Tip Hero

• Place the apple roses in a cup cake or muffin tray hole, lined with cases.
• Put them in the oven for 35-40 minutes at 180 degrees celsius. They may brown after the full cooking time but this is expected.
• Once puffed and the apples have cooked, lightly brush with more apricot jam to sweeten.

You have now created some tasty autumnal treats that look beautiful. Serve warm and enjoy!

Heres the link to the original: http://tiphero.com/baked-apple-roses/

Dainty Cook xox

Mince Nacho Fajitas

Insta: @daintycook

Tortilla wraps filled with mild cheddar, smokey mince meat, mature cheddar, salad, mayonnaise, Doritoes (nachos) salsa and red chillies. It's a food party in your mouth.

The best kind of nachos is the one with mince meat and lots of cheese as a delicious snack to share. But do you know what's even better? All of it, in a wrap, for lunch or dinner. Now why hadn't I thought of this before?!

And when I did, it was a mighty fine dinner. No need to have an excuse of calling the friends down and watching a movie. This can be eaten whenever your stomach is hungry. 

Ingredients:

Mince meat for 4 people

3 tsps paprika

1tsp onion powder

2tsps cumin powder

2 tsps garlic paste

2 tsps chilli powder

A big pinch of salt and pepper

2 tbsps pasta/lasagne sauce (tomato)

Tortilla wraps (large)

2 cheeses

Salad leaves

Mayonnaise

Salsa

Red chillies 

Plain nachos or original Doritoes

Gherkins

To serve:

Sour cream 

Avocado

Lemon

Method:

This is Super easy, all you do is fill with whatever you like!

First, add all the spices to the meat and leave for 20 mins. Then fry in little oil in a pan until brown. Add more paprika and seasoning here if you like.

Fill your wraps! Cheese first, then mince, then cheese, then salad and Mayo (mixed together), salsa, red chillies, gherkins and then the Doritoes (gets less soggy if they're put last). 

Fold the whole thing together. First in half then the bottom - working clockwise. To help seal it in place I used toothpicks.

Then place fold side down, on a hot pan and toast. Turn the other side and toast lightly. 

Top with more cheese and place pan containing fajitas, under a hot grill for a minute or two until the cheese begins to melt.

Cut in half and serve with sour cream, guacamole (blend the avocado until slightly chunky with some lemon juice) and extra nachos.

Enjoy!

Make sure to tag: @daintycook if you've tried this out.

It's so, soo good on an empty stomach. 

Satisfyingly delicious!

Dainty Cook xox

Homemade Mr Whippy Ice cream

Insta: @daintycook

Soft white creamy frozen goodness. Not as hard as ice cream, but like frozen whipped cream. For once, I don't quite know how to describe it's goodness. We all know how a good Whippy tastes.

So it's the month of fasting, which means from sunrise up until sunset I can't eat. This also means I can't enjoy a Mr Whippy Ice cream when I really want.

Is it just me or are there an abundance of these vans going around this month? I mean when's it's not ramadan I hardly find them! 

I don't usually crave food that I see while fasting, but ice cream is one of my weaknesses.

Anyway, so I began to think, as 'Mr Tony' had stopped off right in front of my dads work place, while I was assisting him that day: a) how bad I want one right now and b) how can I enjoy one at home?! The answer came forthwith. I could try make it, of course.

And that's exactly what I did.

Ingredients:

500ml double cream

250ml whole milk 

120g caster sugar

1tsp vanilla extract 

2 tsps milk powder (optional)

20g gelatine powder/2 sheets gelatin/pectin

Ice cream wafer cones

Flake and Lindt Choc (toppings)

Method: 

Heat the milk, cream and vanilla on a saucepan over low heat.

In the mean time soak the Gelatin leaves until soft in cold water.

Once the cream mixture has reached simmering point add the sugar and milk powder and stir until thick and sort of coats the back of the spoon.

Leave to cool and place in the fridge for an hour.

Whisk the cold mixture for 5 mins with an electric whisk.

Next, fill ice cube trays or anything with small sections and freeze for another hour or two.

Once frozen, blend away until it's a frozen thick paste and place the paste into a piping bag with a star nozzle.

Get your cone (and I added a Lindt chocolate ball inside mmmm) and then pipe away really quickly! 

Add toppings such as flake and raspberry sauce and enjoy.

I think this has gotta be something I'm quite impressed with. I'm not quite sure whether the shape will stay stiff for long due to the nature of Whippy ice cream - homemade means we can't keep it cool all the way. However I used less Gelatin than stated in this recipe, so yours may turn out better!

Ate it way too fast there haha!

Anyway it tastes exactly the same, is the right texture and it's all homemade, what more could one want?! 

Let me know how you all get on. 

Dainty Cook xox

Churros and Chocolate

Delicious fried choux pastry, slightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, dipped in chocolate sauce and cinnamon sugar. 

That is all.

I was itching for something sweet, comforting and not too complicated. And I stumbled across this Spanish goodness. So good and it's great to share with the whole family. Just put on your favourite DVD, huddle on your sofa with friends and family, with enough churros to go around and you're good to go!

You can dip them in whatever you like, I used chocolate sauce and had some separate cinnamon sugar. You can also use caramel sauce, dulce de leche, cream, whatever your heart fancies.

Ingredients:

Churros

250ml water

100g butter

250g plain flour

3 eggs

2 tbsps sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate sauce:

100g chocolate

A bit of oil to make it runny.

Cinnamon sugar:

4 tbsps caster sugar

1tsp cinnamon

Caramel sauce:

Check out my sexy salted caramel sauce recipe!

Method:

• Place the water in a saucepan over the heat and add the butter until it's all melted.

• Add the flour and make sure to stir thoroughly until it all combines and turns a bit like a smooth doughball, we don't want any lumps!

• Take the saucepan off the heat and one by one add the eggs. Then add the sugar and  vanilla and mix.

• Get a piping bag ready (or you can use a sandwich bag and cut a hole on one side) and fit a large star shaped nozzle, or a round one if you don't have a star. 

• Heat the oil, it should be about 180 degrees celcius. To check if the oil is hot enough, put in a small ball of dough in the oil, if it rises and bubbles straight away, it should be ready to use!

• Pipe long strips into the oil in a wok (they will curl up and theyre supposed to). Once piped let go and snip of the remaining batter with a knife or a pair of scissors. Fry until golden brown!

Make sure you serve these warm.

Chocolate sauce:

• Melt the chocolate either carefully in the micowave or in a water bath (in a glass bowl, placed in a saucepan of simmering water over heat). Pour into a bowl, add the oil and stir.

Cinnamon sugar:

• Combine the two together and mix well.

This makes quite a bit, great for all those greedy stomachs. Mmm.

Dainty Cook xox

The Donut Burger

Insta: @daintycook

A homemade spiced lamb burger topped with cheeses, gherkins, lettuce and tomato in a fresh, homemade ring-donut bun. Need I say more?

Its been a while again folks, but I promise to be posting often soon!

So, many a time had I seen this burger circulating on the Internet and I could only have dreamt to go to the BB Kitchen in Cardiff to eat it. And then a local diner opens and promises a donut burger too. My cravings for this had gone cray. And when I crave, boy do I crave! 

With it being the month of fasting, I had a bit of extra time on my hands so I thought I'd make this bad boy myself.

The Burger 

Ingredients:
Lamb mince (for four greedy people)

2 and a half tsps coriander powder

2 and a half tsps cumin powder

1 tsp paprika

2 tsps garlic paste

1/2 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp chilli powder (and grinded chilles for extra heat)

1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsps breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper

(Feel free to add more or less depending on your taste buds, You don't want the spices too overpowering though.)

Method:

• Mix all together and leave for 30 mins. Shape the burgers quite fat (I used a home burger press) and fry in oil on a griddle pan until slightly charred.

Donuts

Ingredients:

250g strong white flour

7g yeast

75ml warm milk

30g caster sugar

30g butter

1 egg

Pinch of salt

Glaze

150g icing sugar

3-4 tbsps milk or water
Vanilla extract (optional)

Method:

• For the donuts, combine all ingredients together stirring with your hands. Then knead for 10 mins until you get a dough like consistency. Add a bit more flour if kneaded (hehe, like my pun there! Okay sorry I'll stop).

• Shape into a big ball and place in a bowl covered with cling film. Leave it in a warm place for an hour to let it rise or double in volume.

• Once risen, shape into circles and cut a hole out in the middle. Widen the holes so they don't close.

• Let the dough prove and rise again for about another hour.

• Now they're ready to fry! Make sure the oil is hot (but not too hot so they don't burn) and fry on each side for about a minute or two.

• Once fried, combine the icing sugar and milk and mix to form a glaze. Dip the top half of the donuts and let them set!

• To assemble the burger, cut the donuts in half and add whatever fillings you like! I topped it with cheddar, added the burger which was coated with Red Leicester just before I finished frying them. Then lettuce, a slice of beef tomato, sliced gherkins, onions and the glazed donut half. I also squeezed some lemon on top of the meat.

This was served with fat chips, onion rings and Mayo and ketchup, obvs! Think I'd add jalapeños next time too.

Best. Burger. Ever. 

Seriously, my stomach would gladly be in a committed relationship to it.

I wanted to take some good shots of this on my camera, but sorry guys, my stomach couldn't wait! 

Fat and juicy with some incredible toppings AND a donut bun. What more could you want in life?!

Insta: @daintycook - get following!

Dainty Cook xox