Naan

Naan


 1/2 cup warm water
 1 1/2 tsp yeast
 1 1/2 tsp sugar
 1 tsp salt
 1 and 1/2 cups flour
 1/3 cup butter, melted
 3 Tbsp yogurt

Pour the water into a medium bowl, and then pour the yeast and sugar over the water. Wait for the yeast and sugar to dissolve.

Stir in the flour, salt, and then the melted butter and yogurt. Mix until a sticky dough is formed.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rise 60-90 minutes

When the dough is finished rising, punch it down and then lightly knead it for a few minutes. The dough will be very sticky, so you’ll need to add flour to it as you knead. When you’ve reached a smooth consistency, divide the dough into balls and then roll them out on a floured surface. Place a few pieces at a time into a heated sauce pan coated in vegetable oil.

Fry until each side is golden brown.

Grapefruit Granita

Grapefruit Granita


makes a little less than a quart. You can store it in the freezer
 
Shopping List:
 
3 Pink Grapefruits (plus one for garnish)
Sugar
 
Dissolve 3/4 cup sugar (you could dial this back a bit) into 2 cups water.


Finely zest half a grapefruit avoiding the white pith and add zest to sugar-water mixture.

Juice 3 grapefruits (approx 2 1/2 to 3 cups juice). Keep the pulp, remove the seeds. Then add the juice/pulp to the sugar and water mixture. Stir well. Taste to make sure the flavor works for you.

Pour into a freezer safe container. Wide and shallow is better because there’s more surface area for ice crystals to form.

Stir well every hour to break up and mix in the ice crystals that form. You’ll need to do this 3-4 times until you have a nicely uniform, slushy consistency.

Cover and let freeze solid.

To serve, let defrost for a 5-10 minutes then scrape the top with a fork and scoop the fluffy ice into a small goblet or bowl. I like to serve mine in espresso cups.

For some extra grapefruit tang, garnish with some grapefruit segments. As you cut the grapefruit garnish, reserve the juice and sprinkle over top

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Moelleux au Chocolat Lava Cake

Moelleux au Chocolat… A French classic that literally melts in your mouth!!! This dessert is usually made in individual ramekins

Chocolate Lava Cake

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients (4 people):

6 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate (or use your favorite 70% dark chocolate bar)
6 oz. Butter (diced, room temperature)
3 Eggs
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Flour
Butter for Ramekins

How to Make It:

Preheat oven to 350°F

1. Melt chocolate on low flame in a bain-marie (double boiler). When melted, take of flame, and…

2. Stir in diced butter, until it melts.

3. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar, until it starts to whiten.

4. Stir in melted chocolate and then the flour.

5. Butter 4 individual ramekins, and pour in chocolate batter.

6. Cook for about 10 minutes.

7. Tip ramekins upside down onto dessert plates and serve.


Tips:

You can definitely prepare your chocolate lave cake recipe ahead of time, and then bake 10 minutes before serving. I always do it this way!

In terms of buttering the ramekins: butter the bottoms first, and then butter the sides, wiping from the bottom up to the top. It helps the chocolate to rise even more.

In terms of baking time… well, it depends on how runny you want it! I like it with a super-liquid-oozing center -- so do my guests! For this, you want the top to be cooked through, but the center to be liquid. You can check with a toothpick after 10 minutes of baking.

If you don't like liquid-center chocolate desserts, just cook for a little longer, and you will have an incredibly moist chocolate cake. So, either way, you can't go wrong!


You can, if you want, serve your chocolate lava cake recipe with a Crème Anglaise (English Cream) or a Coulis aux Framboises (Raspberry Sauce). Personally, I always serve it as is (no sauce). And honestly, everyone FALLS IN LOVE with this dessert!!! How could they not?!!!

Buttermilk Cornbread

Buttermilk Cornbread

Ingredients:


1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Penzy's cayenne pepper

Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.

2. Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, cayenne pepper, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Donut Muffins

Donut Muffins

For the muffins:

12 oz. (24 Tbs.) unsalted butter, warmed to room temperature
1-3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 lb. 11 oz. (6 cups) all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1-2/3 cups milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
For dipping:

8 oz. (16 Tbs.) unsalted butter; more as needed
2 cups sugar
2 Tbs. ground cinnamon

To make the muffins

Put a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. In a stand mixer or a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just mixed in. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Combine the milk and buttermilk. With a wooden spoon, mix a quarter of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Then mix in a third of the milk mixture. Continue mixing in the remaining dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dry. Mix until well combined and smooth, but don't over mix. Grease and flour a standard-size muffin tin. Scoop enough batter into each tin so that the top of the batter is even with the rim of the cup, about 1/2 cup. (A #16 ice-cream scoop gives you the perfect amount.) Bake the muffins until firm to the touch, 30 to 35 min.

To finish

Melt the butter for the dipping mixture. Combine the sugar and cinnamon. When the muffins are just cool enough to handle, remove them from the tin, dip them into or brush them all over with the melted butter, and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar

Friday Fish Cakes HNT

TGIF!

Fruit crumble cake

Fruit crumble cake


adapted from Modern Classics Book 2: Cookies, Biscuits & Slices, Small Cakes, Cakes, Desserts, Hot Puddings, Pies & Tarts By Donna Hay

¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (184g) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups + ½ tablespoon (272g) sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon (337g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
¼ cup whole milk
5 dried plums, reconstituted and thinly sliced
5 dried apricots, reconstituted and thinly sliced
caster sugar, extra, for sprinkling



Crumble topping:

1/3 cup + ½ tablespoon (51g) all purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 ½ tablespoons (35g) cold unsalted butter, chopped



Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and line with baking paper – butter the paper as well.

Place the butter, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and beat well. Sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture, add the milk and beat in low speed until combined. Spoon the mixture onto prepared pan, arrange the fruit over the top and sprinkle with the extra sugar.

To make the crumble topping, place the flour, sugar and butter in a bowl and rub with your fingertips until fine crumbs form. Scatter over the fruit.

Bake for 50 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

BROWN SUGAR COOKIES

BROWN SUGAR COOKIES

Yield: 18 massive cookies

• 3/4 cups butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon Penzy's real vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two cookie sheets or jelly roll pans with parchment paper. Cream butter and both sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer). Add egg, vegetable oil and vanilla, and mix until incorporated.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt, and mix to combine. Add flour mixture to mixing bowl and mix until all ingredients just come together.

Portion dough into 18 balls using a medium scoop and place on cookie sheets about 2 1/2 inches to 3 inches apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes for chewy cookies, and 16 to 18 minutes for crunchy. The chewy cookies will be pale in color with crisp edges, while the crunchy ones will be a little more uniformly golden. Remove from oven, cool in pan for 5 minutes before placing on rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Happy Easter!!!