ICSF CookbookIf you're in the mood for chocolate brownies then look no further... Chocolate BrowniesIngredients / Equipment200g dark chocolate MethodTake 200g dark chocolate and 50g milk chocolate, place in a bowl with 225g butter and melt together. Leave to cool slightly. In another bowl sift 150g plain flour and pinch of salt. Break 200g white chocolate into peices and add to flour. In a third bowl, beat 4 eggs with 325g caster sugar (pref unrefined) and 10ml vanilla essence. Add this mixture to the chocolate, stirring continously. Fold in the flour and chocolate and then place in a greaseproof lined tray of 18cm * 28cm and bake in the oven at gas mark 4 for 35-40 minutes, until the top is light brown and crisp. or the middle is cooked. Don't be afraid of burning them, they are still as good.
PotatoesIngredients / EquipmentPotatoes (2 to 3 depending on size of pot. or person) MethodTake potatoes, wash them. Wrap them individually in paper towels, place on a plate and microwave on medium until the potatoes are 'soft' (ie after about 7-10mins dep. on number, size and microwave strength). You might need to prick them, I personally have stopped doing that as it seems to make very little difference on my microwave (MMV). Cut the potatoes in two. Cut silts (diagonal I find works best) into the insides of the potatoes (try not to damage the skins though). Here comes the messy part (love hands on cooking). Drizzle some oil (not too much) on the potatoes, rub oil over surface of the white inner of the potatoes, so that they are little covered. Add a pinch of salt to the oiled top of each potato, and rub this across the surface. Grind black pepper over the top of the potatoes, be quite generous. Add to a pre-heated oven (~180 degrees C) and bake for about 40-50mins. Remove when the tops have gone golden brown. Enjoy ... Alternate Version 1Instead of adding as much pepper as you would normally, add a little powdered chilli as well. Forget the pepper entirely. Mix together some honey and wholegrain mustard and coat the top literally with this. Beware you will probably want to check this version a little more often as it is more prone to burning.
Chocolate-Orange TrifleIngredients / EquipmentA very large bowl, for constructing the trifle. Your parents best crystal would be pretty... MethodPut the Jaffa cakes and orange fruit into the bowl. Pour in liqueur and allow to steep. If there is space, cram everything down and repeat until the bowl is about half full of dense, chocolatey, orange, boozy goo. Make a chocolate egg custard with the eggs, sugar, chocolate and milk (or the cream for the custard, if using) - melt the chocolate GENTLY in a microwave - check any basic cookbook for method, or wimp out by using Green and Blacks cocoa powder and custard power if you prefer. Allow to cool somewhat. Then pour the custard over the chocolatey-orangey-boozy moosh. Refrigerate until completely cool. Spoon on the whipped cream until it is almost flopping over the edge of a bowl. Garnish with the extra chocolate, grated if you like, or as whole bars if you'd rather (you can also add a garnish of pork pies). Serve in a locked room with NO FRIENDS!
Coffee and Chocolate TiramisuFrom taste.co.uk, with some additions from me: Ingredients / Equipment2 x 5ml spoons espresso coffee (I use very very very strong instant coffee) MethodWhisk the cheese until soft and manageable. Beat the egg yolks until pale, then whisk them into the cheese. Very gradually add the sugar to the cheese mixture, stirring and whisking constantly. Pour in the espresso coffee and mix thoroughly. Beat the egg whites until very stiff, then fold them into the cheese mixture (gently, with a butter knife, works). Mix the chocolate gently in. Don't overmix, or you'll start letting it go flat. Mix together the weak coffee and the liqueur. Dip half the biscuits into it, one at a time and use them to line the bottom of a serving bowl. About half-soaked is probably ok. Pour half the cheese mixture into the bowl. Repeat for another layer of biscuits & cheese mixture... Bang the dish down lightly to settle the layers. Mix the cocoa and coffee powder and sieve over the dessert. Chill for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. Michelle Tom Yum Soup/Hot and Sour Thai SoupServes 2-4, depending on tolerance for hot stuff and what else you're serving with it. Extremely hot soup - if you don't like chilli, stay away. Ingredients / Equipment
To boil for stock: MethodVery easy to make (but be careful when chopping chillies - slice, remove seeds, but don't get it on your face, and wash your hands thoroughly with washing up liquid afterwards). Boil the relevant ingredients in an open pan for 15 min to make the clear soup. The longer you boil it, the stronger it gets - eg 30 min will give you a vicious soup. If it gets too strong, you can just dilute it with more water. Strain the stock into a clean bowl through a double thickness of paper towel placed in a sieve. Add the random other stuff: lime juice (essential), and as many as you like of fish sauce, spring onions, coriander, meat, or stock cube. Michelle Spicy Lamb and Spinach With Rice.Ok, a couple things - the recipie is pretty simple (sorry if I've waffled huge amounts) but please dont follow it strictly, obvious examples being if you're not a big fan or spices or are a previously unsuspected garlic enthusiast. INGREDIENTS:(For 3 people) SPICES: TO COOK THE LAMB AND SPINACH:Chop the onion (into relatively thin slices) peel the garlic cloves and chop these too, scrape the skin off the root ginger and grate it. Put all the oil into one large cooking pan and put the chopped onion in. Wait till the onions are light brown (stir to prevent them burning to crisp and wrecking the oil) then add the garlic and grated ginger. Continue stirring. Add the meat after a minute and then add the salt, chilli powder, chopped tomato, chopped green chillis and turmeric. Stir the lot. The meat will become lighter in colour and start to cook, at this point add one large glass of water (about a pint) and cover. Leave at medium heat. Check the meat after 5 minutes to see if it has become tender (but not completely cooked), if not, leave for another 5 minutes. When the meat is almost cooked, add the spinach, stir, cover and leave for half an hour. (Check and stir at 5 minute intervals, as the spinach tends to collect at the bottom and burn if you don't do this) When everything is cooked (check that the meat is cooked all the way through and the spinach tastes right) add the garrammasala. Stir and serve with rice. Alia |