Chocolate Pear Pudding...

I've had this recipe for years.. The first time I saw Nigella Lawson made this recipe was on Express. I fell in love with its simplicity and the fact that it looks as if I spent hours in the kitchen making it. Before this, I could never find canned pears. So I've substituted the pears with peaches, and the outcome is just as delightful. Recently, to the start of the new year.. a friend I met on twitter organized a Banana Leaf Tweet Up at her place in Puchong. And this baked sponge seemed a perfect present to take to a dinner party :)

It can be eaten as is... or with chocolate sauce. Or on a hot day like this, vanilla ice cream is match made in heaven for this pudding :D

I guess I've hinted earlier, it's one of Miss Nigella's recipe. Got it from her Nigella Express book. I followed her exact recipe.. except I used 1 825g can of pear halves instead of 2 415g cans. No biggie :) If you don't have pear halves.. try other canned fruits.. I've tried with peach halves... excellent! I've also used more cocoa powder than stated in recipe.. Everyone could use more chocolatey goodness every now and then right? ;)


Ingredients:

2 x 415g cans pear halves in juice
125g plain flour
25g cocoa powder
125g caster sugar
150g soft butter, plus extra for greasing
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200degC and grease a 22cm square ovenproof dish with butter
2. Drain the pears and arrange them on the base of the dish. I don't usually cut the pears but if you're bringing it to a party of 100 and you only brought enough for 8 servings.. then I'd advise you to cut the pears into smaller pieces.
3. Put all the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix until you have a batter with a soft dropping consistency (I have no idea what this means but the batter was quite thick) I hand-mixed the batter. Nigella used the food processor. Same big difference :p 
4. Spread the brown batter over the pears, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes
5. Let stand out of the oven for 5 to 10 minutes and then cut into slabs
6. Makes 6-8 servings ;)

Easy Chocolate Pistachio Sultana Fudge

cut into little squares and keep in freezer. 

it tastes heavenly! 

I have a breakfast tweetup on Saturday and I thought I should probably bring something for the tweetup. Someone once told me it's polite to bring something if you go to someone's house.. and I've tried to that everytime ever since. I wasn't usually like this. haha :p but now it feels like a necessary thing to do.. :) At first I thought of buying some fruits or something.. as the main menu is Nasi Lemak.. but ermm.. that'd be boring. LOL. Then of course I flipped through Nigella Lawson's magical recipe book.. Nigella Express.. and I saw the Chocolate Pistachio Fudge recipe. It's so easy only the ingredients are quite expensive. But it's fudge. I doubt people would go for seconds. It's too sweet. Right? ermm.. I hope so. hihihi :D

I added some sultanas as I still had some in the fridge. I bought already shelled roasted pistachios. Definitely more expensive but it saves time.. and energy by like a mile. I am not sure if we can substitute the nuts.. why don't you try and tell me about it..? :D

I've altered the recipe a bit. The recipe can be found here.. :)

Ingredients

350g Chocolate Buttons
3/4 can condensed milk (1can = 505g)
30g butter
150g Pistachios
a handful sultanas
salt

Method

1. Put the Chocolate Buttons, condensed milk, butter and salt in the pan at low heat and stir until melt. 
2. Chop the nuts. I did what Nigella did. I put them in a bag, and bash them with a rolling pin. Not only it makes you feel great, it gives the nuts different textures.. :) cool :D
3. Add the nuts and sultanas into the chocolate and condensed milk mixture and mix well.
4. Pour the mixture into a foil tray (23cm square) and smooth the top.
5. Let the fudge cool and then put it into the refrigerator to set. Once set, cut into squares.
6. Keep the squares in the freezer. TO be eaten cold! 

Enjoy!

Seared Madras Fish & Green Beans with Peanuts & Shallots

I now love green beans.. like seriously! 

Wow.. it's been a while huh? I haven't done much cooking the past week or so.. I've gained too much weight :p Anyway, to make up for the missing days.. I'll put up 2 recipes. They are actually recipes from my favorite chefs on AFC, Nigella Lawson and Laura Calder. :) I saw Laura Calder made her green beans recipe and I thought.. urghh who eats green beans! yucks.. I know right? but this recipe is to die for. It's sooo good! She used hazelnuts but ermm.. it's expensive. Peanuts are cheaper. I used that ;) The other recipe I found in Nigella's book, Nigella Express. It's called Madras Fish for a reason. It uses MAdras curry powder .. I didn't have any. Didn't even know what that was until I saw some sold at Cold Storage. So I changed the recipe a bit. Used the normal fish curry powder instead. I used some kind of white fish .. I have no idea what it was. LOL but I guess any of your favorite fish would do. Just make sure that the fish is defrost thoroughly and doesn't smell. if it does wash it with turmeric juice. that should do it. Nigella used Salmon .. and fried it using garlic infused oil. Don't worry if you don't have it.. hahaha :) I used vegetable oil.

Seared Madras Fish (inspired by Nigella Lawson)

Ingredients:

white fish
2-3 tbsp fish curry powder
salt, pepper
oil for frying

Method

1. Mix the curry powder, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Rub the mixture on the fish thoroughly. 
2. Heat the pan with oil and cook the fish on high heat for 2-3 minutes a side. Sear the sides if the fish is too thick. 
3. Serve on a plate. 

Green beans with Peanuts and Shallots

Ingredients:

Green Beans
2-3 tbsp fried peanuts (chopped)
2 shallots (minced)
salt, pepper
lemon juice to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

Method:

1. Boil the green beans in salted water until tender. Drain and rinse in cold running water to set color. 
2. Heat oil in skillet. Add the shallots for 1 minute.
3. Toss in the green beans until heated through
4. Add salt and pepper. Squirt a bit of lemon juice. Remove from heat
5. Toss in the chopped peanuts. 
6. Serve with the madras fish. 

Madras Fish & Green Beans with Peanuts & Shallots

It's so elegant and so easy that no one would know you spent less than half hour to make this dish ;) Have fun in the kitchen!

Caramel Bread Pudding

my favorite recipe book ever! 

I was a bit down today and decided to meet up a friend of mine. She's just given birth to a beautiful baby girl and I haven't even paid both the baby and the proud mummy a visit. As the decision was last minute. I decided to make a quick dish. Something that a mummy in confinement and a grandmother can eat. Something simple and delicious. I took out my Nigella Express book .. there it is.. caramel croissant pudding.

I didn't have croissant.. not even stale croissants.. but I did have white bread. The recipe also called for full milk and heavy cream for the custard.. I didn't have either. But I did have lots of low fat milk. :D Nigella also added bourbon.. she said if you don't have bourbon.. use sherry.. ermm.. I don't drink. So vanilla essence it is :p 

I'm going to give my version of Nigella Lawson's recipe. But here is the link to her recipe. 

Ingredients:

5-6 slices of white bread

100g caster sugar (less than 1/2 cup) 

2 tablespoon water

250ml low fat milk (1 cup)

a splash of vanilla essence (1 tbsp)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup raisins/sultanas/cherries for toppings

so divine! 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180degC
2. Tear the bread into pieces and put in a small dish. I used a small 6" aluminum foil. 
3. Put the caster sugar and the water into a pan. Swirl around to dissolve the sugar before putting the pan on medium/high heat. Don't stir!
4. Caramelize the sugar and water mixture by letting it bubble away, DON'T STIR!, until it all turns a deep amber color. It takes about 3-5 minutes. Don't be too timid.. but keep looking to avoid the caramel to burn :D
5. Once you have that amber color, turn the heat down low and add the milk. Ignore the spluttering, and whisk away the milk. The solid toffee that forms in the pan will dissolve if u keep whisking over low heat.
6. After the toffee has dissolved, take the pan off the heat, still whisking, add the beaten eggs. 
7. Congratulations you've just made caramel custard. :) 
8. Pour the caramel custard over the bread and leave to steep for a few minutes if the breads are very stale.
9. Sprinkle with raisins/cherries/sultanas.. whatever you like. I had lots of raisins so I used those. :) 
10. Bake for 20 minutes in the heated oven.  
11. Like Nigella said in her book.. Prepare to swoon! :D