Better Homes And Gardens Chocolate Mousse Recipe

Fajita Steak Burrito Bowls by Joyfulhealthyeats.com (09 Jan 19)

Posted at 11:09 am

Feb 7th
Photo courtesy of joyfulhealthyeats.com

I wanted to try one of those trending buddha bowls (also known as macro bowls or hippie bowls) that first came to popularity in 2017. They are not only asthetically pleasing, versatile and tasty but healthy. One of my dear friends was visiting for lunch and I thought – why not give it a go? Of course this meant the nutrious lunch could be followed by a sweet treat without breaking the diet completely.

This recipe was easy to prepare once I adapted the measurements from imperial to metric and the American-isms to Australian-isms (eg. cilantro=coriander, pepper=capsicum). It was also simple to cook and it impressed my health conscious dinner guest. Most surprising was the recipe's claim that preparation only takes 5 minutes. I can tell you that was pretty close thanks to the use of a food processor instead of a sharp knife to make the chimichurri.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this meal. I've tried healthy eating before and it has not been as successful. I once ordered a green smoothie at a great Blue Mountain cafe and thought pretentiously to myself – 'look at me, eating all healthy and showing up these other cafe patrons hoeing down on greasy hash browns and sugar laden pancakes'. That air of superiority lasted until my first mouthful of the green smoothie. It tasted like cut grass mixed with coconut water. I immediately ordered a banana chocolate milkshake and a serving of french toast with berries, cream, ice cream and maple syrup.

My tips and additions are:
- I used sweet paprika instead of smoked paprika just because I prefer it.
- Friends gave me some home grown corn cobs so I cooked one in the microwave for 2 minutes (keep the husk on), sliced the kernels off the cob and then mixed with a tablespoon of butter and seasoned with salt and pepper. I substituted this for the canned corned kernels. I just got a hint of that pretentious foodie glow again – he, he.
- I served my buddha bowls with homemade tortilla chips. I flavoured half with nom nom paleo magic mushroom powder (and no it won't get you high) and the other half with sweet paprika. I've provided my recipe for these below.
Fajita Steak Burrito Bowl by joyfulhealthyeats.com

(Gluten free, kid friendly)

Ingredients:
- 450g skirt steak (also known as flank steak)
- 3/4 cup fresh coriander
- 1/4 cup fresh oregano
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 3 tbs red wine vinegar
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs fresh lime juice
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 1 red capsicum, sliced
- 1 yellow capsicum, sliced
- 1 green capsicum, sliced
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cup water
- 300g can corn kernels, no salt or sugar added
- 2 avocados, sliced
- 4 cups green leaf lettuce, sliced
- optional top with salsa
Method:
1. To a food processor add fresh corainder, oregano, garlic clove, smoked paprika, chilli flakes, red wine vinegar, olive oil and fresh lime juice. Blend until smooth.
2. Place the skirt steak into a large ziplock bag with half the chimichurri mixture. Set the other half aside.
3. Mix the steak around so it is completely coated.
4. In the meantime add quinoa and water to a small saucepan. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
5. While that is going, heat a large frypan to medium high heat. Add the skirt steak to the pan. Cook each side for 5 minutes in a seared hot pan. Remove the steak from the pan and let rest for 5 minutes before thinly slicing.
6. Add 1 tbs of olive oil to the pan and immediately add red onion, red capsicum, yellow capsicum, and green capsicum to the pan the steak was just cooked in. Saute for 5 minutes on medium high heat.
7. To assemble the bowls, add 1/2 cup quinoa to each, 1 cup of green leaf lettuce, half an avocado, corn, fajita steak, capsicum and onions, top with chimichurri sauce and/or salsa. Serve immediately.
Serves: 4

Cooking Time:5 minutes preparation + 30 minutes to cook.

Complexity Rating: -Easy peasy!

Taste Rating: – Yummo-licious!

Tortilla Chips by Gourmet Salvor

(Gluten free)

Ingredients:
- 1 packet Be Free Sweet Potato Wraps (gluten free)
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 2 tbs nom nom paleo magic mushroom powder and/or 3 tsp sweet paprika (adjust to your taste and sprinkle each spice over half of the wedges)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius.
2. Using scissors, cut the wraps into wedges and place on cookie trays lined with baking paper (make sure the wedges don't overlap). Spray one side of the wedges with oil and sprinkle with the spice of your choice (use my suggestions or choose your own).
3. Bake for 10 minutes or until crisp and golden. Watch them or they will burn – I know because my first batch did!
4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Note: This recipe will make more chips than you need for the buddha bowl so use them with dips and soft cheeses on mezze plates or cheese platters. You can also put them in a bowl and eat them like dorritos, or use them in your nachos.

Serves: 6

Cooking Time: 10 minutes preparation + 10 minutes to cook.

Complexity Rating: -Childs play!

Taste Rating: – Enjoyable!
Corn and Ricotta Fritters from Home Beautiful Magazine (17 Nov 18)

Posted at 9:54 pm by Gourmet Salvor

Feb 3rd
Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day but I must admit I don't always have time to make something exciting, except on the weekends. I was flicking through an October 2008 Home Beautiful magazine and came across this interesting recipe. Of course it was the photo that caught my eye – a fluffy stack of lightly golden fritters drizzled with melting butter and a sliver of shaved ham. I tore that baby right out of the magazine without a second thought.

I served this to two of my girlfriends who were visiting for the weekend and they thoroughly enjoyed them. Our plan was to head up to the Blue Mountains west of Sydney and browse through the shops at Leura followed by High Tea at the recently refurbished Hydro Majestic Hotel. A great spot if you are ever up that way – they have shops, a cafe, hotel and an amazing view.

These corn fritters are light, flavoursome and the ricotta gives them a smooth cheese texture. They are easy to prepare and quick to cook and you can freeze any left over fritters for a weekday splurge (just remember to defrost them thoroughly in the fridge and a 30 second burst in the microwave is all that is needed before you add the butter and ham).

I teamed these with my own herbed butter recipe, provided below, which complimented the fritters by providing a glistening herby coating to the fritters. Let me know what you think if you choose to use my herbed butter recipe.

Note: I also substituted gluten free flours in this recipe and it made no difference to the texture or taste of the fritters.

Corn and Ricotta Fritters by Home Beautiful Magazine

Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain flour, sifted
- 3/4 cup self-raising flour, sifted
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/4 cup milk (skim, trim or full cream)
- 310g can of creamed corn
- 250g semi-firm ricotta cheese
- salt and ground white pepper, to season
- butter, to grease frypan
- sea salt, to serve
- shaved leg ham, one slice per serving
- extra butter to serve (or use the my herbed butter recipe below)
Method:
1. Sift plain and self-raising flours into a bowl.
2. Whisk together the eggs, milk and creamed corn until well combined and smooth.
3. Stir in crumbled ricotta cheese and season with salt and white pepper.
4. Grease a non-stick frypan with a little butter and ut over a medium heat. Cook 1/4 cupfuls of the mixture until the top of the batter begins to bubble. Turn over and cook for 1-2 minutes, until golden. Repeat with the remaining batters.
5. Stck the fritters nd cover to keep wrm. Serve sprinkled with sea salt and topped with shaved leg ham. Add a little butter on top, if desired.
Herbed Butter Recipe by Gourmet Salvor

Ingredients:
- 250g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2-3 tbs finely grated (fresh) parmesan cheese
- 1 tbs finely chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tbs finely chopped fresh chives
- Black cracked pepper to taste
- Gladwrap, to store in fridge/freezer
Method:
1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a wooden spoon.
2. Place butter mixture in centre of a piece of glad wrap and cover. Roll into a log shape and freeze overnight or for at least 1 hour.
3. Cut off portions (slice like a salami) and serve with corn fritters, steak or steamed vegetables.
Serves: 6-8

Complexity Rating: – Simple dimples!

Taste Rating: – Most enjoyable!
Lemon Pavlova by Nigella Lawson (05 Jan 2019)

Posted at 9:17 pm by Gourmet Salvor

Feb 3rd
Photo courtesy of Keiko Oikawa @ nigella.com

I'd seen this recipe made on Masterchef Australia by Nigella and wanted to give it a try. I also find the lightness of a pavlova a great way to end a meal in the heat of summer. And boy have we been having some record breaking extreme temperatures in Australia this summer! I brought this to my friends BBQ on a steamy Saturday evening. They served a lovely meal with many of the ingredients grown in their own garden – got to love that!

This dessert is the best of a lemon meringue pie and a pavlova rolled into one zesty parcel of delightfulness. The chewy sweetness of the meringue is teamed perfectly with the bitterness of the lemon curd and the crunch of the toasted almonds. Definitely a match made in baking heaven. It even keeps for up to 1 day after first serving and may I say, it seems to taste better the next day but that could be because of the people I choose to share my baking experiences with 😉 My attempt is pictured below and I must say it looks pretty good and tasted damn fine:

My tips and additions are:
- I made the meringue base one day ahead and stored it in an airtight container. I took the cream and curd in separate containers to my friends home and assembled it before dinner was served. I did this because Nigella recommends assembling the pavlova about 1 hour ahad of serving.
- The curd can be made up to 3 days ahead and just store in the fridge until needed but stir before using (refer to recipe below).
- Almonds can be toasted a week ahead and onced cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge loosely covered with clingfilm, for up to 1 day. There is no degradation in flavour or texture.
Lemon Pavlova by Nigella Lawson

Ingredients:

Pavlova
- 6 egg whites
- 375g caster sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp cornflour
- 2 unwaxed lemons
- 50g flaked almonds
- 300ml double cream
Lemon Curd
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 150g caster sugar
- 100g unsalted butter
- Finely grated zest and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons
Method:

Lemon Curd
1. Beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together.
2. Melt the butter over low heat in a heavy-based pan, and when melted stir in the sugar-egg mixture and the lemon juice. Keep cooking gently, stirring constantly until thickened.
3. Off the heat, whisk in the zest and let cool slightly before putting on the pavlova base. It is also fine to store it in the fridge while you make the pavlova.
Pavlova
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree celcius/160 degree celcius fan and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Beat the egg whites until satiny peaks form, then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny.
2. Sprinkle the cornflour over the meringue, then grate in the zest – a fine microplane is best for this – of 1 lemon and add 2 tsp of lemon juice.
3. Gently fold until everything is thoroughly mixed in. Mound onto the lined baking tray in a fat circle approximately 23cm in diameter, smoothing the sides and the top with a knife or spatula.
4. Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 150 degree celcius/130 degree celcius fan and cook for 1 hour.
5. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, but don't leave it anywhere cold as this will make it crack too quickly. If you think your kithen is too cool, then leave the pavlova inside the oven with the door completely open. When you're ready to eat, turn the pavlova onto a large flat plate or board with the underside uppermost – Nigella does this before she sits down to the meal in question and lets it stand till dessert time. This is so the tender marshmallow belly of the pavlova melds with the soft topping.
6. Toast the flaked almonds, by frying them in a dry pan over medium to high heat until they have started to colour. Shake the pan at regular intervals and don't let them burn. This doesn't take more than a minute or so. When they're done, remove to a cold plate so that they don't keep cooking.
7. Whip the cream until thick and airy but still with a soft voluptuousness about it, and set it aside for a moment.
8. Remove the lemon curd from the fridge and beat with a wooden spoon or spatula to loosen it a little.
9. With a light hand and a spatula, spread the lemon curd on top of the meringue base. Now top with the whipped cream, peaking it as if it were a meringue topping. Sprinkle with the zest of the remaining lemon – you can grate this finely or as coarsely as you wish – followed by the flaked almonds, and serve.
Note:It is okay to use a jar of store bought lemon curd if you don't feel like making your own. There is nothing wrong with taking a few short cuts. And remember lemon curd is great lathered between sponge cake, dolloped over muffins and pancakes, or poured into a cooked and cooled pastry case. So if you want to double the recipe you will have a lot of uses for it.

Serves: 8-12

Complexity Rating: – Simple dimples!

Taste Rating: – Pleasurable!
Layered Rice Bake by Fast Eddie (06 May 13)

Posted at 6:09 am by Gourmet Salvor

Feb 2nd
I decided to make this for a work luncheon but because I didn't have a 24cm springform pan (mine was 22cm) I had enough left over to make an individual one for myself for dinner that night. I used a 10cm springform pan and kept an eye on it until the cheese melted and started to brown then I took it out (apologies for not timing it but I was hungry and focussed on getting it in my belly!).

You may be thinking…. have we travelled back in time? It's 2019 but this post is dated 2013! No you see I wrote this back in May 13; I just never got around to publishing it on my blog – my bad.

I liked the idea of this recipe because it looked like a savoury cake (and who doesn't like cake), is crowned with melted cheese and if you wanted, you could hide pureed vegetables in the sausage filling and the kids would never know. Sneeky, I know, but necessary sometimes.

Below top is the styled photo that accompanied the recipe; below bottom is the edible, non-styled, slightly sad but confident photo of my individual layered rice bake. You might call it rustic photography but I call it 'domestic art'.

Note: I served mine with a garden salad and a spicy beetroot dressing I bough at the fresh food markets.

A lot of effort went into putting this dish together but in truth it wasn't difficult just a little bit fiddly. It tasted amazing with its cheesey, crispy outer rice layer protecting the tomato bite of the pork and fennel sausage stuffing. Yum-mo. Everyone at work enjoyed it and a few even asked for the recipe but what was most important was that Cass, the luncheon guest of honour, enjoyed the celebration commemorating her first year in the job.

Layered Rice Bake by Fast Eddie

Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, for greasing
- 1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs, for dusting
- 2 cups medium-grain rice
- 3 cups water
- 2 tsp fine salt
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 150g parmesan, finely grated
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large brown onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 650g pork and fennel sausages, skin removed
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season
- 1 cup chicken stock
- Shredded red cabbage, radish and watercress salad, to serve
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Grease a 24cm springform pan with butter and dust with dried breadcrumbs.
2. Wash rice until water runs clear. Put in a large saucepan with water and fine salt, then stir to combine. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then reduce heat to medium. Once craters form, cover with a lid, take off heat and set aside for 20 minutes (rice will continue to cook). Stir eggs, 80g of the parmesan and parsley into the rice and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add sausage, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until browned.
4. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute or until mixture starts to stick. Stir in 50g of the parmesan and season with sea-salt flakes and pepper.
5. Pour in stick and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook until completely dry. Press 2/3 of the rice mixture onto the base and sides of the prepared tin. Fill with sausage mixture and top with remaining rice mixture, pressing firmly to seal.
6. Sprinkle over remaining parmesan, Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden. Serve with shredded red cabbage, radish and watercress salad.
Serves:8

Complexity rating: Sweet as!

Taste rating: Delightful.
Where have I been?

Posted at 2:31 am by Gourmet Salvor

Feb 2nd

Sometimes you blink and time passes quickly, sometimes life gets in the way and you ignore what really makes you happy to prioritise the needs of others, other times your job takes you overseas to foreign lands with terrible internet access and then there are those times you are challenged with serious health problems and don't have the capacity to do anything else but focus on getting well.

Tick, tick, tick and, unfortunately, another tick.

All of the above has happened to me over the last five years since I started this blog but I'm back with renewed motivation, a killer haircut and boxes of torn out magazine recipes to thrill and entice you with. So in the immortal words of Randy Quaid, when he flew the fighter jet into the alien space craft in the movie Independence Day – "Hello Boys. I'm back"
Easy Lemon Cheescake Pavlova by Edward Halmagyi (24 Nov 13)

Posted at 7:03 am by Gourmet Salvor

May 25th
This is another recipe from my Pinterest Board. It is a dessert that is both a cheesecake and a pavlova – when I saw it I thought brilliant! Ed Halmagyi is an Australian chef, TV presenter, author, and radio host. I pinned this sometime in late 2013 and when I produced it for friends, I was inundated with compliments and requests to make it again.

I found it way too sweet (unbelievable as I'm usually all up for sugary delights) and confusing – there was too much going on and I think it bamboozled my tastebuds. I did however like the freshness of the fruit and the crunch of the meringue. The combination with the creamy cheesecake just made it too rich. The best thing about this fancy dessert is that you don't have to cook a thing. It is either bought (the biscuits for the base and the meringue) or refrigerated. You will however, have to use a hand mixer but other than that it is a great one for the kids to help you with.

Easy Lemon Cheesecake Pavlova by Edward Halmagyi

Ingredients:
- Cooking oil spray, for greasing
- 100g Arnott's Milk Coffee biscuits
- 85g butter, melted
Filling
- 2 x 250g blocks cream cheese, softened
- 2 x 395g cans sweetened condensed milk
- ¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Topping
- 150ml thickened cream, whipped
- 1 cup roughly crushed mini meringues
- 2 small kiwi fruit, peeled, sliced into rounds
- 125g strawberries, halved
- Pulp of 2 passionfruit
Method:
1. Grease base and side of an 18cm round pie tin with oil. Line with two 5cm-wide strips of baking paper to create a cross; leaving an overhang (this will help you lever the cake out of the tin when set). Line base with a round of baking paper.
2. To make base, put biscuits in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form. Add butter and pulse until combined. Using the back of a large spoon, firmly press crumb mixture into the base of the prepared tin.
3. To make the filling, put cream cheese in a large bowl and beat, using an electric mixer, until smooth. Add condensed milk, 1 can at a time, beating between additions until combined. Add lemon juice and beat until combined and thickened.
4. Spoon all filling over base and smooth surface. Chill for 8 hours or preferably overnight until set.
5. Carefully remove cheesecake from tin, using paper stirps to help you. Transfer to a cake stand or serving plate and smooth edges with a spatula.
6. Spoon cream over cheesecake. Top with meringue and fruit pieces. Drizzle with passionfruit to serve.
Serves: 8

Complexity Rating:– Easy Peasy!

Taste Rating: – Not to my liking.
Florentines by Karen Martini (17 Nov 13)

Posted at 6:30 am by Gourmet Salvor

May 25th
I had the opportunity to meet Karen Martini and I think she is a lovely lady and an amazing chef. I regularly surf her blog at http://karenmartini.com and I find her recipes are mostly quick to make and always tasty. This month the Florentine recipe caught my eye and I decided to make my Florentines with a mix of dark, milk and white chocolate bases because…….well everyone has their own favourite chocolate type.

These Florentines are simple to make and are so so soooooooo yummy. Crisp corn flakes intermixed with bursts of berries with sweet condensed milk and undertone of decadent chocolate – hmmmmm you can't go wrong. You can almost pass these off as healthy, with the nuts, berries and flakes of corn; just don't mention the chocolate (however I'm sure somewhere in the world they are proclaiming the benefits of chocolate so you could strengthen your health food argument). Throw everything in a bowl, push the mix into a scone cutter and bake – 1 2 3! Nothing beats homemade biscuits, except maybe the Tim Tam, so find a little time this Sunday and treat the family.

Florentines by Karen Martini

Ingredients:
- 380ml condensed milk
- 250g cornflakes
- 150g unsalted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
- 100g glacé cherries, coarsely chopped
- 100g dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
- 60g glacé ginger, coarsely chopped
- Zest of ½ lemon, finely grated
- 2 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 250g dark chocolate (or milk chocolate if you prefer)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 or 3 trays with baking paper.
2. Combine all ingredients except chocolate in a large bowl and stir well.
3. Put 7cm round scone cutter on lined tray, press 1-2 tablespoons of mixture into cutter, then repeat for rest of mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove and cool on wire racks.
4. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water; spread on back of each biscuit. Leave to set for 20 minutes.
5. Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Makes: 25

Complexity Rating:– Basically child's play!

Taste Rating: – Enjoyable!
Seriously Sinful Choc-Hazelnut Pudding from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine (26 Oct 13)

Posted at 3:25 am by Gourmet Salvor

May 25th
You may be starting to think I am obsessed with the Better Homes and Gardens magazine – I don't think I am but they are just full of such amazing recipes that seem to tempt me from the pages taunting 'Go on you can do this or don't you think you are good enough? Come on surely you want to have a mouthful of this culinary perfection?'. As you already know I have an addictive personality but I'm also competitive so I just can't say no!

I'm actually not sure which magazine addition or year this recipe is from as I didn't keep the magazine and I cut the recipe from the page with a pair of scissors. Now the photo below doesn't look too pleasing to the eye but I have a valid reason for this. When I got to work to store this wicked specimen, I discovered the fridges at work don't have freezer compartments. I know….. I was as shocked as you are but what will really astound you is that in all the years I have worked there, opening and closing the fridge to store my lunch, I have never noticed they didn't have freezer comartments! I am clearly not an observant person. You may wonder why would I want to freeze this when the recipe indicates to refrigerate. Well our fridges are accessed by over 50 people throughout the day, and with the continual opening and closing, the fridge doesn't maintain its temperature. This meant that on the day I presented my creation it had started to melt (and I had to leave the springform base attached) however this did not detract from the taste. Just in case you are highly influenced by appearances I've attached the photo from the magazine which I had kept with the cut out recipe. In case you are not sure mine is the first one pictured. 🙂

Can I just say this is a truly wonderful pudding. Sinful is the best way to describe it and I swear I saw my work colleagues protecting their slices whilst nervously looking around to ensure no one was going to steal a spoonful. The hazelnut and choc chip shortbread base provides the perfect platform for the fluffy and decadent mousse to rest on and the maltesers give that malty texture which crescendos with every mouthful. There are no other words for it you just have to make it yourself.

Seriously Sinful Choc-Hazelnut Pudding from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Ingredients:
- 75g whole hazelnuts
- melted butter, for greasing
- 150g choc-chip shortbread biscuits, crushed (if you can't find them I bought a plain shortbread and threw in a handful of choc chips)
- Extra 50g butter, melted
- 200g 70% dark chocolate (I used milk chocolate and it was awesome!)
- 400ml thickened cream
- 3 eggs, separated
- 50g caster sugar
- 4 tablespoons of Frangelico liqueur (and extra half teaspoon for you)
- 75g Nutella
- 50g Maltesers, lightly crushed
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180^oC. Put hazelnuts on an oven tray and roast for 5 minutes. Transfer to a clean tea towel and roll around to remove skins.
2. Grease a 20cm springform cake tin with melted butter and line with baking paper.
3. Put 50g of the hazelnuts in a food processor, pulse until chopped, then transfer to a bowl. Put shortbread in food processor, and pulse to create crumbs. Add to hazelnut, then add extra butter and stir to combine.
4. Press mixture into base of prepared tin. Smooth with the back of a spoon and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Melt chocolate and 100ml of the cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in egg yolks. Set aside to cool slightly.
6. Beat eggwhites in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating well, until mixture is thick and glossy. Add a large spoonful of eggwhite mixture to chocolate mixture and gently fold in using a metal spoon. Fold in remaining eggwhite mixture until combined.
7. Pour onto biscuit base and put in fridge for 2 hours or until firm.
8. Put remaining cream and liqueur in a medium bowl and whisk until softly whipped. Swirl through Nutella and ½ of the Maltesers. Top mousse with cream mixture.
9. To serve, dip a clean tea towel in hot water and run it around the outside of the cake tin a few times to loosen pudding. Remove from tin and serve scattered with remaining hazelnuts and Maltesers.
Serves: 12

Complexity Rating: – Time is required.

Taste Rating: Party-in-my-mouth!
Simple Chicken Drumstick Stew from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine (05 Oct 13)

Posted at 11:33 pm by Gourmet Salvor

May 24th
This recipe is from the July 2013 edition of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. This is a recent addition to my ever growing collection but I was eager to try it because it read like a taste explosion of coriander chicken-y goodness (by the way I am a huge fan of coriander). It did not disappoint and apart from having to marinate the chicken overnight it was definitely doable on a school night.

The marinade is full of spicy tartness with a hint of heat but once combined with the sweetness of the tomatoes and the goodness of the hearty potatoes it rounds out well. I have since tried this recipe on my Godsons and they loved it too – so I can highly recommend this for the experience palate of children. You could serve this with rice or alone – it is good both ways but I recommend you serve it with rice as you can easily access the wonderful sauce without having to resort to licking the plate (I do have some semblance of manners, he, he!).

Simple Chicken Drumstick Stew by Fast Eddie

Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
- 2 teasponns ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 6 long red chilies, deseeded
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 16 cloves garlic
- 12 chicken drumsticks
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 bunch coriander, leaves picked, chopped
- 400g can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
- 4 potatoes, peeled, cut into 3cm pieces
- 2 cups chicken stock
- sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season
- Extra coriander, to serve
Method:
1. Put vinegar, turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, chilli, ½ the oil and ½ the garlic in a blender and blend until smooth. Put chicken in a ceramic or glass bowl and rub with marinade to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or preferably overnight.
2. Scrape marinade off chicken and set marinade aside. Heat remaining oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add chicken and fry, turning, for 5 minutes or until browned. Meanwhile, chop remaining garlic, then add to pan with onion and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add coriander leaves, reserved marinade, tomato, potato and stock to pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with lid and reduce heat to low. Cook for 40 minutes or until potato is tender. Sprinkle with extra coriander to serve.
Serves: 4

Complexity Rating:– You could do this blind folded!

Taste Rating: – Enjoyable!
Why these recipes and why now?

Posted at 11:09 am by Gourmet Salvor

May 24th

Before I started this blog I was using my Facebook account to record my escapades through the bottom drawer of my desk where hundreds of torn out recipes hid. I started my Facebook posts in 2013 and I was concerned that my friends would get sick of seeing photos of food on Facebook and didn't want to loose friends (as if; but you can't be too careful). One of my wonderful friends, Helen, suggested I start a blog and, after a lot of online tutorials, I have!

It is not as easy as I thought, going back through my Facebook account finding the relevant posts to transfer onto my blog, and to be quite honest I couldn't find all of my witty and insightful posts. I did however find all of the photos of the end products and the recipes on my trusty smart phone. Anyway, my Facebook posts combined with the dot points scribbled in my trusty cooking notebook have helped me share my experiences with you. I'm not sure who YOU are but welcome and thank you for visiting.

I will catch up soon and be able to post closer to the date I bake, cook and create. Do not fear (I'm not trying to sound like a superhero but it appears that way doesn't it) I'm recording everything in detail on my computer as I go and soon you will be inundated with a heap of recipes. I hope you are looking forward to that day – I certainly am!