simple Archives - Page 9 of 9

The first time I saw Mille-feuille on a cooking show on television, I was head over heels in love with them. Layers of creme patissiere (pastry cream) and fruit sandwiched between crisp layers of puff pastry. There are many adaptations that exist today and they are also known as Napoleon, Vanilla Slice, Custard Slice. Mille-feuille is french for a ‘thousand leaves’ which refers to the thousands of layers in puff pastry. If you have made puff pastry at home, you know what I mean. In fact this beautiful dessert was the reason I learnt to make my own puff pastry. Making it at home is not difficult but painstakingly time-consuming. I enjoy making things from scratch but this time around I was forced to use a store-bought one.

I had a late realisation that it was Sweet Adventures Blog Hop Time. When I found out about the theme there was no missing it. Meringue Mania! I am a self-confessed meringue maniac and my regular readers would know how much I use it..torte, cookie, crumble, decorations and so on. So this one was another opportunity to whip up some egg whites. This month’s hostess is Claire from Claire K Creations.

I wanted to do something different so instead of the pastry cream I used toasted meringue! I was pleasantly surprised how delicious it turned out. Initially I thought of making raspberry curd to go with it ,then on second thoughts settled for a raspberry compote. Some things are best left simple. This would actually make a great dessert when you are entertaining a crowd or want to make something elegant for those unexpected guests. You can easily replace the meringue with whipped cream. I have made this in the past with lemon curd, chocolate mousse, whipped cream with different fruit and berry combinations. The bottom line is that it is a very versatile yet forgiving recipe.

Raspberry Meringue Millefeuille
Makes 5

For the Pastry layers
2 sheets store-bought frozen puff pastry(75% thawed)
Icing sugar for dusting

For the Raspberry Compote
1 cup frozen raspberries (or fresh raspberries)
2 tbsp Castor Sugar

For the Swiss Meringue
2 egg whites
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (optional but helps to hold peaks)

Preheat the oven to 200 degree C. Line a baking tray with grease-proof paper. Cut out rectangles of approx 9 cm long and 5 cm wide from the puff pastry sheets. The easiest thing to do is fold the sheet in half and then quarters and follow the lines with a pizza cutter to get 8 rectangles. (Measurements will vary depending on the size of the sheets but it does not matter as long as the size of the rectangles are same. From 2 sheets you will get 16 rectangles but you will need only 15). Dust the rectangles with icing sugar and place them on the baking tray in a single layer. Bake for 10-15 mins or till pastry is crisp and golden brown in colour. Remove from the own and keep aside.

When the puff pastry is baking, place the raspberries and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. If you are using fresh raspberries, you may need to add a 2 tbsp water. Simmer for a few minutes till raspberries break down and the mixture turns into a thick sauce like consistency. Keep aside to cool.

Make the meringue: Place egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar (if using) in a large steel bowl over a pot of simmering watering. Take care to avoid the bottom of the bowl from touching the water. Whisk lightly till the sugar dissolves. At this stage, the bottom of the bowl will be warm to touch. Take it off the heat. Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer slowly beat the egg whites. Gradually increase the speed of the mixer and continue beating till almost stiff peaks are reached.
Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and pipe meringue dots or swirls on 10 of the cooled puff pastry rectangles. (The remaining rectangles will make the tops of the mille-feuille. Using a blow torch lightly toast the meringue.

To assemble : Place a meringue topped pastry rectangle on the centre of the plate. Drizzle generously with raspberry sauce. Place another meringue topped rectangle on top and drizzle with more raspberry sauce. Place a plain pastry rectangle on top. Drizzle with icing sugar. Repeat with the remaining rectangles.

If you love entertaining and look for recipes that are simple yet impressive, I’ve got just that for you today. Scotch eggs are great as a starter or a snack or even a side dish. Typically, a Scotch egg is a hard boiled egg encased in sausage meat mixture, crumbed and deep fried. Of course there are many variations that exist mainly in the type of casing that is used. Any kind of mince would work and the type of seasoning largely determines the flavours.

Tweaking the classic ingredients, I used Smoked Salmon to coat the egg and that gave the dish a delicate appeal. It barely took any time to get this ready but the reactions of the people at the table were worth noting. I served it with a orange radicchio salad to have some sweet, bitter tangy flavours on the plate. You can serve it with with any salad of your choice or a simple lemon aioli (lemon infused mayonnaise). I enjoyed plating up this dish as the colours look lovely together. However, I just managed a few photographs with guests waiting at the table.

I have been very busy lately. And I apologise for being a bit late in visiting my blogger friends. Most of the times I click through the links but unable to complete reading the full post and make a mental note to go back. And then the backlog just builds up. Along with the number of incomplete drafts in my folders. At times I wish there were more hours to a day. No..not really…then I might have not made it to the bed at all and slept off at my desk.
The good news is that its Spring at last and it’s showing. Everywhere.! I love Spring and what it does to the world!

Smoked Salmon Scotch Eggs with Orange Radicchio Salad

Smoked Salmon Scotch Eggs

4 hard boiled eggs
100 g smoked salmon, roughly chopped
2 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 clove garlic
1/2 onion roughly chopped
1 tsp mixed dried herbs (or freshly chopped)
1/2 cup plain flour for dredging
1 large egg lightly beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used ordinary breadcrumbs as I ran out of Panko. If available, I prefer using Panko breadcrumbs)
salt and pepper for seasoning
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Place the smoked salmon, garlic, onion and mixed herbs into a food processor and pulse briefly to combine. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and mix with the mashed potatoes. Season with salt and black pepper, mixing well to combine.
Divide the mixture into four, mould one portion around a boiled egg and roll it into a circle. Repeat with the remaining mixture and boiled eggs. Dredge the salmon-wrapped eggs in flour, then dip quickly into the beaten egg to coat. Spread the breadcrumbs out on a plate and roll the wrapped eggs in the breadcrumbs. Repeat the process, dipping each wrapped egg again into the beaten egg and breadcrumbs until thoroughly coated.
Heat vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pan or wok. Carefully place the eggs into the hot oil, a few at a time, and deep-fry for 2-3 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp on the outside. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Orange Radicchio Salad

2 Navel Oranges peeled and segmented
A few leaves of radicchio, coarsely torn
A handful rocket leaves
2-3 thinly sliced smoked salmon, coarsely chopped
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Place the first 4 ingrdients together in a large bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients together to make the dressing. Pour onto the bowl just before serving. Toss to combine.

To plate: Place a scotch egg in the centre of the plate. Arrange the salad around the scotch egg horizontally. Drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with cracked pepper.