Garlic Bread "Fries"

INGREDIENTS

1. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2. 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3. 3 large garlic cloves, minced
4. 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
5. 1 large baguette, split and halved
6. 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
7. Marinara sauce, for serving

1.  Preheat the oven to 450°. In a medium skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add the parsley.
2.  Place the bread on a baking sheet, cut sides up, and spoon the garlic butter on top. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes. Light the broiler and broil for 1 minute, just until golden. Cut the bread into 1/2-inch “fries” and serve in paper cones, with the marinara on the side.

Sausage on a Stick Recipe

Total Time: 40 minutes

 

Yield: 12

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ cups flour, plus 2 tablespoons for dusting
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 12 breakfast sausage 
• 12 wooden sticks
• 2 quarts peanut oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 ½ cups flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
2. Whisk buttermilk, egg, and vegetable oil in a large measuring cup; pour into dry ingredients. Stir until just incorporated. Let sit for 10 minutes while you cook the sausages.
3. Cook sausages in a skillet over medium-high heat, flipping often, until cooked through and all sides are browned. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and pat with another paper towel to remove excess grease.
4. When sausages are cool enough to handle, place remaining 2 tablespoons flour in a shallow dish. Skewer each sausage lengthwise with a wooden stick, dredge in flour, and tap to remove excess.
5. Heat a few inches of peanut oil to 190c in a heavy-bottomed pot fitted with an oil thermometer.
6. Transfer batter to a tall glass. Dip skewered sausages in batter, coating the sausage fully but not the stick. Carefully place into the hot oil and fry 3 at a time until golden, about 2-3 minutes per side. Drain on a wire rack.

20 Minute Apple Turnovers

Makes 4 large or 8 small turnovers

For the apple turnover:

• 1sheet of frozen puff pastry, defrosted
• 1 to 2tablespoons butter, vegan butter, or coconut oil
• 2medium cooking apples (Honeycrisp or Granny Smith, for example), peeled and diced
• 1/4coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1tablespoon arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
• Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon, divided
• 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8teaspoon ground ginger
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract (great with almond extract too)
• 1egg plus 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash) or almond milk

For the vanilla or almond glaze:

• 1cup powdered sugar
• 2tablespoons milk (or dairy-free substitute)
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract (or almond extract)

1. Defrost frozen puff pastry, if it's not defrosted already. It's easiest to let it sit out on your countertop for 40 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400° F.
3. Melt butter (or substitute) in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Cook the diced apples for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Juice the 1/2 lemon over the apples and add coconut sugar, arrowroot, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and lemon zest. Cook for 3 minutes, until apples are knife-tender and sauce is thickened.
6. Remove from heat stir in the vanilla or almond extract.
7. While filling cools, unfold the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. With a sharp knife, cut it into 4 equal squares for 4 large apple turnovers. (This can also be cut into 8 equal squares for 8 small turnovers.)
8. To assemble, brush the egg wash or almond milk along the edges. This will be a binder for the turnovers. Add 1/4 (or 1/8 if you're making smaller turnovers) of the spiced apple mixture in the middle of each square. Fold pastry in half diagonally and lightly press together. Run a knife along the edges to seal the pastries completely and create a decorative design.
9. Transfer to baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper. Make 1 or 2 small slits on the top of each turnover and sprinkle with additional sugar if desired.
10. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until top is golden brown. Remove from oven and, this is important!!, let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
11. For the glaze: Whisk all of the ingredients together until combined. Add more milk to make the glaze thinner, or more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze. Drizzle it over warm turnovers and serve immediately.

CHEESE PUFFS

Perfect for holiday pre-dinner bites, these cheese puffs seem impressive and taste delicious but are deceivingly easy to make.

MAKES ABOUT 30 PUFFS

3/4 cup flour

1 cup water

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, cut into small pieces

2 cloves of garlic, finely grated

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

4 large eggs

1/2 cup (packed) coarsely grated Gruyère cheese

1/2 cup (packed) Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 218°C. Butter 2 large baking sheets and sprinkle with a dusting of flour.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, garlic, salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil and then add the flour, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth ball. Continue stirring for about 2 minutes more, until you see a film forming over the bottom of pan, then remove from heat. Add mustard and eggs, 1 at a time. Mix well to combine, then add cheese and mix again.

3. Using a teaspoon, scoop up the batter and drop spoonfuls one by one onto the baking sheets, giving them enough space to cook and expand, about an inch or two apart. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Chicken Parm Nuggets Recipe

Total Time: 50 minutes

 

Yield: 16-18 pieces

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 pound chicken tenders
• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1.5” x .5” pieces
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup canned or jarred tomato sauce
• Minced parsley for garnish

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika. Set aside.
2. Cut each chicken tender crosswise in half. Using a paring knife, cut a pocket into each piece lengthwise. Gently insert a finger into the pocket to expand it without tearing it. Push a stick of mozzarella into the pocket until it's completely enclosed with chicken. Repeat until all nuggets are stuffed.
3. Season nuggets with more salt and ground black pepper. Dredge each piece in flour and tap off excess, then dip in egg, then dredge in bread crumb mixture.
4. In a deep fryer or heavy-bottomed pan, heat oil over high heat until almost smoking. Add chicken nuggets, 6 at a time, and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
5. Heat tomato sauce in a medium saucepan until simmering.
6. Garnish nuggets with parsley and Parmesan. Serve with sauce on the side for dipping

SAVOURY BUNS

Ingredients

Maida/All purpose flour	1 cup
Wheat flour	1/2 cup
Active dry yeast	1 tblsp
Milk	1/4 cup(+1 tblsp if needed)
Water	1/4 cup(+1 tblsp if needed)
Olive oil	1/8 cup
Sugar	1/2 tblsp
Salt	3/4 tsp
Chopped garlic	1 tblsp
Chopped coriander	1 & 1/2 tblsp
Chilli flakes	1 tblsp

Punch down the dough and make six equal sized balls and arrange it in a greased baking tray. Pre heat the oven to 190oC . Till then the dough balls we have made will again rise a bit. Bake for 10-13 minutes

broccoli and Cheese Muffins

Ingredients:

• 80z of plain flour
• 5oz grated cheese
• 1 small head of broccoli, chopped
• handfull of cherry tomatoes, chopped (optional)
• 6fl oz of milk (I use whole milk if making for babies / toddlers)
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 large egg, beaten

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (375F)
• Cook the broccoli until tender (boil or steam) and mash with the back of a fork
• In a bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, cooked broccoli and cheese
• Add the chopped tomatoes, oil, beaten egg and and mix well
• Spoon the mixture into a greased 12 hole muffin or cake tray (the consistency should be a moist sticky dough that is quite thick)
• Bake for around 30 minutes or until golden