Croissants

Pin It

If you follow me on twitter you may have seen me talking about a new page I have set up on my blog. 2013 Must Do List is a list of challenges I have set myself and will be adding to over the year. Croissants have been at the top of my list for a while now and as 2013 rolled around I realised I had exhausted all of my excuses. Stickybeaks was closed for the first 2 weeks in January so I decided to use this my advantage and get my 2013 list off to a good start.

After doing a bunch of research I decided to try out the Bourke Street bakery recipe as it didn't require a starter (sadly my sourdough starter died a while ago and I haven't had a chance to make a new one). It was really enjoyable and my freezer is now fully stocked with pastries. I also made a last minute decision to fill half with an almond paste which I was very grateful for as almond croissants are by far my favourite. I now look forward to making some again and experimenting with other flavours, I would love to try out some savoury varieties.

If you would like to join in with setting yourself some challenges for 2013 comment below and I'll link over to you.

Sage Buttered Mushrooms on Toast

Pin It

I'd like to say that breakfast is my favourite meal of the day but if I'm honest this is only really true on days off. Nothing beats a lazy start to the day with a cup of tea in hand and a cooked breakfast on your plate. This breakfast takes around 15 minutes to put together and will make your stomach, and you incredibly happy. January is tough enough as it is, and starving yourself isn't going to make it any easier. We all deserve a treat once in a while, and this is particularly true after a week of work.

Serves 1 but can easily be doubled, tripled etc
You will need-

• 1 free range egg
• 2 portobello mushrooms, stalks removed
• A few slices of your favourite bread
• A knob of butter
• 1/2 tbsp sage
• 1 clove garlic

Pre-heat grill to medium high. Melt the butter in a small pan and add the sage leaves. Cook on a medium heat until the butter is lightly brown. Brush over the underside of the mushrooms, setting a little aside and then place them under the grill and cook till their tender. Whilst the mushrooms are cooking place your egg in a small pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 2 minutes before draining and running under a cold tap before peeling. When the mushrooms are almost done toast your bread then rub with the garlic. Place the mushrooms on top of the bread and top with the egg. Drizzle with remaining sage butter, salt, pepper and a little truffle oil if you have some.

Sweetcorn Pancakes

Pin It

This weekend saw my 27th birthday and as I am fast approaching being middle age (I joke) Tim very generously bought me an all singing, all dancing Magimix food processor. I can't tell you how over the moon/excited I am about it so first thing on Sunday morning we gave it a whirl. I should begin by saying these pancakes don't have to be made in a food processor, you can do it the old fashioned way with a whisk, but you will need to finely chop the sweetcorn to get a similar consistency.

These pancakes, served with salted butter taste just like sweetcorn from the barbeque, smokey and creamy. We had them for breakfast along with some smoked frankfurters but they would make a great alternative to rostis or latkes for dinner. I can just imagine a perfectly poached egg sitting atop a stack of these with cured meat and grilled asparagus. Ok, I'll stop daydreaming and get on with the recipe.

Makes enough for 2 (aprox 8 pancakes)
You will need-

• 60g plain flour
• Around 125g sweetcorn (defrosted if frozen)
• 2 medium eggs
• 1.5 tbsp milk
• Salt & Pepper

Heat a pan on a medium high heat and lightly oil. Place all of the ingredients in the food processor and blend for a couple of minutes. Spoon the mixture into the frying pan to make small pancakes and serve right away with a knob of butter and your favourite sides.

Indian Scrambled Eggs on Naan Bread

Pin It

I should begin by saying I am all for eating breakfast for lunch & dinner. I am also up for dinner that can be thrown together and be ready to eat in under 10 minutes. I would recommend trying to track down a good quality naan bread, I used a garlic & coriander one from Sainsbury's but you could always make your own if you fancied the challenge. I would have photographed the whole process but the meal was finished in a flash, almost as fast as we both scoffed it down!

Serves 2
You will need-

• A drizzle of olive oil
• 1/2 green or red chilli, deseeded & finely diced
• 1cm square ginger, grated or finely chopped
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander plus extra for serving
• 1 tomato, peeled and cubed
• 4 eggs, beaten lightly
• 2 Naan breads

Preheat your oven to 180C and then get a frying pan with the oil in on a medium high heat. Whilst the frying pan is heating place the naan bread in the oven. Add the chilli, ginger, spring onions, cumin, turmeric, salt & pepper to the pan and fry for a 5 minutes before adding the coriander & tomato. Give everything a good stir and cook for another minute before adding the egg. Keep stirring the egg and take off the heat as soon as they're cooked. This shouldn't take more than about 2 minutes. To serve, spoon the egg mixture onto the naan bread and top with some more coriander.
Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am!

Butternut Squash Pita, a Bosnian recipe

Pin It

Pita like I've talked about before on my spinach pita recipe is a Bosnian filo pastry pie that I was brought up on. This butternut squash filling is a slightly different take on the original. Pumpkin pita is made but butternut squash isn't normally used. Personally I prefer the butternut to a regular pumpkin because of its sweetness. 

For the Plate Lickers Eastern European supper club I made this as a little appetiser but it is equally great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is delicious straight out of the oven but I quite like it at room temperature or even cold so it was make a great addition to any picnic this summer. Once you get the knack of rolling they are pretty quick to make and can be kept in the fridge for upto about 4 days. I have also made them way in advance before and frozen them before baking. Then the night before I needed them, moved them into the fridge and baked them in the morning. 

Pita is really great to make for kids as they can hold it in their hand and it doesn't make a mess. I will try to get the other recipes up but if you wanted to make just a cheese pita all you would need to do is leave the squash out and use a whole pack of feta.

You will need 

• A pack of filo pastry (don't use frozen) 
• 3 eggs 
• 600ml cottage cheese 
• 300ml creme fraiche 
• 1/2 pack of feta cheese (100g), grated 
• 1 small or 1/2 large butternut squash peeled and diced into small cubes 
• Salt & Pepper 
• Olive oil 

Begin by preheating your oven to 180C then lighly oil some baking trays. I use a mixture of small ones that have a little lip around them (the Mermaid brand do some great ones and I always see them in TK Maxx for quite cheap)

In a large bowl whisk together your eggs and then add the cottage cheese, creme fraiche, feta,squash and season. Mix everything well and then set to one side.

Next, unroll the filo and depending on the size cut in half or quarters. I like mine to be about 25 x 15cm, although this size is completely approximate. I do also sometimes make them even smaller which I did for the supper club. For the size of pita I normally do, you need a tablespoon of filling for each. Spread it roughly over the whole sheet then fold over the top and bottom till they meet in the middle.

Now just very loosely roll it up and place, crease side down in your tray. Keep going till you have used all the mixture and filo up. You can freeze any left over mixture for next time.

Once you have filled all your trays, brush the pita lightly with some olive oil and then bake for around 20 to 30 minutes or until the pita is golden and crispy around the edges.

Puffed Pancake

Pin It

Puffed pancakes have been on my to do list for a while. Mainly because I have needed a frying pan/skillet that could fit into my oven. I finally found a great skillet on a trip to Ikea the other day with a removable wooden handle. This is a really simple recipe that makes a fantastic breakfast or dessert. I am a real sucker for pancakes as 99% of the time I have all the ingredients in the house to make them at the drop of a hat. If you have fresh fruit then of course, use those. I made the stewed strawberries as all I had to hand was frozen ones. You don't have to serve these with strawberries, it is also great with chopped walnuts and maple syrup, or even a scoop of ice-cream.

Serves 2

You will need-

• 3 free range eggs
• 3/4 cup of flour
• 3/4 cup of milk
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of cinnamon
• 1 tbsp butter for greasing
• A handful of frozen strawberries
• 1 tsp icing sugar plus extra for dusting

Begin by preheating your oven to 200C then place your oven proof frying pan or skillet on a medium high hob. Whilst it is heating up whisk together the eggs, flour, milk, salt & cinnamon in a bowl till smooth.

Add your butter to the pan, spread around then pour your mixture in. Place your pan in the oven and then bake for 12-14 minutes or until the pancake is firm to the touch and the edges are brown. 

Whilst the pancake is baking place the strawberries in a saucepan along with the tsp of icing sugar and a tbsp of water. Cook over a medium heat till the sauce thickens slightly.

Once the pancake is cooked transfer it to a plate, sprinkle with icing sugar and top with strawberries. Eat straight away.

Baked Eggs with Garlic Yogurt & Sage Butter

Pin It

Yesterday morning I was craving something a little different for breakfast, I have to admit the last few weeks I haven't veered very far from peanut butter on toast so a treat was in order. After a quick scan around my kitchen I decided on baked eggs. This takes no more than 15 minutes to put together and is so tasty that you'll wish you'd made seconds. (It was so good that we had it for breakfast again this morning)

Serves 2

You will need-

• 2 free range eggs
• 1 & 1/2 blocks of frozen spinach (or a large handful of fresh spinach cooked in a little oil till wilted)
• 3 tbsp yogurt
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 4 sage leaves chopped

Start by preheating your oven to 150C then place your frozen spinach in a small saucepan and defrost over a medium heat- this can also be done in the microwave. Once the spinach has defrosted, drain away any water and then add a little drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Line your ramekins with a layer of the spinach and then crack the egg on top. Place the ramekin on a baking tray and place in the oven. Cook for 12 minutes or till the egg white has set.

Whilst the eggs are cooking combine the yogurt with the garlic, season with a little salt and put to one side.

In a small saucepan melted the butter over a medium heat and cook till it starts to foam. Add the paprika and give it a swirl then continue cooking for a few more minutes. Finally add the sage and cook for another minute or so before taking it off the heat.

Once the eggs have come out of the oven spoon the yogurt over and drizzle with the butter. Serve with bread soldiers or baked strips of tortilla. Eat with a spoon of just dunk your bread straight in.

Placke, Fried Dough recipe

Pin It

For as long as I can remember my mum used to make these placke as a special treat on the weekends. They are fantastic eaten sweet or savoury but my favourite is with a big dollop of jam. They would be great served with a poached egg on top or just with some yogurt. 

You can make these with left over pizza or bread dough or even shop bought, ready made doughs like pizza or the Pilsbury bread doughs work really well. As there is just two of us in our house, whenever I make pizza I always have lots of leftover dough. I keep it in the fridge and then just break off little golf ball sized piece. You need to place a pan over a medium high heat with a tablespoon or so of rapeseed or sunflower oil and when its nice and hot stretch your dough out quite thinly and then place them in the pan. They take just a few minutes to cook on each side. You want them to be golden brown on the outside so keep an eye of them so they don't burn. Before serving them sit them on some kitchen paper to soak up the oil and then serve warm with your favourite toppings.

 Ok, I admit they're not the healthiest of breakfasts but the combination of the crispy outside with the lovely spongy inside is irresistable. I can't guarantee that you won't end up making these a little too often.

Quickest, Tastiest Egg Sandwich

Pin It

I first saw this recipe on Sunday evening on A Cup of Jo's blog and was instantly planning when I could make it. It claimed to be the best egg sandwich you'll ever eat so I just had to test that claim out for myself. All you need for 1 sandwich is 

• 1 egg beaten with 1/2 tsp of water 
• Salt and pepper
• A small pile of grated cheese
• Chilli sauce if you fancy 
• Toasted English muffin

Heat a round frying pan on medium and wipe a little oil or butter around it to lubricate it a little. Beat your egg with the water & seasoning and then pour into the pan and swirl around like a a pancake till it has coated the whole pan. Dump your grated cheese and chilli sauce in the middle and then cook for around a minute or until the egg isn't runny on top. In my experience it hasn't taken more than a minute but this will vary depending on the size of your pan and therefor the thickness of your egg.

Fold the nearest side to you over and then fold the other sides in till you're left with a square. Place it inside your muffin and eat straight away.

1 challenge, try to resist having it 2 days in a row!

Enjoy x

Pecan, Walnut & Almond Granola with Coconut

Pin It

I have been planning on making my own granola for a long time and I don't quite know what was stopping me. I finally succumbed on monday on an impromptu day off and got making. Now I wake up every morning excited about breakfast rather than feeling like I can't be bothered. Normally on a work day I grab a cereal bar or a pot of yogurt and eat it once I get to work but now I am happy to get up that 5 minutes earlier and get stuck in. Not only is this super convenient but oh so delicious. I'm looking forward to experimenting with some other concoctions when I start to get a little sick of it but right now this is being made on the regular. I enjoy mine sprinkled on top of some fat free greek yogurt but would love to hear some other suggestions. It is also great for a little late night nibble on its own, straight from the jar!

You will need-

• 3 cups of rolled oats- I used up the last of my Rude Health oats that I won in their breakfast competition
• Around a cup (if not a little more) worth of a mixture of almonds, pecans & walnuts, I kept them whole
• 1/2 cup of your favourite dried fruits
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, if you don't have use olive oil but I thoroughly recommend getting some coconut oil
• 1/4 cup agave, or maple syrup
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

To begin preheat your oven to 170C then in a large bowl mix together the oats, nuts, coconut, oil & agave and mix till everything is thoroughly combined and the oats have soaked up the oil and agave. Next add the sugar & salt and mix.

Lay the mixture in a baking tray with a large rim- I used a few smaller baking trays and flatten it down into a thin layer. 

Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes or until its golden. Mix and turn the granola every 10 minutes or so to ensure its evenly cooked. 

Cool completely and then add the dried fruit, mix well and store in an airtight container.

For a quick breakfast, add 2-3 tablespoons of yogurt in a bowl and then add a handful of granola before tucking in.

Enjoy x