The Ultimate Banoffee Pie Recipe
18 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Recipes Tags: Banannas, Banoffee Pie, Deserts, Dulche De Leche
Banoffee pie has long been a favourite desert around the world, particularly in America and the United Kingdom, but what is the secret of the ultimate banoffee pie?
Quite simply, the secret, such as there is one, is choosing the best possible ingredients for your pie. For me, one of the key ingredients is that lovely sticky, sweet toffee that you find in the pie. You can use tinned toffee, or make your own Dulce de Leche, or if you are making it on a large scale, you may want to consider approaching a Dulce de Leche supplier.
Banoffee pie takes about two hours to cook, and this recipe will serve 8 to 12 people.
To make the ultimate banoffee pie you will need:
- 9oz of Digestive Biscuits
- 3oz of Melted Butter
- Tin of condensed milk (397g)
- 4 banannas
- 284ml of lightly whipped double cream
- Coco powder for dusting
The Method
- Start by greasing a 20cm (8inch) loose-bottomed cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper.
- Crush the biscuits to a fine crumb (you can blitz them in a food processer if you want to) and then place into a bowl.
- Melt the butter over a low heat, ensuring that it doesn’t burn, and gradually add the melted butter to the crushed biscuit crumbs.
- Press the mixture into the base of the tin and up the sides of the tin by about 4cm (1 inch) to give you a biscuit crumb “bowl”.
- Place the base in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.
- Place the unopened tin of condensed milk into a pan of boiling water and boil for an hour and a half. (There is no need to pierce the tin, it won’t explode while cooking). Ensure that the pan doesn’t boil dry during this process.
- Allow the tin to cool slightly so that it is easier to handle, but do not let it go completely cold. Carefully open the tin and spread the filling over your previously prepared biscuit base.
- Place the base and filling back into the fridge for about an hour, or until the caramel is firm.
- To serve, remove the pie from the tin and place on a serving plate. Slice the bananas into rounds and then fold hold of them into the lightly whipped double cream.
- Spoon the cream and banana mix over the pie base and then decorate with the remaining banana pieces and sprinkle with coco powder.
This desert is really simple to make, and goes down well with all ages. We hope you enjoy this ultimate banoffee pie, and if there are any other recipes you would like to see on the site, please contact us and we will see what we can do.
Chicken Marengo
09 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Family Information, Recipes Tags: Chicken, Gluten Free, Main Meal
It can be incredibly difficult sometimes to cater for someone who has a special dietary requirement, and these days it seems that there are more and more people developing food allergies to one food group or another. In my household, we have a someone who suffers with coeliac disease which means that they have to have a strict gluten free diet or suffer from some really very painful health consequences, but we also have a family member who is lactose intolerant, so meal times can be “fun” to cater.
You would be surprised how many recipes contain gluten and lactose, and the same goes for pre-prepared meals. However, over my years of catering for the family I have come across some really quite tasty meals which are suitable. One of which I want to share with you now.
This tasty chicken, mushroom and tomato dish is easy to prepare and will easily serve four. I normally cook it with pasta and sometimes some fresh vegetables like steamed broccoli.
Cooking Time: 1hr 15min – 1hr 30mins
Temperature: 190 degrees (approx Gas Mark 5)
Ingredients:
- 4 Chicken Joints (breasts are ideal)
- 40g (1.5oz) Oil or Margarine
- 100g (4oz) Mushrooms (sliced)
- 40g (1.5oz) Cornflour
- 375ml (3/4 pt) Chicken Stock
- 2 Level tablespoons tomato puree
- Salt and Pepper to season
Method:
- Skin the chicken joints and fry in the oil or margarine until they are a light golden brown. Remove from the pan an place in a casserole dish, add the mushrooms.
- Stir the cornflour into the hot fat, returning the pan to the stove and cook for one minute.
- Remove pan from the heat again, and mix the tomato puree and chicken stock together.
- Gradually add some of the stock mixture to the pan. Be sure to keep stirring all the time to avoid lumps. Once you have added enough of the liquor to cover the pan return to the heat and continue to add the liquid steadily, bring the mixture to the boil.
- Season the liquid to taste with the salt and pepper and pour over the chicken.
- Cover the dish and place in a pre-heated oven at 190 degrees (gas mark 5) and cook until the chicken is tender
- Remove from the oven and garnish with parsley if desired.
Variations:
This recipe also works well if you substitute the mushrooms with black pitted olives or add other ingredients like shallots.
Dulce de Leche Ice Cream with Salted Pecans
20 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Recipes Tags: Desserts, Dinner Party, Dulce de Leche, Treats
The beauty of this recipe is that you can make this wonderful dulce de leche ice cream with or without an ice cream maker – it is really that easy to make. The extra step of roasting the pecans helps take the flavors to a new level when combined with the caramel dulce de leche and is well worth the effort. You can either use a dulce de leche from the shop, or make your own.
Prep Time: 3 hours
Makes about 6 servings.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cups pecan halves
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups whipping cream (or 2 cups whipping cream & 1 cup milk, if using an ice cream machine)
- 1 1/2 cups dulce de leche
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Preparation:
Using an Ice-Cream Maker:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Place the pecans in a shallow pan with the butter and salt. Roast the pecans for about 25 minutes, stirring every 5 -10 minutes, until dark brown.
- Cool pecans on a paper towel, coarsely chop, and set aside.
- Stir 1 cup milk and 2 cups cream together.
- Soften the dulce de leche in the microwave and whisk into the milk/cream mixture until well blended. Chill mixture in the refrigerator.
- When mixture is well chilled, stir in vanilla and a pinch of salt, and freeze mixture in an ice cream maker, according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Fold in chopped pecans, and place mixture in the freezer until it reaches desired consistency.
Without Using an Ice-Cream Maker:
- Follow steps 1 – 3 of the method above, then place dulce de leche in a medium bowl, and whisk in the vanilla and a pinch of salt.
- Whip 3 cups of whipping cream until soft peaks form.
- Whisk about a cup of the whipped cream into the dulce de leche to lighten it.
- Carefully fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Place the mixture in a container and freeze for about an hour.
- Once mixture is fairly firm, stir in the chopped pecans.
- Continue to freeze until ice cream has desired texture.
Spicy Seafood Pies
24 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Recipes Tags: Dinner, Mains, Pie, Seafood, Spicy
Seafood pie is a popular dish in many cultures, and there are many, many wonderful recipes for them. One of my favorites however is this simple recipe for Spicy seafood pie – a subtle twist on a traditional favorite. It is a great family treat, or a real hit when entertaining and can be served on its own as a starter, or with salad or cooked veg as a main dish.
This recipe will serve 4 people and is ready in about 40mins.
To make these Spicy Seafood Pies you will need:
- 1 tbsp of Olive Oil
- 2 sliced courgettes
- 400g of chopped tomatos in tomato juice
- A pinch of herbs
- A pinch of Garlic (minced or granules)
- 150ml (5fl oz) of fish stock (vegetable stock may also be used)
- 75ml (3fl oz) white wine
- 1 red chilli (seeded and diced)
- 230g smoked hoki fillets cut into chunks
- 240g salmon fillets cut into chunks
- 160g Jumbo king prawns
- 2 x 45g (1 3/4 oz) filo pasty sheets (either frozen or fresh)
- 15g (1/2 oz) low-fat spread (or butter) melted
The Method:
- Preheat your oven to gas mark 6 (200 degrees – 180 degrees if cooking in a fan oven)
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan.
- Place courgettes into the hot oil and cook for 5 minutes, turning regularly to brown on all sides.
- Pour in the tomatoes, stock, wine, chilli, herbs and garlic and stir well
- Bring the mixture to the boil and then stir in the fish and king prawns – cook for a further 3 – 4 minutes, or until the fish is flaking.
- Transfer the fish mixture into 4, 200ml pie dishes or large ramekins.
- Cut each filo sheet in half and brush with the melted spread/butter
- Scrunch the cut filo sheets on the top of each of the pie dishes
- Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp.
We hope you enjoy these spicy seafood pies, and if there are any other recipes you would like to see on the site, please contact us and we will see what we can do.
