Food Porn and Discussion.

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
i've made a peach and raspberry granita - it took ages - i started making it yesterday, and it took ages to freeze, kept doing the checking and stirring thing every hour, and then i completely forgot about it this morning and suddenly remembered at lunch time - got it out the freezer, raked it thru with a fork and it is amazing! seriously, a little piece of heaven!! and sooooooooooo easy to make! i've been meaning to make some granitas ever since i got back from Italy last year, and have only just got round to it now another summer is ending - am kicking myself lol!!
 
busy baking weekend! made some chocolate eclairs, and tried a new recipe for milk chocolate ganache - was so good! i was sceptical at first as i usually make mine out of just chocolate and cream, but this recipe also had butter and honey in it... gave it a go anyway and it was really yummy!

going to be making a special dessert this week: home-made raspberry-champagne sorbet topped with champagne-cassis granita (will use a good sparkling wine instead of champagne though), i can't stop thinking about it lol!!! :D
 
hey mad1! i love Nigella, love her writing, and have got most of her books, and some of her recipes have become firm favourites that i make over and over!

my ultimate faves are her Chocolate Fudge Cake (Nigella Bites) - that is a really good chocolate cake, the cake itself is quite mild but the chocolate fudge topping is VERY rich so it balances out quite well, Chocolate Pots (Nigella Bites), Breakfast Pancakes (Nigella Bites), Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies (Feast), Christmas Morning Muffins (Domestic Goddess), Peanut Butter Squares (Domestic Goddess) - these are all ones i make all the time... i had a REALLY bad experience with her "Clementine Cake" (think it might be in How to Eat, not sure) but that was really gross and a total disaster, and i made it specially for friends without trying out the recipe first, and it was just awful and inedible haha, so now i always try things out first just to make sure before inflicting them on friends ha! so i can't say all her recipes i've tried have been good, some have been hit and miss, but once you find a good one you want to make it all the time lol!!

at the moment i'm really into the Hummingbird Bakery Recipe book - their cupcakes are out of this world, especially their Red Velvet cake and Devil's Food cake recipes... so i've been a bit distracted with them lately baking wise...

if you want a really out-of-this-world chocolate cake, i have just the recipe for you - it's been my best chocolate cake recipe for years!

it's got an OBSCENE amount of real chocolate in it, not a drop of cocoa powder, and it always turns out so well - plus i swear it helped me make friends with people when i moved here, seriously lmfao

400 g dark chocolate
200 g butter (diced)
16 level dessert spoons caster sugar
6 level dessert spoons flour
6 eggs
50 g ground hazelnuts (optional)

Melt chocolate with the butter in a heat-proof bowl over a simmering saucepan
Mix the flour and sugar together in a large bowl (with nuts if using)
Add the melted chocolate/butter mixture, and stir really well with a wooden spoon to get rid of any lumps (no need to whisk)

Then separate the eggs, add the yolks to the chocolatey mixture and stir really well again, and place the whites in a separate bowl and whisk til they form peaks.

Gently fold the whisked egg whites into the chocolatey mixture using a fork, pour into cupcake cases or a large lined cake tin (or 2 small ones) - this amount makes about 24 cupcakes or a large cake or small sandwich cake.

Bake at 180C for 15-20 min for cupcakes, or for about 30-40 min for larger cakes. Start testing after 30 min so it's not overdone - should be fairly moist, not too dry. Be careful it doesn't burn underneath, depending on the oven...

For the larger cakes/sandwich cakes, as soon as you can, turn them out of the tins, wrap them in foil and place in the fridge - it makes them incredibly dense, moist and just, well, delicious lol!! you can also make a chocolate/cream ganache to pour over the top or to decorate cupcakes...

I made this for friends recently, and they couldn't believe there were 8 bars of chocolate in the whole thing - 4 in the cake, and 4 in the topping - it did feed a heck of a lot of people though! lol!!

but yeah, if you like a massive chocolate hit, that one is definitely the one to go for!

my god, what a ramble - i could talk about chocolate cake for HOURS! :D
 
I need loadsa calories to gain weight fast, esp back on face, likes of pasta and ice-cream do it if I keep eating loads in the week, hope her stuff will be full of cals tooooooooooooooooo:D:D:D:D:D


oh Im tempted to try the choc cake soon, I attempted one weeks back and think we had the oven a little two high which dried it out, and then someone suggested putting a damp tea-towel over the top while its in oven. I dunno, end result with whipped cream was dry, and crumbling apart, it was really bland, think I prefer fudge sauce in there! I really must give ur recipe a go, thanks MAMA! please come here and bake for me, bet you make em all delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

will give it a go soon and tell ya what I think :)

((((((((((((hugz))))))))))))))
 
i've made a peach and raspberry granita - it took ages - i started making it yesterday, and it took ages to freeze, kept doing the checking and stirring thing every hour, and then i completely forgot about it this morning and suddenly remembered at lunch time - got it out the freezer, raked it thru with a fork and it is amazing! seriously, a little piece of heaven!! and sooooooooooo easy to make! i've been meaning to make some granitas ever since i got back from Italy last year, and have only just got round to it now another summer is ending - am kicking myself lol!!

I love granita! I haven't made that in so long. Last time I made it I used some red wine I had gotten for a gift that I wasn't too crazy about. It tasted way better in frozen form!
 
I want photos!

Oops. :reject: I ate it already. :lol: It was delicious though! Had it alongside barbequed fish, and I also sprinkled it in my salad. OMG THAT was good.

:hug:

I have a little bit left over. The flavor was great all on its own, but if you were to use any seasoning with it, is there anything you like? :hmm:
 
Oops. :reject: I ate it already. :lol: It was delicious though! Had it alongside barbequed fish, and I also sprinkled it in my salad. OMG THAT was good.

:hug:

I have a little bit left over. The flavor was great all on its own, but if you were to use any seasoning with it, is there anything you like? :hmm:

I usually make it with cream of mushroom soup and serve it hot vs the cold salad I made a few months ago. I think my mom makes hers with water chestnuts.

I'll bring you more rice this winter :)
 
I usually make it with cream of mushroom soup and serve it hot vs the cold salad I made a few months ago. I think my mom makes hers with water chestnuts.

I'll bring you more rice this winter :)

Ooh both those sound great! I love water chestnuts. And YAY! So you will probably for sure be heading this way then? :)
 
Ooh both those sound great! I love water chestnuts. And YAY! So you will probably for sure be heading this way then? :)

I think so...if I can get everyone's schedules to match then yes. But might not be when I told you because now I have a new job with a lot more flexibility and I'm not tied down to that one week. January is our slow month so it sounds like I can take off a week whenever I want. I'll let you know!
 
I think so...if I can get everyone's schedules to match then yes. But might not be when I told you because now I have a new job with a lot more flexibility and I'm not tied down to that one week. January is our slow month so it sounds like I can take off a week whenever I want. I'll let you know!

Perfect :) Just PM me with a tentative idea so I can sort of plan. I forget if you said what other plans you have while you are out this way.
 
anyone got any tips on how to make a more awesome type chicken stew?

I do mine with the meat and some potato, carrots, peppers, onions and the usual adding of chicken stock, but wondered did anyone have ideas on how to make it more wicked, with maybe adding something?

I like mine thick.

:D
 
how about throwing in some red wine, whole baby mushrooms, cutting the carrots into nice big chunks, adding lots of garlic, and turning it into a coq au vin?? i would serve the potatoes separately with a coq au vin though, probably steamed... oh i'm so hungry now! haha
 
or you can put a Moroccan twist on it by sauteeing the chicken with onions, garlic and spices (ground cumin, coriander, paprika, salt and pepper), adding a sliced lemon, and some olives, use water for the cooking liquid, let it bubble away gently for an hour, and serve with couscous and a vegetable broth (with tomato puree, carrots, onion, courgette, pumpkin, leek, anything really, whatever is handy) ...
 
normally i would put in a whole bottle for 4-6 people (my recipe says 1.5 bottles for 6 people), and about half for 2 people... but it bubbles away for ages so there's no alcohol left in it by the time it's cooked... yum! i love mashed potatoes! :D

you can also sautee some chopped up bacon with the onions and garlic as well at the beginning, to give it a nice flavour...
 
It can get a little sweet for some people depending on how sweet the carrots are or the pomegranate juice.

(I like to have Dukkah as an appetizer for a slightly Middle East/Mediterranean meal)

Pomegranate Chicken Stew

2 cups walnuts (halves, broken, bite-sized, whatever)
2 TBL. olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 TBL. sugar
3 cups unsweetened pomegranate juice
2 TBL. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sliced or chopped carrots
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
salt
pepper

Take 1 cup of the walnuts and grind in a food processor until mostly fine, but not paste. Reserve the other walnuts for adding to the stew as they are.

In a large fry pan heat 1 TBL olive oil and in a stock pot or Dutch oven heat the other 1 TBL olive oil. To the fry pan, add the chicken breasts (no need to trim or cut the breasts since the stewing will make them tender). Brown the breasts on each side so that no pink remains and the juices are sealed in the breast. Salt and pepper breasts as they are frying. In the stock pot, add the chopped onion and sauté until tender. Remove the chicken from the fry pan when done and keep warm until the sauce is ready (I keep them in a pan in the oven at 200 degrees).

Once the onion is tender add the sugar to it and brown for a few minutes. Pour in the pomegranate juice, lemon juice and cinnamon to the onion mixture and heat until boiling. Continue to boil until the mixture is reduced by approximately one-third. Add the walnuts, chopped walnuts, carrots and chicken breasts to the juice mixture and simmer for approximately 30-45 minutes with the pot partially covered. Make sure that the chicken is covered with sauce while simmering and split one breast open to check for doneness.

4 servings

Serve with Basmati rice pilaf or brown rice.
 
had a little family gathering today.....

Salmon Wellington...I don't eat meat but my family said this was amazing :flirt: I made 4 logs like this...probably got about 9 pieces out of each log and no leftovers! :yikes:
IMG_5543.jpg


all plated up with homemade dill sauce behind
IMG_5551.jpg


Greek Orzo salad and also a Red salad (that's what my mom calls it anyways!) Spring mix, craisins, red pear, red onion, gorgonzola, candied nuts, and a raspberry vinaigrette
IMG_5549.jpg


and the dessert table....carrot cake, lemon bundt, pistachio bundt. On the tier....poppyseed cookies, congo bars, and honey cake. Since this was a family event I made a lot of old family recipes that my grandma, great grandma and great aunts used in their day.
IMG_5545.jpg
 
Back
Top Bottom