I've needed a new spin on classics such as the humble quiche, I mean I can do bacon and cheddar until the cows come home, but a 'healthier' version is always worth a try. I was intrigued by Hemsley + Hemsley's almond crust and naturally enamored by bacon, spinach and caramelised onions!
This recipe for Caramelised Onion Tart with an Almond Flour Base is a similar version to Hemsley + Hemsley's version of Spinach and Bacon Tart with a Nutty Almond Crust.
Yay or Nay: Yay
I'll admit that I didn't use the recipe for the tart base as I didn't have enough eggs to make it, plus I figured there was enough fat with the bacon so I didn't want to add it where I didn't need to! Yes, there is no final picture as I overflowed the tart and slightly overbaked it - despite that it was pretty tasty. I did add mushrooms when the option was either bacon or mushrooms - I have to say I would stick with one or the other as the flavours mind of meld into each other and you don't get to appreciate each mouthful! The only, very small, downside is that it is a little greasy the next day for leftovers so I would throw out half the fat when cooking next time.
In the past I've made mussels in a fragrant wine sauce but I was inspired by a recipe in Sirocco. However, most of the ingredients were hard to come by and I had just finished my tube of harissa! On the next page there was a recipe for Tumeric Clams and via a search on Pinterest I knew I could find a recipe that combined mussels and tumeric with easier to find ingredients. Luckily, I found Recipes From a Pantry's recipe for Tanzanian Style Mussel Curry which sounded delicious!
Yay or Nay: Yay
This was fast, healthy and most importantly yummy! It tasted like a fragrant and light curry which didn't overwhelm the taste of the mussels. The best part was that the sauce was so saucy that it was brilliant to mop up with bread!
I've been waiting to get my hands on this book for a while, now that the popularity of it has died down, I can finally borrow it from the library. I merely mentioned the word 'kiev' and that pique my husband's interest. He had no idea what it was, for me however, it conjured up memories of school dinners - mainly tom toms which were breaded chicken in the shape of spheres with, wait for it, tomato ketchup in the insides! Obviously chicken kiev is not the same, but the idea is, a breaded chicken with a buttery herb filling oozing out when you cut through it.
Anyway, Hemsley + Hemsley's recipe for Chicken Kiev is here.
Yay or Nay: Yay
I have to say I was skeptical at first because the outside is breaded with almond meal as opposed to a breadcrumb or panko but it helped balance the richness and full-fatness of the parsley butter. My only gripe with this, was that all the butter had melted out of the chicken breast as I had butterflied it, so next time I would cut a mini pocket instead so try and retain the parsley butter inside the meat - although I don't know if that would help either!
I stumbled upon the cookbook, Sirocco, while looking for Hemsley + Hemsley's, but had seen it elsewhere before so I knew I wanted to flick through this given the chance. While browsing through the book, my eyes were immediately drawn to a recipe for Chickenberry rice. It's pretty much what the name suggests, chicken, berries and rice but the seller was the crispy bottom (you have to see the picture to know what I'm walking about!)! It is similar to an Indian Biriyani although this has more of an Iranian flavour profile to it. I found a similar recipe for chickenberry rice here.
Yay or Nay: Yay
This was delicious, the berries after being steamed are sweet, plump and juicy; the chicken was delicately spiced and the rice soaked the flavour of everything!
TIP: The recipe does state, if using a gas stove, to use the lowest heat but even doing that I still burned the bottom, so I would shorten the steaming time and cook the rice a little more in the first part of the recipe to avoid burning!
I've been on the hunt for a yummy and quick pasta recipe that I can whip up mid-week but isn't as fattening as the one pot bacon and brie pasta we both love! After browsing Pinterest, I came across Half Baked Harvest's recipe for Caramelized Balsamic Goat's Cheese pasta. The pics and description sounded delicious so I was excited to make this.
Yay or Nay: Nay
Massive FAIL for this recipe. The styling in the photos were deceiving - we were both in agreement that we did not like this recipe at all. I was expecting something tangy and rich, but it was more like a dessert pasta dish - sweet and cloying. I think the recipe would have been better without the balsamic sauce/dressing as the mushrooms, garlic and thyme were tasty on their own. I don't think I would try this again with a different kind of balsamic as the dish itself was not good at all.
Gearing up for the Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year as most people know it can be a manic experience. Having to make special dishes and deserts as well as buying exotic fruits to celebrate an auspicious year can be overwhelming! I wanted to make a batch of won tons to each during the week and in advance should the need arise.
In all honesty, I have made this based loosely around Vietnamese Foody's Wonton Vietnamese Noodle Soup (mi hoanh thanh)recipe, a mix of my mum's and my own interpretation! So the end result will be more catered to my own tastes, most likely a yay then!
Yay or Nay: Yay
I can't lie, it was good! Delicious in fact! The only downside was that I'd overcooked the won ton just to make sure that they were cooked on the inside. Chuc Mung Nam Moi / kung hei fat choi / Happy New Year
When both of us wants pie, we usually go for the fail-safe steak and ale, so for something a little different I remembered making a chicken and chorizo pie. After searching and searching, I found Curiously Delicious' Chicken and Chorizo Pie but couldn't find the original one I made way back before the blog. This version was the most similar to the original, bar the tomato sauce and peppers.
FYI: I used Jamie Oliver's shortcrust pastry recipe which I have reviewed here.
Yay or Nay: Yay
I've only added photos of the filling, mainly because everyone knows what a pie looks like!! The recipe straightforward and even though it wasn't like the dry original pie, this one I purposely reduced the tomato sauce down (in case of a soggy bottom!) and the chili paste (I used chili powder) gives it some heat. My only gripe is that I cannot for the life of me find real Spanish style chorizo, here in the States, it is more like a regular raw sausage.
TIP: The recipe says to use puff pastry, but I prefer shortcrust. I followed Jamie's recipe for cooking the whole pie, but I would increase the time to about 50mins as I like my pastry crispy and brown.
