Chef Mark Doe of Just Cooking Cookery School in Firies has come up with some recipes to keep the kids (and yourself!) busy when stuck inside during the current Coronavirus crisis…
With the current situation, it is a great time to spend time with the kids and teach them some life skills along the way.
I have put together a few simple recipes that will help keep the boredom away during these tough times for us all. Enjoy and happy cooking.
Easy Mr Whippy ice cream
Ingredients
200ml whipped cream
200ml condensed milk
A little vanilla extract
Food colouring of your choice
Method
• Mix the condensed milk and whipped cream together.
• Add a little vanilla extract and food colouring if you wish.
• Place in a container and freeze for 2 hours until the ice cream is frozen enough to scoop
Home made Ferrero Roche inspired chocolates.
Ingredients
14 malted milk biscuits
25g rice krispies
200g Nutella
200g milk cooking chocolate
25g butter
Method
1. Blend up the malted milk biscuits and put them into a big mixing bowl. Fold in the Rice Krispies and the Nutella.
2. Take a big pinch of the mixture and roll into balls using your hands. Place the shaped mixture on to some baking paper and chill for 1 hour.
3. Break up the chocolate and microwave it for 30 seconds, then stir. microwave for another 30 seconds stirring again, add the butter and stir until you have a smooth mixture.
4. Dip the Nutella balls into the chocolate coating them generously and place back on to the baking paper. Chill for a further 30 minutes to 1 hour
Parmesan cheese straws
Ingredients
Puff pastry sheets (available form super markets) Finely grated fresh parmesan cheese
Sea salt crystals Fresh ground black pepper
Olive oil
Method
• Sprinkle the puff pastry sheets with plenty of grated parmesan, and press the cheese into the pastry with a rolling pin.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into ½ inch wide, 2 inch strips. Twist the strips into spirals and place apart on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with some rock salt and ground black pepper. Drizzle with a little olive oil
• Bake in a preheated oven at 180c/gas mark 4/350f for approx 12-14 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking tray.
Oreo and chocolate chip cheesecake
Serves 8
You need: 22cm flan ring with a removable base
For the base
220g digestive biscuits, crumbed
140g butter, melted
For the filling
300g cream cheese
220ml cream (double cream is best, although regular cream is fine)
50g caster sugar
4 gelatine leaves
16 Oreos lightly crushed
100g dark chocolate chips
Method
• Lightly brush your flan ring with a little oil.
• Mix together the biscuit crumbs and melted butter. Press into the base of tin and chill for 20 minutes
• Place the cream cheese, cream and sugar into a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until it resembles thickly whipped cream. Whisk in the Baileys.
• Place the gelatine into a small bowl, cover with cold water and leave for 5 minutes until the gelatine has softened.
• Remove the gelatine from the water and place into a small saucepan.
• Add 3 tablespoons of water to the gelatine, place over a medium heat and, stirring all the time, heat until the gelatine leaves have dissolved.
• Quickly, and in one go, whisk the gelatine into the cheese cake mix.
• Add the crushed Oreos and chocolate chips.
• Pour the mix over the base, cover with cling film and chill for at least 4 hours.
• Cut into wedges and serve
Triple Chocolate muffins
Ingredients
100g cooking chocolate
300g self raising flour (sifted)
1tsp baking powder
100g dark muscovado sugar
250ml milk
50g melted butter
2 eggs, beaten
50g dark chocolate chips
50g white chocolate chips
Method
• Preheat the oven to 180c fan/ gas mark 5/200c. Break the chocolate into a bowl and heat over a pan of simmering water untill melted.
• Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. In a separate bowl add the muscado sugar, melted chocolate,butter,milk and eggs and mix well. Carefully fold in the flour, taking care to not over mix. Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Spoon the mixture into paper muffin casesand bake for 25 minutes or until muffins have risen and are firm to touch. remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. serve warm or cold
Chocolate cake pop lollies
Ingredients
400g brownies or un-iced chocolate sponge
100g dark chocolate, melted
200g bar white chocolate, broken into chunks
sprinkles, edible glitter, etc, for decorating
2kg bag rice – for standing the lollies in while they set
about 20 lolly sticks, skewers or long wooden coffee stirrers
Method
• Tip the raw rice into a deep cake tin and cover the top with cling film (so that you can recycle the rice after!).
• Crumble the brownies into a food processor and dollop in the melted dark chocolate. Whizz until well mixed.
• Scoop out tbsps of the mixture and roll into egg shapes between your hands. Gently poke a lolly stick or skewer in about halfway, poke into the rice to stand up, and chill for 2-3 hrs until really firm.
• Melt the white chocolate gently in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (or in a microwave on Low), then take off the heat and let cool for 1-2 mins to thicken slightly.
• One by one, dip the chocolate pops into the white chocolate to coat, then let the excess drip back into the chocolate bowl. Stand the lollies in the rice-filled cake tin. Tip the sprinkles into small bowls, then dip the egg lollies in, gently rolling them around and coating them. Chill again for 1-2 hrs, or overnight, until the chocolate is really hard and set.
Sausage rolls
Ingredients
375g bought ready-rolled puff pastry
5 good-quality thick pork sausages
1 small egg, beaten
Method
• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• Cut the pastry into 10 rectangles, about 7x10cm/2¾x4in.
• Cut the sausages in half, making 10 smaller sausages, and then peel away the skins
• Lay the sausages on top of the filling on the pastry rectangles. Roll the pastry over the sausage, brushing the join with the beaten egg to seal.
• Place on a greased baking sheet, sealed-side down, and brush them with the egg to give a nice shiny glaze when cooked.
• Cook in the oven for 20 minutes until golden and crispy, and eat as soon as they are cool enough or leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
Jam drops
Ingredients
175g plain flour
25g cornflour
½ tsp baking powder
175g butter, softened
50g Caster Sugar
2 level tbsp Golden Syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp raspberry jam
Method
1. Line 2 or 3 baking trays with parchment paper. Heat the oven to 180C/160Cfan/gas 4.
2. Sift the flour, cornflour and baking powder into a bowl.
3. Place the butter and Golden Syrup into a bowl and using and electric whisk, beat until pale and fluffy, add the vanilla extract. Fold in the dry ingredients until the mixture forms and soft dough.
4. Take small pieces of dough about the size of a walnut and roll into a ball walnut. Place on the baking tray, leaving room to spread, then repeat and make more balls.
5. Make an imprint into each ball using your finger, deep enough to hold a little jam. Carefully place a small blob of jam in each using about ¼ tsp jam.
6. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden brown. Carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Hot cross buns
Makes 24 buns
Ingredients
900g Strong Bread Flour 1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground mixed spice 110g sugar
230g mixed dried fruit 2 sachets dried yeast (14g)
8 fl.oz water 8 fl.oz milk
110g butter – melted 2 large eggs
For the topping
4 tablespoons plain flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 large egg beaten
Method
• Mix the flour, salt, mixed spice, sugar and mixed dried fruit together in a large mixing bowl
• Make a well in the centre
• Heat the milk and water until tepid, stir in the yeast and add the melted butter
• Add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and then add the eggs.
• Gradually work in the flour to make a very soft but not sticky dough
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes OR
Leave in the bowl and with an electric hand mixer, (use the dough hook) knead for 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
• Put into a lightly greased bowl and cover with cling film for between 30minutes to 1 hour – until the mixture has doubled in size.
• Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently for 5 minutes and divide the mixture into 24 equal portions and shape into small balls
• Arrange fairly close together, but not touching, on the baking tray. Cover with cling film and allow to rise until doubled in size
• Preheat oven 200c.
• Make the topping by mixing the flour, and sugar with 4 tablespoons of water to make a thick, smooth paste.
• Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tube
• With the back of a knife, mark a cross on the top of each bun, then brush with beaten egg.
• Pipe a cross of the flour paste in the indentation on each bun
• Put the tray into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the buns are golden brown and there is a hollow sound when tapped underneath
• Allow to cool slightly and brush with the bun glaze.
For the bun glaze
6 tablespoons water 6 tablespoons caster sugar
• Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and place on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved.