Homemade Pizzas

If you can take the time to make these pizzas you won't be dissappointed. The dough is very quick to make. I stress again be meticulous when it come to weighing up your ingredients when baking.
It's one of the key elements in getting the end result perfect.
The amount of dough I'm making seems like a lot and it is.
I always use a kg of flour because you can freeze the half you don't use in balls or rolled out on a round baking sheet separated with grease proof paper.
Ready to use the next time you feel like a pizza.

Makes 5-6 pizzas

Pre-heat oven 220oc really hot.

Ingredients:

650ml tepid tap water
1 sachet or 7g dried yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1kg strong white flour
Bit extra for dusting

To make the dough, pour the tepid water into a large bowl and add yeast, sugar and salt.
Add the flour bit by bit until it all comes together.
The dough should be smooth and springy so if it's too wet add a little more flour.
Dust some flour on a counter top and kneed the dough until it feels smooth and you have a nice even ball.
Dust a bowl with some flour and add the dough ball.
Cover with a tea-towel leave to prove until its doubled in size.
When ready divine the dough up into the size you require and roll out thinly on to a oiled & floured baking tray. If you don't have a round pizza tray use a Swiss roll tin and make a rectangle shape pizza.


( While the dough is proving make your tomato sauce and prepare your toppings).

Sauce Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion finally sliced
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 Teaspoon chopped thyme or rosemary
1/2 glass of white or red wine
1 jar of passatta (sieved tomatoes)
Some fresh basil torn up
Salt ,pepper
Pinch of sugar to taste

Method:

Heat oil in sauce pan to a medium
Add onion,garlic and herbs
Sauté until soft but not coloured
Add the wine and boil until the alcohol is burned off and your left with little liquid.
Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.
Season
Taste add sugar if the sauce is a bit acidic.
Add fresh basil.
( In my opinion tomato sauces always need a little sugar to balance out the acidity in the tomatoes).
Leave the sauce to cool a little before adding to pizza dough.

When your pizza base is rolled out and on the baking sheet.
Smear with tomato sauce.
For the topping on my pizza
I bought 2 O'Flynns
"Hot Italian"sausages took them out of the casing and made mini meat balls out of them.
I also put on some thinly sliced mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and sliced cooked baby potatoes.
I used grated mozzarella to top it off.
Cook the pizza for 10 minutes in the hot oven.
Check them after 6 minutes to make sure it isn't burning.

When cooked I topped the pizza with fresh basil and parmesan shavings.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I love the dramatic effect of the red velvet cupcake, the blood red colour is such a show stopper.
The famous bakeries in New York whip these up in the hundreds its such a good experience to queue up for one these cupcakes with all the other cakes lovers looking for their daily sweet fix.

They are quiet easy to make but it's vital all your ingredients are weighed up correctly, and you have everything you need before you start.
If you don't like using artificial food colouring by all means use natural or omit it completely.

The recipe calls for white wine vinegar don't be put off by this. Adding the vinegar to the bicarbonate of soda causes a chemical reaction and it will foam up thus making the cupcakes deep red , light and fluffy.

Makes 12 (I used a smaller case so I got 18 baby cupcakes )

Pre-heat oven 180oc
Use a 12 hole muffin tray line with paper cases.

Ingredients :

50g soft butter
150g caster sugar
1 large free range egg
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons of red food colouring
2 heaped tablespoons of cocoa powder
150g plain flour
125ml buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

Icing ingredients

150g cream cheese
50g soft butter
100g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method for cupcakes

Cream the soft butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs,pinch of salt, vanilla extract and red food colouring.
In another bowl add mix together the cocoa powder and plain flour.
Fold half the flour mix in to the butter mix.
Followed by half the buttermilk
Then repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk.
Until the cake batter looks silky and smooth.
In a smaller bowl add the bicarbonate of soda to the vinegar mix until it fizzes up.
Add this to the cake batter stir well.
Divide the cake batter between all the cup cake cases.

Bake in the pre- heated oven cook for 20-25 minutes.
Check the centre of one with a skewer if it comes out clean they are done place on a wire rack to cool.

While the cakes are cooking make your icing.
Make sure the butter is soft and at room temperature.

Method for icing :

Mix the butter ,icing sugar and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy.
You can use a food processor or cake mixer with whisk attachment or by hand works fine too.

Top the cupcakes with icing you can pipe the icing or just smooth it on with a palette knife.
For decoration I have crumbed up one cupcake and sprinkled the red crumbs on top.
I also used some hundreds and thousands.
You can also leave them plain and will still look great.
Enjoy !

Parmesan, Scallion and Smoked Paprika Muffins

My Savoury Muffins are a lovely alternative to bread and ideal to serve with soups, in lunch boxes and a nice tea time snack.
Best thing about them is you don't need a electric mixer to make them!
The ingredients are easy to remember too.
I have used half Parmesan half cheddar because Parmesan gives the flavour but doesn't have the melting quality a cheddar cheese has.
I've use the listed ingredients but feel free to experiment with cheeses,bacon herbs and spices.
I served them with hot with real Bandon co-op butter and relish.

Special equipment needed; Muffin tray and 12 Muffin cases.

Line your muffin tin with cases and have two tablespoon's ready to help spoon the mixture in with ease 

Makes 12 

Pre-heat oven to 200oc 

Preparation time 10 minutes 

Cooking time 20- 25 minutes 

Ingredients:

200g plain flour 

2 teaspoons of baking powder 

salt 

1-2 teaspoons of smoked Paprika or regular if you cant get the smoked variety 

2 eggs 

200ml buttermilk

100g Parmesan cheese grated ( if you don't have fresh Parmesan please don't use the dried version its just nasty just use all cheddar )

100g Cheddar cheese grated 

2 scallions thinly sliced 

Method:

• After weighing your ingredients add the dry ingredients together & put them in a bowl and mix.
• Whisk your eggs and butter milk together in jug.
• Add the wet ingredients to the flour, baking powder, salt, and paprika 
• Stir quickly with a wooden spoon but don't over beat.
• Fold in the cheese and scallions.
• Put your mix in to the muffin cases that are in the tin.
• Use two spoons to help scrape off the mixture in to each case with ease.
• Place in the middle of the pre-heated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. 
• enjoy!

Zingy Guacamole

Mexican food is one of my great loves. I never tire of eating nachos, quesadilla, fajitas etc. This recipe is for a good friend of mine that resides in london and is always asking me for a easy recipe to add a bit zing to the boring chicken wrap . I know this is a bit basic but we all have to start somewhere right? Homemade Gucamole is also a fab dip to make for pre night out drinks to serve with tortilla chips. Which I know she'll love !

Makes one bowl.
Will keep for one day so half the recipe if you won't use it all.

Ingredients :

2 perfectly ripe avocados
( to know if they are ripe they should feel slightly soft but not mushy or have a black skin it's best to but them 2/3 days before you want to use them).
1 red onion finally chopped
1 garlic clove crushed
A dash of tabasco
1 red chilli finally deseeded and chopped. If you don't like it too spicy add a tsp of sweet chilli sauce instead
1 small bunch of coriander chopped
1 tomato chopped into a small dice ( the Mexicans sometimes use pomegranate seeds in the winter when tomatoes aren't in season they add a nice bite to the guacamole).
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and pepper.

Method:

Half the avocados and take out the stone scoop out the green flesh and mash with a folk or a potato masher.
Add to a bowl with onion, garlic, chilli, Tabasco,coriander, tomato and lime juice.
Mix well
Taste
Add salt and pepper.

Serve !

Baked Chocolate Key Lime pie

This dessert is so yummy, for a change I've used Oreo biscuits for the base.

Preparation time 35 minutes
Chilling time 1 hour plus

Equipment needed 1 x 25cm loose bottom flutted tart tin a spring form tin will also work. grease well with a bit of oil or butter to prevent sticky when trying to take out of the tin.


Serves 8-10


The base:
2 packets of Oreo biscuits crushed in to crumbs
125g melted butter

The Filling:
4 eggs separated
1 tin of condensed milk
4 limes zested and juiced (try not to grate the zest past the white flesh as this is very bitter).
1 pack of chocolate drops/chips
50g sugar

For the topping
150ml whipped cream
1 x flake bar


Method:

Pre heat oven to 180oc

Melt the butter and mix with the crushed biscuits.
Press the mixture into your prepared tin. Make sure you bring the biscuits up two thirds up the sides and press well in the groves
Pop on in to the oven for 10 minutes take out and leave to cool.
Mean while for the filling
Beat the egg yolks in a bowl until fluffy then beat in the condensed milk lime zest and juice and choc chips
In another spotlessly clean bowl whisk your egg whites with the 50g sugar until firm.
Then gently fold the whites in to the yolk, lime and condensed milk mix with a large silver spoon to help cut the egg white through the mix easily with out knocking out all the air. 
Completely fill the biscuit base with your lime filling. Place in the oven again for 20-25 minutes. Until set and slightly brown but not dark.
It will sink a little bit don't worry it's meant to be like this.
Leave to cool

Remove from tin when cool and place on a serving plate.
Whip your cream to soft peaks
A spread on top of the pie. You can use a piping bag if you wish.
Sprinkle with crumbled flake and grated lime zest.
Slice and serve !

Ardsallagh Smoked Cheese Salad with Pommegranite seeds, walnuts and mixed leaves

Ardsallagh Goats Products is owned by Jane and Gerard Murphy, located in County Cork.Three types of cheese are made from their own herd and from locally sourced goat's milk.The cheeses are suitable for vegetarians
I normally use the soft variety which is delicious. However for a change
I purchased this the hard smoked version yesterday. I love flavour, I think it goes very well in this salad.
This salad is a lovely light lunch or a impressive side dish.

Preparation 5-10 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 small block of the smoked goats cheese( I used half of this size for the 4 salads)
2 ripe pommegranites
1 bag of washed leaves. I used Kildinan Farms mixed leaves which is suitated in Ballyhooly Co Cork but any salad leaves you can get will be fine.
I x 100g bag of walnut halves roughly chopped
(hazelnuts would also be lovely)

French dressing for 4

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
100ml olive oil or sunflower oil or a mix of the two
30 ml white wine vinegar
Pinch chopped thyme
Salt and pepper

Method: whisk all ingredients together

To bring the salad together
Mix all the leaves with the dressing
Place in individual bowl/plates
Half each pommegranite and spoon out the little ruby seeds, scatter half of each one on top of each salad.
Scatter a handful of walnuts on each salad. Lastly shave the goat cheese with a potato peeler On top of the leaves.
Serve with toasted sourdough bread for lunch. So simple but very tasty!

Cherry Tomato, Fennel White soda bread topped with smoked Maldon Sea Salt

This is a delicious and very simple bread to make.

I love Maldon sea salt and found this smoked version of it today. Most good food shops deli will supply it. The smokey flavour really brings out the a lovely flavour in the bread. How ever if you cant find it don't fret regular sea salt will work perfectly

Make 1 x 1lb loaf

Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 40-60 minutes
Preheat oven 230oc or gas 8

Ingredients:

450 g plain flour
1 teaspoon smoked sea salt
I level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda or bread soda.
550 ml butter milk
1tsp tomato purée
6-8 cherry tomatoes quartered
1 tsp of crushed fennel seeds

Method:
Sieve flour salt and bicarbonate of soda
Add the cherry tomatoes and fennel seeds to a bowl then
Place all dry ingredients in the bowl
Whisk the tomato purée into the butter milk
Pour all the milk mixture in the centre in one go

Stir the mixture quickly with one hand in one direction.
The dough should be soft but not too wet when it's all together.
Turn out on to a well flour surface tidy it up and pop into a well greased bread tin.
Top with some more of the smoked sea salt.
Place in oven and turn down heat after 10 minutes
Then cook for a further 30 minutes
When cooked the bread should sound hollow when tapped at the bottom
Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Keeps for 2-3 days.
Delicious with homemade soups
Enjoy!

Coconut,lime and mint sorbet

This is a lovely end to a meal or great for cleansing the palette between courses.

If your lucky enough to have a ice cream machine you can use it for this recipe, otherwise whisking the mix every half an hour or so in the freezer will do the trick to break up the ice crystals. If the sorbet doesn't turn out smooth. You can always call it a granita!

Here's a quick definition of a sorbet.

Sorbet: is a frozen dessert made from sweetened water flavored with fruit (typically juice or purée), wine, and/or liqueur.

Serves 4 large portions and 6 little palette cleaners.

Preparation 10 minutes

Freezing time 4-6 hours

Ingredients:

125 g granulated sugar
150ml boiling water from kettle
1 x tin of coconut milk
Juice and zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons of roughly chopped mint

Method:

Place sugar in a saucepan and add
Boiling water.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes or until the mix makes a syrup
Pour in to a bowl and cool
When syrup is cool add lime coconut and mint.
Place in a plastic container and freeze
Every half hour or so stir with a fork or whisk to break up ice crystals until fully frozen.
Serve with fruit salad or with flaked coconut and the pulp from passion fruit. Delish!