Wednesday 17 April 2013

Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cooker Course: Tomato Rissoto

Hey Everyone,

    For the next segment of the Cookery Course I will be cooking the Tomato Rissoto. "The secret to making a good risotto is to add your hot stock gradually, stirring to make sure it has all been absorbed..."
 Here is the recipe I will be using:
Edits/Notes will be made in ORANGE


Serving 2 as Starter
INGREDIENTS

2-3 tbsp Olive Oil
200g Risotto Rice a nice substitute to rice could be barely that you cooked before!
500ml Chicken or Vegetable Stock
50g Unsalted Butter
250g Cherry Tomatoes, halved
100g Mascarpone Cheese
25g Parmesan cheese, grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
  1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the ruce and stir well to coat the grains in the oil. Bring the stock to a boil and add 1 ladleful of it at a time to the rice, stirring well after each addition, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked, but still al dente. (This will take about 15-18 minutes).
  2. meanwhile, heat the butter in a small saucepa, add the tomatoes and gently cook for about 10 minutes untill soft. Pass through a mouli or a coarse sieve; alternatively , mash with a potato masher.
  3. When the rice is cooked, fold in the mascarpone, parmesan and the tomoato mixture, adjust the seasoning and serve.
Good Eats Guys,

S

Thursday 11 April 2013

Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course: Baked Cheesecake


Hey Guys,

    For the next segment of the Cookery Course I will be cooking the Baked Cheesecake, as it is my girlfriends birthday and there is nothing she likes more than a good cheesecake. I'll throw together my own topping that I'll end in after I cook it all up.

 Here is the recipe I will be using:
Edits/Notes will be made in ORANGE


Serving varies on cut-size

INGREDIENTS

Butter For Greasing
550g cream cheese, at room temperature
160g Caster Sugar
3 Eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp Plain Flour
Finely grated zest of 1 Lemon
200g Raspberries (I will probably sub out the raspberries with something else)
Try adding a splash of vanilla
Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C and butter a 23 cm spring-foam cake tin.
  2. Beat together the cream cheese and sugar. Add the beaten eggs bit by bit until combined. Add the flour and lemon zest, then fold through the raspberries. 
  3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin, tapping it against the work surface to remove any bubbles and help the raspberries rise up from the bottom. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes until set on the edges but wobbling slightly in the middle. Now I do not know why it was not included in Ramsay's recipe; however, I find a Bain Marie to be rather a necessity for cooking a cheesecake. So add an oven-safe bowl of boiling water from  a kettle into the oven to prevent the cake from cracking.
  4. Once cooked, remove from the tin, running knife around the edges to loosen if necessary, and serve. If you use raspberries try serving the cheesecake with a chocolate sauce.
Have fun cooking,

S

Wednesday 10 April 2013

The Main: Almonds

Hey Everyone,

     So for this week I will be cooking The Main recipe that focuses on the use of Almonds. 


Here is the recipe I will be using:
Edits/Notes will be made in ORANGE


Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

Ground Lamb with Rosemary and Raisins

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup diced Red Onion
2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2lb ground Lamb
1 sprig Rosemary, leaves only
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 cup Raisins or chopped dried Apricots
1 1/2 cups Red Wine
Salt and Pepper

Almond Flatbread

1 cup warm Water
1 tsp Quick-Rising Yeast
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup ground Almonds
1 tsp whole Cumin seeds
1 tsp Salt

Almond Hummus

One 14oz can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup Almond Tahini
1/4 cup Almond Oil
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 clove Garlic, minced
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Salt

Pickled Red Onions

1 cup Water
1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup Sugar
1 Bay Leaf
Pinch of Salt
1/2 Red Onion, sliced

Method

Ground Lamb with Rosemary and Raisins
  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 to 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
  2. Add ground lamb, rosemary, and bay leaf. Saute until excess liquid evaporates and meat is lightly browned. Add raisins and stir to combine. Add red wine to deglaze pan, making sure to scrape up brown bits. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Almond Flatbread
  1. In a bowl of a stand mixer, stir together water and yeast. Let stand 5 minutes, or until a foam develops. Add flour, ground almonds, cumin and salt. Mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl (if dough seems sticky, add more flour 1 tbsp at a time). Switch to dough hook and work for 5 minutes on low speed, until dough becomes smooth and elastic. Cover and allow to rise for 20-30 minutes in a warm place.
  2. Preheat oven to 425F
  3. Divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll into balls and flatten each with hands or a rolling pin.
  4. Place dough onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Flip and place directly on oven rack, and bake for another 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Almond Hummus
  1. In a food processor or blender, combine chickpeas, almond tahini, almond oil, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and zest together until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt.
Pickled Red Onions
  1. In a medium saucepan, bring water, red wine vinegar, sugar, bay leaf, and salt to a boil. Add red onion, remove from heat, and let cool, covered, for 15 minutes. Drain and serve.
To time this dish: Prepare tahini. Prepare hummus and pickled onions. Make flatbread dough. Prepare lamb and keep warm. Bake flatbread. Assemble and serve.

Cheers,

S

Friday 5 April 2013

Washington

Hey Guys,

     Just to notify you guys I will be gone till Monday for a rugby tour in Washington. We will be playing 4-5 games over that period and during then there will be no blogs.

See you guys later,

S

Wednesday 3 April 2013

Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course: Sea Bass with Fennel, Lemon and Capers

Hey Guys,

    For the next segment of the Cookery Course I will be cooking the Sea Bass with fennel, lemon and capers dish. However to save costs I may switch the fish to something other than Sea Bass - having spent over $70 on a full fillet in my past I do not feel like buying the whole fish ;).

 Here is the recipe I will be using:
Edits/Notes will be made in ORANGE


Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

2 Sea bass, 1.25kg in total (or use 4 small ones, about 300g each), scaled and clean
2 small Fennel bulbs, fronds reserved
3 tbsp small Capers, drained and rinsed
1 Lemon, sliced
2 Dill sprigs
25g Butter
Olive Oil
100mL White Wine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C
  2. Season the fish really well inside and out. Finely slice the fennel and place, along with some fronds, inside the sea bass stomach cavity. Sprinkle in the capers and line the lemon slices on top of the fennel inside the cavity. Top with dill and dot over the butter in small pieces.
  3. Drizzle the fish with a little olive oil and then wrap in the foil. Pour the wine into the parcel just before you close up the last corner and make sure the parcel is well sealed, wrapping it in a second piece of foil if necessary.
  4. Place the parcel on a roasting tray and bake in the oven - about 20 minutes for the 600g fish, or 8-10 minutes if using the smaller ones - until the fish is just cooked through with the flesh flaking away from the bone.
  5. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for a few minutes before serving (be careful of the hot steam when you unwrap the foil). Serve sprinkled with the reserved fennel fronds.
Serve with crushed new potatoes and courgette ribbons.


Good Eats Guys,

S

Things They Never Told You About Being a Chef

Hey Guys,

    So I found another humourous article (If you have been a cook or are one currently) that depicts the lifestyle of cooks and everything that comes with it. DISCLAIMER This is not meant to sway views away from being a cook :). Enjoy it and check it out guys

My favourites are 25 and 37 :D

See ya,

S

View Article Here