Gluten free: #2 Vietnamese chicken and noodle soup

Hey guys, so I tried to upload this recipe yesterday but a message kept on coming up saying 'Unable to post, please try again later' so this is my try later. So today is going to be my second recipe in my gluten free series and it a Vietnamese chicken and noodle soup. So lets get started!

For the broth, 1.5 litres of organic chicken stock (make sure it is gluten free), 1 stick of lemon-grass  1 thumb sized piece of ginger (leave the skin on, it helps to eat it if you have arthritis or want some more antioxidants), 1 large clove of garlic, 1 long red chilli (sliced, seeds and all), 1 lime (juiced) and 1 tbsp of fish sauce

For the contents, 4-5 skinless chicken thighs, 1 packet rice noodles (it is up to you whether you want thick or thin noodles, also make sure that they are gluten free), 1 bok choy (cut into chunks), 2 spring onions (sliced thinly), 1 long red chilli (sliced thinly), 1 bunch of coriander (roughly chopped) and any other veggies that you may want

So lets begin! To make the broth, place the stock, lemon-grass, ginger, garlic and chilli in a medium to large pot and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Once boiling, add the chicken thighs and cook for 5 - 10 minutes. You will know when they are cooked because you will be able to shred them with a fork. Take the chicken out (once cooked) and shred into small pieces (not to small as they may disappear in the soup when you want them to be visible.
Once the chicken is out of the broth, it is just a matter of cooking everything together and then serving. So next add the rice noodles and allow them to cook. When they are, return the chicken and add the lime juice and fish sauce and stir in. Next, add the bok choy, spring onions and half of the coriander and chilli.
Serve up in large bowls and sprinkle some coriander and chilli on top. And enjoy!



This is not only gluten free but really healthy and tasty, so its a win all round! I hope you try this out and until the next gluten free recipe, keep on cooking!
Kat Xx

Gluten free series: #1 Banoffee pie

Hey guys, so today is going to be a classic treat that is just too yummy, banoffee pie! So a lot of people don't know what banoffee pie is, so it is basically a cracker crust with toffee and banana cream. So lets begin

For the biscuit base:
100g unsalted butter
250g gluten free/wheat free digestive biscuits, crushed

For the caramel:
175g butter
85g caster sugar
85g dark brown soft sugar
397g can sweetened condensed milk

For the topping:
4 small bananas
284ml carton double cream, whipped
dark chocolate to decorate- keep in fridge

So, to begin, in a large saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the crushed gluten free/wheat free biscuits (if needed add more butter). Press into the base and partly up the sides of a 19cm (7½in) loose-bottomed cake tin. Place in the fridge to chill while preparing the caramel.

To make the caramel, place the butter and the sugars in a non-stick saucepan over a low heat, stirring until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves (NOTE: Do NOT put this on a high heat otherwise when you add the caramel, the butter will separate from it). Add the condensed milk and, stirring continuously, bring gently to the boil, to make a smooth, golden caramel. Spread the caramel over the biscuit base and chill for about 1½ hours.

There are a few ways to do this final step, but I like to infuse both of them into one. So I put some sliced bananas on the set caramel and then also mix in some bananas into the cream. This just hel[s everyone to have some banana in their slice. After, decorate with the remaining bananas and decorate with grated chocolate and SERVE!

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So that is it, banoffee pie! Now because of being a bit late with my series starting up, I will be uploading a recipe tomorrow, no hints this time only a surprise!

So until then, keep on cooking
Kat Xx

Chocolate mousse and tempered chocolate shards

Hey guys, so school is nearly back (sad face) but that doesn't mean I will stop cooking, if anything, I will cook more. So today will be not only a recipe but also a technique lesson. As seen in the title, tempered chocolate will be in this recipe. Tempered chocolate is known for its technical ways, but it is really quite easy. The three big tips are be precise, take your time but be quick and have everything prepared before you start.
So lets begin, for the mousse you will need - 325g dark chocolate (finely chopped), 500ml pure cream, 4 egg yolks, 75g caster sugar, 1 vanilla bean (split down the middle using the tip of your knife and scrape out all of the seeds. If needed there are heaps of videos on YouTube) and finally 3 egg whites

For the tempered chocolate shards, you will need just 200g dark chocolate (finely chopped) and thats it!

So for the chocolate mousse, complete these first 3 steps around the same time.
1. Place chocolate in a metal bowl, melt it over a double boiler (a pot with an inch or two of water and make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water) and keep warm.

2. Using an electric mixer whip cream until soft peaks form.

3. Make a sabayon by combining the egg yolks, 50g of the sugar and the vanilla seeds. Cook over a double boiler, whisking continuously until the egg yolks become glossy. Then remove from the heat. Have everything ready nearby (whipped cream and chocolate).

Now comes the most crucial, pour the melted chocolate into the warm sabayon and with a large hand whisk, whisk as fast as you can to incorporate all the chocolate in sabayon. The chocolate will begin to become tough to handle, at that point you will need to add 1 large kitchen spoonful of whipped cream. Continue to whisk, the cream will begin to soften the mixture.

After, add another large spoonful of cream and whisk vigorously for 1 minute. The mixture will now be easier to handle. You should have half the whipped cream left.

Immediately whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Whisk in remaining 25g sugar until dissolved. Place the egg whites and remaining cream on top of the chocolate mixture and gently fold through until well incorporated. Freeze for 5-10 minutes to remove as much heat as possible and refrigerate until needed. That's it for the mousse, now for the tempered chocolate.

For the tempered chocolate, I like to set it on a silicone mate at it makes peeling off the chocolate easy and I like to use a digital thermometer.

Now, to temper chocolate, place 2/3 of chocolate in a double boiler and gently heat until it reaches 48°C (this EXACT temperature). Then remove from the heat, add remaining chocolate and stir until cooled to 29°C. Return to the heat and gently bring back up to 32°C. That's it! Now spread the tempered chocolate onto the prepared tray using a palette knife. Create a smooth thin layer about 1–2mm thick. Refrigerate until almost set and then allow to stand at room for a few more minutes and finally returning to the fridge until needed.

Remove the mousse and chocolate from the fridge. Fold the silicon mat to break the chocolate and place it onto a serving of mousse. And your done! The recipe for the mousse does make quite a lot but it lasts for week.

So next up is my gluten free series! I can hint that the first recipe is a dessert pie and has bananas. 

So enjoy and till next time, keep on cooking

Kat Xx

Classic Doughnuts!!

Hey guys, so today I am going to tell you how to make the family favourite and classic treat..... Doughnuts! A lot of people think that making doughnuts is some complicate process but it truly isn't, I made this with my friends who aren't the best cooks every but they made these scrumptious little delights without a little bit of trouble.
So lets get started!
You will need: 10g (1½ sachets) dried yeast, 400g plain flour, 45ml warm water, 25g unsalted butter (melted), 1 egg, 220ml milk, warmed, 45g caster sugar, 3g fine salt, vegetable/canola oil (deep frying oil), 45g cinnamon sugar

To start, combine the yeast, 2 tbsn of the flour and water in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside for 10 minutes until foamy. (This is the time when I measure and prepare everything else)
After this, mix together the butter, egg, milk, sugar, salt, remaining flour and the yeast mixture in a large bowl. Mix together with a mix master for 10 minutes with an dough hook until a dough forms. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured bench and knead for 5 minutes, until smooth. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film. Set aside in a warm place to prove for 1 hour or until doubled in size (the warmer the area, the quicker it will rise).
Place the dough again on a lightly floured surface and gently flatten into a rectangle 1 1/2 cm thick (NOTE: Your aim is to keep as much air in as you can). Then cut out circles with 7cm biscuit and cut a 2cm hole in the middle (this is a really important step because it makes the doughnuts cook evenly.

Arrange on a sheet of baking paper and allow to rise for 20 minutes or until doubled.
Heat 10cm deep vegetable oil in a medium saucepan to 180°C. Fry the doughnuts in batches for 5 minutes, turning several times, until lightly golden, then drain on kitchen paper. Toss with cinnamon sugar and serve while warm.

So there is the simple recipe. It is so fun to stand around the fryer with the family (despite how bad that sounds) and just cook doughnuts.

Want something a bit different? Just use the 2cm cutter and make tiny doughnut popcorn pieces.

So until next time, keep on cooking 

Kat Xx

I'M BACK!

Hey guys so I'M BACK!!!!! After being away for a while because of school work and assignments I am back will a truckload of recipes lined up. Having many assignments at one time due, it really made it hard for me to find time for cooking, but now with me being on holidays, I can now finally do the things that I wanted to. So what is this post going to be about? This post is going to be me telling you what is lined up and what series of cooking I am going to be doing.

Doughnuts - 3rd October 2012

Chocolate moose and tempered chocolate shards - 10th October 2012

Gluten free series - 17th October to 4th November

Chocolate fudge brownies - 11th November

Lactose free series - 18th November to 6th December

Christmas and New Years series - 13th December to 2nd January 2013

So that is the plan for the rest of the year! I hope that you will enjoy it and with the series, a new recipe will be posted once every two days. Please bare with me if a recipe is a day or two late as the series will be going through my assignment period, I will try my hardest to keep up with it.

SO! Till next time, keep on cooking
Kat Xx