Search This Blog

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Shepherd’s pie with garlicky kale mash recipe

Ingredients
Delicious. tip For a fuller flavour, add some smoked bacon or chorizo, diced and fried.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
400g lamb mince
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tsp dried herbes de Provence
400g tin baked beans
800g floury potatoes, such as maris piper, chopped into large pieces
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
50g kale (or other winter green), shredded
Knob of butter
Dash of milk (optional)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan?180°C/gas 6. Heat the oil in a sauté pan, add the onion and mince, season and fry for 10 minutes until browned, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Pour over the tomatoes, then stir in the herbs and 400ml water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Stir through the baked beans and spoon into a 1.5 litre pie dish.
2. Meanwhile, put the potatoes and garlic in a large pan of cold, salted water, bring to the boil, then cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are really tender. Remove the garlic and potatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside. Cook the kale in the potato water for 3-4 minutes until tender, then drain well. Pass the potato and garlic through a potato ricer or mash well. Add a knob of butter (and a dash of milk, if you wish) and seasoning, then stir through the cooked kale.
3. Spoon the mash over the mince, creating peaks in the potato, which will crisp up and brown in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes until piping hot and golden brown on top.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Irish Cream Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large bowl, mix together the cookie crumbs, confectioners' sugar and 1/3 cup cocoa. Add melted butter and stir until well mixed. Pat into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes; set aside. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, white sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa and flour. Beat at medium speed until well blended and smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in the sour cream and Irish cream liqueur; mixing on low speed. Pour filling over baked crust.
3. Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C), and continue baking for 60 minutes.
4. With a knife, loosen cake from rim of pan. Let cool, then remove the rim of pan. Chill before serving. If your cake cracks, a helpful tip is to dampen a spatula and smooth the top, then sprinkle with some chocolate wafer crumbs