Showing posts with label cooking for two. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking for two. Show all posts
I will be the first one to admit that I am hopeless at sugarcraft. I was going to take a course once a very long time ago, but we ended up moving to where my job as a chef was beginning so that course never did happen.
I can use a piping bag however so I can capably pipe on some icing and with a few odds and sodds you can pretty up just about anything. The most important thing is the flavour and consistency of the cupcake when it comes right down to it, alhough admittedly we eat first with our eyes, so pretty does get out attention!
The important thing is the flavour and texture of the cupcake, and these Vanilla Cupcakes are the absolute best! They are nice and moist from the use of thick greek yogurt.
If you really want a vanilla bang you can use vanilla flavoured Greek yogurt, but that is not available here in the UK. We only get it plain, or as far as I can see . . . I could be wrong. I have just never found it anywhere I have shopped.
Other than that it is a pretty basic batter which bakes up beautifully into a light, moist and flavourful cupcake. Oh, it is also a small batch, so it only makes 6 cupcakes.
The buttercream is a simple ordinary buttercream as well, nothing fancy. Just butter beaten together with some sifted icing sugar and milk, a few drops of vanilla. Easy to make. Easy to use and easy to eat! Do make sure your cakes are completely cold before you ice them.
I could have just sprinkled them with sprinkles, but I decided to get a bit fancier today and I used some fresh berries, daisies (tis the season and they are so pretty) some silver balls, a few marshmallows, and some sprigs of rosemary because I thought they would be nice and green and go with the blackberries and red currants. OH, and I drizzled a bit of caramel sauce over some of the berry ones also.
The Best Vanilla Cupcakes (small batch)
Yield: 6 cupcakes
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 25 Mtotal time: 35 M
These cupcakes are moist and delicious, due to the use of yogurt in the batter. They are finished with a lush buttercream. The two together are amazing!
Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes
- 60g butter, melted (1/4 cup)
- 95g sugar (1/2 cup)
- 122g plain full fat Greek yogurt (1/2 cup)
- 1 large free range egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 105g plain flour (3/4 cup)
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- pinch salt
- 2 TBS milk
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
- 6 1/2 TBS butter
- 130g icing sugar, sifted (1 cup)
- 1/2 TBS milk
- few drops vanilla
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line 6 cupcake tin holes with paper liners. Set aside.
- Whisk together the melted butter and sugar in a bowl. Beat in the yogurt until well mixed then beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk, beginning and finishing with the dry ingredients.
- Spoon into the prepared cupcake tin, filling them 2/3 full.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until well risen, golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Remove immediately to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the icing, beat the butter until fluffy, then beat in the icing sugar, vanilla and milk until you have a light and fluffy icing.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes with this mixture and decorate as you wish.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
These turned out really nice. Do warn your partner not to eat the rosemary, lol. I forgot to tell Todd and he was not fond! You should have seen the look on his face! Same with the daisies. Not sure if they are edible or not, but they sure do look pretty. Mint leaves look rather nice also with the berries.
Just a flight of fancy to begin August with.
I had some stale croissants in the kitchen and a few chocolates leftover from our Christmas box that I thought should be used up. (Not that they have done off, but you know . . . I like to get rid of tempation if I can.) I decided to experiment use them up in a scrumptious Chocolate Box Bread Pudding for Two. Lets end July in a positive way!
Plus it was a great way to showcase my newest tea/coffee cups. I got these from the Scandanavian Pantry. They're so cute. I am totally in love with Scandanavian design, always have been. I am also a lover of Nordic television dramas, but anyways, back to the pudding . . .
I had gotten two tins of these chocolates at Christmas, mostly because I was in love with the little tin that they came in.
I mean, what's not to love about this . . . I thought they would make perfect little sewing boxes. I know I have far too many fingers in far too many pies.
I chopped up four Country Fudge Chocolates and stirred them into the bread pudding batter, which was a mix of stale croissants, egg, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla. This sat for awhile so that the croissants could absorbe the liquid and then I divided it between the two cups, pushing a Golden Barrel (caramel) down into the centre. I then topped it with some more torn up bits of croissant which had been tossed with melted butter and sprinkled it with demerera sugar to give a nice crunchy topping.
I believe Demerara Sugar is called Turbinado sugar in North America. I had to take a photo as soon as they came out of the oven so you could see how nice they puffed up over the edges of the cups. So pretty.
They will sink upon standing . . . not a lot, but some, that's perfectly okay and quite normal.
I was tempted to dust this with icing sugar but held myself back, surely this was sweet enough . . .
Just look at that lovely buttery crunchy topping . . .
Nobody knows the special secret which is lurking beneath the surface . . .
What a surprise that will be when they dig their spoon into the centre . . .
And pull up some of that melted chocolate and caramel . . . so rich, so decadent.
The skinny man I live with has to have cream, or custard sauce on his puddings, which is what they call desserts over here in the UK. They all get called puddings . . . cake, pie, etc.
Just look at that . . . and he hasn't even discovered the chocolate fudge bits yet . . .
They are in there, I promise . . . so, so SO tasty!
I was trying to think of what other kinds of chocolate you could use in their place. Soft toffees could be chopped up along with coffee flavoured chocolates . . .
Then there is the chocolate orange which could be chopped and then in the centre a whole chocolate filled with orange fondant . . .
You really can let your imagination go wild here . . .
See the fudge bits in there. Wowsa, wowsa eh! Todd thought he had died and gone to heaven!
Chocolate Box Bread Pudding for two
Yield: 2
prep time: 15 Mcook time: 30 Mtotal time: 45 M
Thoroughly decadent and no waste. Rich and delicious.
Ingredients:
- 2 TBS butter, melted plus extra to butter cups
- 3 croissants, torn into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large free range egg
- 2 TBS caster sugar
- 120ml cream (1/2 cup)
- 60ml whole milk (1/4 cup)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 6 leftover chocolates (four toffee fudge ones and two caramel barrels)
- 1 tsp demerara sugar
To serve: (optional)
- pouring cream, clotted cream, ice cream, custard sauce
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter two (6-oz) tea or coffee cups really well. Place onto a small baking tray.
- Measure out about 1/2 cup of the croissant cubes and tear into smaller bits and toss together with the melted butter in a small bowl and set aside.
- Cut the fudge chocolates into small bits.
- Whisk the egg together in a bowl along with the caster sugar until the sugar dissolves. (Caster sugar is a fine granulated sugar.)Whisk in the cream, milk and vanilla. Add the cubed croissants and fold in the fudge chocolate bits. Let stand for fifteen minutes. Divide this mixture between the two buttered cups.
- Press a caramel barrel chocolate down into the centre of each pudding. Top with the buttered croissant pieces, piling them over the chocolate to cover completely. Sprinkle each with 1/2 tsp of demerara sugar.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until puffed and golden brown. The pudding should be set. Serve warm with pouring cream, clotted cream, ice cream, or custard sauce.
notes:
Don't panic if it sinks a bit after it starts to cool. This is completely normal.
I wish I could outfit my whole kitchen in Scandanavian goodies, but then I would be worried each time Todd used something that he would break it. You know men can be quite careless . . . but we won't go there . . .
Happy Friday!
I think of all the Chinese Dishes we used to get at the Chinese Food Restaurant back home, Beef and Broccoli was my absolute favourite dish. Whether as a takeaway, part of a combo meal or at the local all you can eat buffet, even more than sweet and sour chicken, Beef and Broccoli was the one I had to have every time. It was my mother's favourite as well.
I have often made it for us from scratch on top of the stove. You can find my recipe for that here and it is also in my cookbook.
The other day I spied a sheet pan version on The College Housewife. I was instantly intrigued! Beef and Broccoli on a baking sheet with no frying involved?
No spatters to clean off the stove top, and no dishes to wash except for the eating ones? Count me in! I needed to try this!
I just happened to have flank steak in the freezer as well. Usually I like to do my teriyaki steak with flank steak. (We always called that Amanda's steak because she loved it so much when she was growing up.) (If you click on her name it will take you to that recipe.)
In all truth we do not eat red meat very often. It is a rare treat in this house.
I cannot resist Beef and Broccoli however and so I knew I had to make this version, and I knew I had to downsize it to feed two.
With there only being two of us in the house and Todd and I not wanting to eat the same thing for days on end, plus our shrinking appetites, it only made sense to adapt the recipe to only feed two people, and even then we had leftovers which Todd enjoyed the next day for his lunch.
The sauce also acts as a marinade, which helps to tenderise the meat and penetrate it with its lush flavours.
I was a bit worried that the broccoli would overcook in the oven, but all my fears were for naught. It cooked perfectly. Broccoli is not one of Todd's favourite vegetables, so I really have to cook it perfectly. (Too many cooked to death school dinners.)
This was beautiful. The meat was perfectly cooked and so was the broccoli. It went very well with some steamed rice for a beautiful dinner.
Sheet Pan Beef & Broccoli for Two
Yield: 2
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 20 Mtotal time: 30 M
An easy Asian dish with crispy tender broccoli and deliciously tender strips of beef. Just as good or better than a takeaway. No frying involved either so its probably healthier!
Ingredients:
For the marinade and sauce:
- 1 1/4 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 60ml soy sauce (1/4 cup)
- 30ml beef broth (2 TBS)
- 1 TBS liquid honey
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
You will also need:
- 3/4 pound of flank steak, sliced into thin strips
- 1 medium head of broccoli, broken into florets
- olive oil to drizzle
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 spring onion, thinly sliced on the diagonal
- Sesame seeds to sprinkle (about 1/2 tsp)
Instructions:
- Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients until smooth. Put the slices of steak into a bowl and pour 1/3 of the marinade over top, turning them to coat well. Reserve the remainder of the marinade. Leave the steak to marinate for between 20 minutes to one hour. (Obviously more flavour will permeate the steak if you leave it for the longer time.)
- Preheat the ovn to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with a sheet of foil and lightly spritz the foil with non-stick cooking spray.
- Scatter the broccoli over the baking tray. Drizzle wih a tiny bit of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the marinated steak, scattering it around the broccoli on the tray.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the steak is cooked through and the broccoli is crispy tender.
- Put the remaining marinade in a small glass measure. Heat in the microwave on high for about a minute, stirring every 30 seconds, until it bubbles and thickens. If it appears too thick you can add a bit of boiling water to thin it or a splash of white wine.
- Pour the sauce over the beef and broccoli on the baking sheet and scatter with the spring onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
- We enjoy this with steamed white rice.
Brown food does not photograph very well, but this looks okay I think. If you are wanting to try something new, and not wanting a whole wackadoodle of a bunch of food, do try this out! It works well for two as a main course, and would work for more as a course of more than one options. Enjoy!
The recipe I am sharing with you today is one that I adapted from one I found on Food 52 for Martha Stewart's One Pan Pasta. I just adore pasta myself, whereas my husband does not. (I know!) In any case I downsized it so that it feeds only two people.
I found myself with rather a large quantity of cherry tomatoes that I wanted to use up and I love using fresh basil in recipes when I have it, so this recipe was perfect.
One thing which I really loved about it was that everything cooks in one pan, even the pasta (linguini) . . . you just add the dry pasta and other ingredients, including water, and it cooks all-together in the pan.
No fuss, no muss . . . no faffing about with having to drain this or that . . . the water, tomatoes, etc. condense along with the starch from the cooking pasta to create a delicious sauce.
You don't even need to use boiling water. Just add it to the pan cold and let it come to the boil.
You do need to pay attention to it while it cooks however . . . to keep moving the pasta around so it doesn't stick to either the pan or well, together. (Anyone who has ever had long stranded pasta stick together in a large clump while cooking knows what I am talking about.)
You end up with an uncooked clump of stuck together pasta in the middle and cooked ends. In any case, if you keep your pasta moving, this won't happen. So do pay attention.
This is especially important as there is such a small amount of water used.
I had several kinds of cherry tomatoes . . . red and yellow . . . both incredibly sweet and ripe and delicious.
They went so well in this simple sauce, some of them broke down completely and others not so completely, but altogether most delicious.
There is a bit of heat in the sauce from the use of hot pepper flakes. Do adjust the amount required as per your own tastes . . . leave them out if you are not fond of too much heat at all.
I kept the amount of basil sprigs the same and that was the right thing to do . . . had I not done so, the flavour might have been lost all together. I adore the peppery taste of fresh basil, don't you?
The sauce is completed with thinly sliced onion and garlic, plenty of both . . .
This was really, really, REALLY nice! Not too spicy, not too mild . . . just right.
I thought the sauce beautiful, and I am not usually overly fond of tomato skins in my sauces . . . but in this they work. Providing a bit of texture and colour.
This was thoroughly enjoyed by myself . . . in face I dare say I might have even made a bit of a pig of myself.
Martha Stewart's One Pan Pasta
Yield: Serves 2
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 20 Mtotal time: 30 M
The original recipe was for four people. I have downsized it for two people. The pasta cooks completely in one pan, creating its own delicious sauce. You can be enjoying this from start to finish in less then 15 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 170g linquine pasta (6 ounces)
- 170g cherry tomatoes, halved (6 ounces)
- 1 small onion, peeled and cut into thin half moons
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 sprigs fresh basil, plus torn leaves to garnish
- 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 520ml water (2 1/4 cups)
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese to serve
Instructions:
- Put the pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, basil sprigs, olive oil, 1 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper into a very large deep skillet with straight sides. The pasta must be able to lay flat in the pan.
- Add the water and then bring to the boil over high heat. Continue to boil, lifting and turning the pasta with a fork or a pair of tongs to prevent it from sticking together or to the bottom of the pan, and making sure it stays pretty much submerged in the liquid. You may need to add a bit more boiling water. Cook for approximately 9 minutes in this way until the pasta has cooked al dente and the liquid has almost evaporated.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Divide between two pasta bowls and garnish with torn basil leaves. Serve with some extra olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
What is your favourite pasta sauce to eat? I don't think I have ever met one yet that I really didn't like.
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