Mindy Belle

Sweet Chilli Jam

Ingredients

8 Red Peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
10 Red Chillies, roughly chopped
4 cm piece of Fresh Ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
8 Garlic Cloves, peeled
400g can Cherry tomatoes
750g Golden Caster sugar
240 ml Red Wine vinegar

Method :
1. Tip Peppers, chillies with seeds, ginger and garlic into a food processor, then whiz until finely chopped. Scrape into a heavy based pan with
tomatoes, sugar and vinegar, then bring everything to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for approx 50 mins stirring occasionally.

Cook until thick, Cool slightly and transfer into sterilised jars, then leave to cool.

Keeps for three months in a cool dark place.
Keep Refrigerated once opened.

Enjoy !!

Birthday Chocolate Mud Cake

I have adapted the Layer cake recipe from my 50th Birthday Cake blog, using the chocolate mud cake only and covering this with Chocolate Ganache with some decoration.
This is a very large cake serves up to 50 people, super rich cake. Do not refrigerate as the cake will dry out.
You can fill this cake with a Berry Jam to add to the richness.
You will need a very Large Bowl to stir the mixture and a 35 cm tin from your favorite cookware store.

Ingredients

650g unsalted butter
650g plain chocolate
(70% cocoa)
100ml very strong
coffee- espresso is
ideal
3 tsp vanilla essence
650g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp bicarbonate of
soda
950g light soft brown
sugar
10 eggs
2 x 284ml/9½ fl oz
soured cream
Method
1.
Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas
Butter, double-line and wrap the
sides of the 30cm deep-round cake
tin as before. Put the butter and
chocolate into a medium saucepan,
then stir over a low heat until melted
and smooth. Stir in the coffee and
vanilla.
2.
Sift the flour, baking powder and
bicarbonate of soda into the biggest
bowl you have. Add the sugar,
breaking down any lumps with your
fingertips if necessary. Beat the eggs
and soured cream together in a jug
or bowl and pour into the flour mix.
Pour in the melted chocolate mix as
well, then stir with a wooden spoon
until you have a thick, even
chocolaty batter.
3.
Pour into the prepared tin and
bake for 2½ hrs – don’t open the
oven door before 2 hrs is up, as this
will cause the cake to sink. Once
cooked, leave in the tin to cool
completely. Wrap with cling wrap until you are ready to decorate.

Cook:
2 hrs, 30 mins
Plus cooling
Easy Serves 50

Melt Chocolate and Butter in a pan

Rub Brown sugar into flour and remove all lumps then stir in sour cream and eggs mixture.

Chocolate melted add coffee and vanilla

Pour into double lined buttered 35 cm Cake Tin

Bake for 2 hour before checking the middle. Do not open the oven for at least 2 hours.

Decorate with Chocolate Ganache and melted white chocolate writing.

Ganache:
Heat Cream in a small pan until just bubbling and pour over the chopped chocolate sit for a few minutes before you stir and cool for about 10 mins before pouring over cake.

Chocolate Ganache Proportions:

Layer cake filling and thick glaze: 1:1, equal parts chocolate and cream.
Chocolate truffles: 2:1, two parts chocolate to one part cream.
Soft icing and pourable glaze: 1:2, one part chocolate to two parts cream

Chocolate Croissant’s

Ingredients Puff Pastry & your favorite Chocolate

Step 1
Cut pastry triangle
Place piece of Chocolate

2. Roll Pastry over the piece of chocolate

3. Finish the Roll then curve the ends

4. Folded ends

5. Brush with milk and Bake in a Hot Oven for 12 to 15 mins

Baked and Golden Brown

Enjoy !!!!

50 th Birthday Cake

Wedding cake – light fruit cake _ BBC Good Food

Wedding cake – zingy lemon _ BBC Good Food

Wedding cake – rich dark chocolate cake _ BBC Good Food

Creating your wedding cake _ BBC Good Food

I followed the recipe from BBC with a few changes and with the extra decorations of photo’s laminated and a black road of icing, coloured sugar rainbow pearls and 50 candle on top.

Enjoy !!!

Tuna Rice Slice

1 1/2 cups of long grain rice
3 cups of boiling water
splash of oil

Place all in a small saucepan and cook for 12 to 15 mins until nearly all the water has evaporated.

1 onion finely chopped
1/2 red and green capsicum
1 carrot diced
4 celery sticks diced

Splash of oil in a medium saucepan and sauté until soft.

3 tablespoons of butter or olive spread
3 tablespoons of plain flour or gluten free flour
2 cups of milk

Melt butter add flour and slowly add milk , whisk till you have a smooth white sauce.

Pour the cooked rice into a baking dish
mix in the cooked vegetables and stir in two raw eggs..

You may add some chopped spring onions if you like.

Cover the top with Tuna ( one can of 425 g Tuna in oil.)

Then cover the top with white sauce sprinkle with grated cheese, bread crumbs, paprika or any of your favourite toppings.

Bon Appetite

Mindy

Scottish Bap Rolls

Ingredients

2 teaspoons of dried yeast
1 teaspoons of caster sugar
240 mls of milk and water ( 1/2 milk add warm water )
needs to be blood heat temp together
450g strong white bread flour ( unbleach no knead flour )
1 teaspoon salt
60g butter
flour for dusting

Method

Rub the butter into the flour and make a well in the centre. Mix the yeast and milk , sugar and salt and add to the bowl. Place on the mixer with a dough hook and knead for approx. 4 mins until smooth.

Cover with cling wrap and leave to rise for 2 hours in a warm place.

Knock down dough and divide into 8 even size balls, flatten with your hand and press your thumb into the middle of each. Place on a tray with baking paper, brush with milk and dust with flour and leave to rise with a clean tea towel for 20 mins until well risen long if needed.

Bake in a hot oven 220 degrees for 10 minutes until golden brown.

Bon Appetite

Mindy

Passionfruit cream cookies

Ingredients

125g butter softened
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons of golden syrup
1 cup self raising flour
2/3 cup plain flour
1/4 passionfruit pulp

cream filling
2 tablespoons passionfruit pulp ( strained juice only )
90g softened butter
1 cup of icing sugar ( more if needed 1/3 to 1/2 cup )

Method

Beat butter, rind and sugar in mixer until light add golden syrup and beat until combined then add sifted flours and passionfruit pulp combine.
Turn out onto baking paper and knead until smooth cut dough in half and roll till 5 mm thick between to sheets of baking paper. Chill for 30 before cutting 4 to 5 cm rounds ( fluted if you have this cutter)
My cookies are 5 cm round unfluted.
Bake for 10 to 12 mins at 160 degrees on a baking tray with baking paper under the cookies. ( until golden on the edges ) ( middle shelf )
Cool completely before making the cream filling.
Beat butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy add the passionfruit juice. If the mixture is till runny add more icing sugar 1/3 or 1/2 cup more.

Pipe cream with a 5mm fluted cookie maker or bag to give a nice edge to the cream filling. Place other cookie on top, dust with icing sugar and serve. ( I refrigerated mine over night in a box to set icing )

Bon Appetite

Mindy

Sausage Rolls

I have had this recipe for 27 years my old Women’s weekly best ever recipes. I added the carrot many years ago.

750g sausage mince
1 large onion
1/4 teaspoon herbs
salt & pepper
4 slices of white bread
warm water
2 pkts of puff pastry
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cold water
2 grated carrots

Put sausage mince , peeled and grated onion and carrot
, mixed herbs, salt and pepper into a bowl. Cut the crusts off the bread in a separate bowl. Pour over enough warm water to cover, let stand for 5 minutes. Drain off water, squeeze bread gently to extract water. Add bread to the sausage mixture mix well. Have the pastry at room temperature. Cut each piece of pastry in half long ways and place the meat mixture down one side of the half and brush sides with milk roll pastry over the close and over lap by about 1 cm cut to desired length party size or in half. Bake in a hot oven 220 degrees for approx. 10 mins then turn oven down for 15 mins until golden.

Makes approx. 24 party sausage rolls.

Bon Appetite
Mindy

Salted Chocolate Brownie Ice cream Sandwich

Makes 9

18 salted Crackers

2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing crackers

50 grams of Dark Chocolate

110 grams of butter

1/2 cup raw sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

2/3 cup of plain flour

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using a square pan, brush the crackers with butter and line the base of the pan with baking paper ready for brownie batter.

To make the brownie batter :  Combine chocolate and butter in a large microwave proof bowl heat in microwave for 1 minute until melted and combined. Add sugars, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until smooth then add sifted flour, cocoa and salt and whisk  again. Pour batter into the pan and arrange cracker on top evenly, and bake for 10 to 15 mins on moderate oven until cracker are golden and batter is slightly under cooked and when testing, crumbs are moist on skewer.

Bake the other 9 Crackers brushed with butter on a pan at the same time.

Cool pan for 10 mins then place in freezer until completely chill or the next day.

Invert the crackers and brownie so crackers are now on the base.

Make the ice cream  ( no churn )

1 1/2 cups of heavy or double cream ( whipped slightly 2 to 3 mins )

add 240 grams of condensed milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk softly until smooth.

Pour over the brownie base and spread evenly

cover with crackers in the same order as the base.

Chill until ice cream is set and sandwiches can be cut and individually wrapped in foil.

Keep refrigerated until required or freeze for dinner party and serve with a chocolate sauce.

Bon Appetite

Mindy

Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients

200g plain unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
180g olive spread
150g caster sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Butter frosting
240g butter
250g icing sugar
Liquorice for decorating

Method
Preheat oven 180 degrees
Cream olive spread and sugar until light and fluffy add eggs one at a time mixing well between each addition then add vanilla more if you like, then flour and baking powder one heaped tablespoon at a time.
Spoon heaped tablespoons of batter in to pans and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes.
To make frosting beat butter and icing sugar until light in colour.
Frost cooled cupcakes and decorate with liquorice pieces.Bon Appetite
Mindy