Bakin' Bee

Recipe for Chicken and Broccoli Dish

2013-01-08T17:03:00.002+00:00

This dish is a great favourite of mine. It is simple to prepare and is ideal for a relaxed evening spent with friends or family. Here is my recipe for one simply delicious chicken and broccoli dish.

Chicken and broccoli dish served with boiled rice

Ingredients:

4 chicken fillets
255g of broccoli
1 tin of condensed chicken soup (large)
4 tablespoons of mayonnaise
4 tablespoons of double cream
1-2 tablespoons of curry powder, to taste
50g grated cheddar cheese
1 slice of wholemeal bread in crumbs

Ingredients for Chicken and broccoli dish

Method:

Place your cleaned chicken fillets into boiling water with a pinch and cook. Meanwhile, clean your broccoli and cut up and arrange on the base of a shallow oven proof dish.

Cut broccoli

Once your chicken fillets are cooked drain off the water and cut the chicken up into pieces and add to the oven-proof dish with broccoli.

Cut chicken pieces

In a separate bowl combine the soup, mayonnaise, cream and curry powder. Spoon over the chicken and broccoli the soup and mayonnaise mixture.

Broccoli and chicken mixed with soup, mayonnaise, cream and curry powder

Cover with the cheese and breadcrumbs.

All ingredients in - ready for oven

Bake for around 30-40 minutes at 190 degrees Celsius.

Out of oven

I prefer to serve this dish with rice, but it can be also served with potatoes, pasta or fresh salad. Enjoy!

Friday Night Pizza

2013-01-05T14:23:00.000+00:00

Pizza is a very popular dish in many parts of the world. It is a flat circular bread topped with tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings of your own choice. Pizza is my personal favourite dish for a Friday night when you feel like kicking back and taking it easy.

Crispy home made pizza for Friday night

Pizza Base

Ingredients:

500g plain flour
1 sachet of dried yeast
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of olive oil
300ml tepid water
1/4 teaspoon of mustard powder
1 teaspoon of black powder

Ingredients for Pizza base

Method:

Sift flour into your mixing bowl and add in salt, sugar, mustard powder and black pepper. Mix together the olive oil and tepid water in a separate bowl or jug. Add the dried yeast and stir. Its is important that the water is tepid other wise you run the risk of killing the yeast.

Create a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients and add in your liquid mixture.

All Pizza base ingredients ready to be mixed

Mix ingredients together to form a dough in your mixer using the dough hook or if you don't have a mixer this can be done by hand. Allow your dough to proved for around an hour at room temperature, in this time it will double in size.

Pizza dough

Whilst your dough is being proved prepare your sauce and toppings using method described below.

Ensure your board or work surface is floured along with your hands and take your dough from the bowl and separate into four equal pieces. If you don't wish to use all four pieces wrap in cling film and freeze until required. Take a piece of dough and knead until smooth.

Pizza dough on floured work surface - ready for a roll

Roll out the dough in a shape to fit your pizza pan or stone. Leave to rest for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile pre-heat your oven at about 180 degrees Celsius.

Once the dough is ready spread your cooled sauce over on the base.

Pizza with tomato sauce

Add whatever toppings your wish - I used pineapple, ham, sweetcorn, cheese and green pepper.

Pizza with tomato sauce and toppings

Place your pizza into your pre-heated oven and cook for around 20 minutes or until dough becomes crispy. Slice and enjoy!

Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

1 can of chopped tomatoes
4 diced tomatoes
4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 onion
1 stick of celery
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon of mustard
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1/4 of chilli powder
dash of balsamic vinegar

Ingredients for Pizza tomato sauce

Method:

Place the onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and celery into the food processor and whiz until it is a pulp. Heat the olive oil in a pot and add your pulp mixture. Fry until onions are cooked. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for around twenty minutes.

Pizza tomato sauce in a pot

Add salt and pepper to achieve your preferred taste. Allow the sauce to cool before placing it on your dough. This sauce can be frozen if you don't require to use it straight away.

Recipe for Pavlova

2012-11-11T00:14:00.000+00:00

Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert with crisp crust and soft moist inside. It is traditionally decorated with whipped cream and fresh fruit. Pavlova is a perfect light dessert and very easy to make.

Pavlova dessert decorated with pineapple and cherry

Ingredients:

4 egg whites
225g caster sugar
1 teaspoon of cornflour
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence
300ml of double cream
450g of your preferred fresh soft fruit

Ingredients for Pavlova dessert

Method:
Separate the yokes from the whites and place whites into you mixing bowl.

Separated yokes and whites

Whisk whites until they form sort peaks. Whilst whisking add the sugar, a spoonful at a time. The aim is that the mixture become stiff and shiny.

Whisking whites and sugar

Mix the cornflour, white wine vinegar and vanilla essence together. Add the mixture of cornflour into the whisked mixture and mix in.

All mixed together

Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment paper circular in shape and 8 inch in size.

Baking sheet on a tray

Spoon the mixture on the the onto the paper around the edges to form a rim.

Looking good - ready for some heat

Preheat the oven for 130 degrees Celsius. Place in the oven and bake for 1.5 hours. After cooking switch off oven and do not open the door of the oven as the Pavlova may fall, leave sit for around 3 hours or longer if possible and then transfer to wire rack.

Out of oven - ready for decoration

Whip the cream and place on top of your Pavlova and then place your chosen fruits on top.

The final product - delicious Pavlova

Enjoy!

Recipe for Vienna Bread

2011-03-12T15:43:00.000+00:00

I make my own bread and usually I go for the classic brown bread. Today I felt like making something different, so I decided to bake Vienna bread.

The Vienna bread was first produced in Vienna, Austria in the 19th century. It is a crusty bread made from flour, yeast, water and salt and it is a perfect accompaniment to soups or meat and fish dishes.

Vienna bread is simple to make and it doesn't require any special ingredients. Here is my recipe for one medium size loaf.

Freshly made Vienna bread

Ingredients:

320g strong white bread flour or plain flour
400ml of milk
30g of butter
1 level teaspoon of dried yeast
3/4 level teaspoon of salt
3/4 level teaspoon of caster sugar
1 egg for dough
1 egg or 50ml milk for glazing
Poppy or sesame seeds for topping (optional)

Method:
Sift flour into a bowl and add salt. In a separate bowl mix your yeast and sugar. Pour milk into a pot and heat gently along with butter. Heat enough to melt butter.

Heating milk with butter

Once butter is melted add yeast and sugar. It is important that the milk and butter mixture is not too hot otherwise you risk killing the yeast. Mix well and add your beaten egg.

Heated milk with butter, yeast, sugar and egg

Next add your mixture to your sift flour and mix until your mixture becomes dough. I used my Kenwood Chef mixer with dough hook, but you can knead by hand until the mixture becomes elastic.

All ingredients in mixer bowl

Once you have achieved elasticity leave the dough to proved allowing approximately a hour at room temperature. At this point prepare your baking tray by greasing it.

When dough has proved, flour your board and hands and knead your dough to remove some air. Note it is important that your dough remains elastic. Shape dough into an oval and place it in the centre of your baking tray. With the tradition cut two diagonal slits in the loaf's top.

Leave the loaf to stand at room temperature for an additional 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat your oven to around 220 degrees Celsius. Allow for temperature difference if you have a fan assisted oven. Glaze your loaf with either milk or egg and sprinkle with seeds of your choice.

Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 220 degrees Celsius. After 15 minutes turn your oven to 180 degrees Celsius and bake for approximately a further 15 minutes.

Ready for oven

After 30 minutes in the oven your loaf should be golden brown. Loaf is ready if it sounds hollow when knocked on. Place your loaf on a wire rack and allow cool.

On cooling rack

Well, here you go, the best thing in the world - a freshly baked loaf of bread. Enjoy with your chosen dish or simply with a knob of butter.

Unpacking Kenwood Chef Titanium mixer

2011-01-08T14:21:00.011+00:00

I've got this new helper. It arrived in a huge box with many goodies. I will do a proper review later - for now here is my unpacking video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv_jNbNzTZ4

http://amzn.to/ulUE8K

Recipe for Lentil Soup

2011-01-08T11:17:00.000+00:00

There are many variants of Lentil soup. It can be made with meat or as vegetarian using red or green lentils. Ingredients can also include carrots and potatoes and flavourings such as garlic, cumin, lemon juice or vinegar. In this recipe I will use green lentils, potatoes and cream.

Ingredients:

300g of green lentils
4 medium sized potatoes
450g of double cream
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
salt to taste

Ingredients for Lentil soup

Method:

Soak lentils in cold water for at least three hours.

Green lentils soaked in water

Peel your potatoes and cut them into dices. When your lentils have soaked and absorbed all the water put them into a large sauce pan along with your diced potato and bay leaves.

Lentils, potatoes and bay leaves in sauce pan

Add enough water to cover everything and add the tablespoon of white wine vinegar. Cook until the potato and lentils have become soft, it is important not boil as you don't wish the potato to come apart.

Everything cooked - ready for some cream

At this point add cream and salt to your taste. Serve with freshly baked bread.

Hello and Welcome!

2011-01-07T00:42:00.046+00:00

Hello and welcome to Bakin' Bee. I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas and a great start to 2011.

I myself enjoyed the company of friends and family over the festive season and I especially took great pleasure in cooking and baking for everyone.

I have found it rewarding and enjoyable, so as a New Year resolution for 2011 I have decided to share some of my experiences in the kitchen on this blog. Stay tuned, a lot of tasty dishes are coming. I look forward to your comments and suggestions.