Chocolate Pudding Pie



 

 



Base.

1 packet of Dry Biscuits (Butternut snaps or Chocolate Ripple)
2 tblsp Butter
1 tblsp Water





In your food processor chop the biscuits to a crumb.



 

Turn into mixing bowl.  In a small bowl melt the butter and water together, I do this in the microwave for 30 seconds on high.  Mix the melted butter and water through the biscuit crumbs until all combined and the butter coats all the biscuit.



In a pie dish or a loose based tart tin line the bottom with a disk or baking paper if you wish for easy removal.

 

 

Pour the biscuit crumb in and with the base of a glass gently press the crumbs evenly around the tin and up the sides, you don't need to press too firmly or this could make the base too thin.

 



Place the tart tin or pie dish on a baking tray ( this allows for easy moving now and later believe me).  Bake in oven at 180C for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool while making the filling.



 

Filling.

1/4 cup Corn Flour (corn starch)
2/3 cup Castor Sugar
1/3 cup Cocoa Powder
3 cups Lite, Skim or Full Cream Milk your choice, I use Lite
60 g Chocolate chopped, you can use dark or milk I use Dark
1 tspn Vanilla Paste
1 tblsp Coffee Granules or espresso if you have a machine
1 tblsp gelatin or 2 gelatin leaves
1/3 cup boiling water

In a bowl mix the gelatin with boiling water, if using leaf soak in cold water for about 2 minutes first then remove from cold water and place in bowl with boiling water, stir until dissolved and set aside.

In a saucepan place the corn flour, sugar, salt, coffee, cocoa and half the milk, whisk until combined then add the remaining milk. 



Heat the chocolate mixture stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil, this should take about 10 minutes.



 



Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate, stirring until melted, stir in the vanilla and gelatin mixture.  Pour into the pie shell and allow to set for at least 3 hours in the fridge.



Serve with a spoon of whipped cream.

 

French Onion Dip



This is a great dip to make if you like French Onion.  Quick and easy and everyone likes French Onion!  This dip is best made and allowed to sit in the fridge for at least an hour to meld the flavours.

1 large or 2 medium Onions sliced
250g package of Philly Cream Cheese, I use lite
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Light Sour Cream
Salt and Pepper to taste
Tblsp Butter

 

 





In a fry pan gently sauté the onions with butter.  This should take about 20 mins, you don't want to fry them to burnt.  If you add a 1/4 tspn of sugar this will help them to caramelise and take away the harsh onion flavour.  When done turn the onions onto paper towel to cool and drain off any excess fat.



 



In the bowl of your food processor put the cream cheese, mayo and sour cream, add the salt and pepper about a 1/4 tspn of each and process until smooth.

 



Turn into mixing bowl or plastic container.  Chop the cooled onions but don't mince them you want little chunks not big ones,  Mix the onions through the cheese mixture and refrigerate for at least one hour over night is better for the flavours to meld.

Serve with chips, biscuits or corn chips

 

Very Lemony Risoni/Orzo



1 cup uncooked Risoni/Orzo
1 lemon (zest and juice)
1/4 cup Greek Yoghurt
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup Frozen Peas
1 cup diced Capsicum (optional)



Cook Risoni as per instructions.  5 minutes before the pasta is cooked throw in the peas and capsicum with the pasta.

While the risoni is cooking zest and juice one lemon place in mixing bowl with yoghurt, salt and pepper.  Mix until smooth.





When the pasta and peas are cooked reserve one cup or the cooking water before draining pasta.  Place pasta in back in pot and pour over half of the yoghurt mixture and half 1/3 of the pasta water.  Allow to cool for about 5 minutes pour over the remaining yoghurt mixture and stir through with the herbs of choice, then serve.  If serving cold allow to cool then pour over enough of the remaining pasta water to loosen the mixture.

LaLa was supervising as usual.

 

 

 

Tomato Chilli Chutney

 

 

 

2 kg Tomatoes
6 Large Red Chillies
1 large onion sliced
450 gm Brown Sugar
300 ml Malt or White Wine Vinegar


Now depending on your dedication to this recipe or if you are like me time poor depends on if you peel your tomatoes or not for this recipe.

I had 3 bags of cherry tomatoes so no way was I peeling them all!  I chopped them in half that was about my limit.



Sweat/sauté the sliced onion until transparent.  Remove seeds from the chillies and chop up how fine is your choice and how much you like a mouth full of chilli in your chutney.  Toss the chillies, tomatoes and brown sugar into the saucepan with the onions, stir together until the sugar is dissolved and turn gas to low,  allow the tomato mixture to simmer for 1 and a half hours.

 



Turn the gas to high and allow the tomato mixture come to the boil.  Stir through the vinegar and allow to boil for 15 to 20 minutes or until you stir and the mixture parts like the red sea and you can see the bottom of the pan. Make sure you don't burn the mixture so you will possibly need to hover at this stage.

Pot into sterilised jars and put lids on while hot.  Allow to sit in the cupboard for about a month before use.

Apologies

Sorry that I haven't posted in a couple of weeks.  You know how things can get leading up to Christmas! There are lists and Turkey's, Hams and presents, kids and work and ahhhhh well something's got to give and unfortunately in my house it was the blog.

I am having a couple of days off as we speak so things have been busy just catching up and taking some time with the other half.  We took a couple of days to ourselves in Port Macquarie and had a look around.  While there we went to a Pick your own Strawberry farm.  http://ricardoes.com/
where we spent an hour or so hunting down the most ripe red strawberries on the rows, to later be turned into jam.

I also acquired a couple of kilos of ripe and rather large cherry tomatoes which are as we speak being turned into a Tomato and Chilli Chutney destined for these pages in the next couple of days.

There is a large box of cherries my Mum bought with her when she came for Christmas which would have gone off if I had not gone and preserved them, also to follow on the blog over the next couple of weeks.

I have acquired some Hairy Dieters cook books which I will be trying some of the recipes over the next couple of weeks, call it a post Christmas need to do something healthy with ourselves.

Again I apologise for the silence over the Christmas period and remember the Facebook page, I post up things that sometimes don't hit the blog.

Kate