My first Gordon Ramsay recipe

Beef Fillet with a gratin of wild mushrooms

This is the first recipe I use from the Gordon Ramsay Chef's Secrets cookbook. When you think of such a talented chef you might think that the recipes are going to be too difficult, but trust me, when it comes to the savory dishes, they are just sophistically simple to make ;)

(You can also find this recipe on youtube by clicking here).

  

You can modify this recipe by using ingredients which are easy for you to find, for example in the cookbook Gordon uses mushrooms like Ceps, Girolles and Morels but they are not easy to find here in Singapore so I used Asian mushrooms such as Shitake and Enoki. 

In the youtube video, Gordon only uses Chives but in the cookbook he uses parsley, chervil and chives which taste delicious when combined. Finally, to give a nice kick to the mushroom flavor, add 2 tablespoons of white wine to them towards the end of their cooking time.

*The best advice I can give you for a successful and tasty recipe? 

Don't forget the seasoning!

Enjoy!

Spaghetti al pesto genovese

The secret of making a real genovese pesto (except for using the freshest ingredients) is to grind the ingredients with a mortar and pestle to get a real authentic taste. Most people use electric mixers nowadays which is still fine  however it is important to not over-mix the ingredients as it will then over-heat the sauce . This is one of the most simple recipes and it doesn't require a lot of ingredients, I used this recipe and have translated it for you:

Recipe:

2 cloves of garlic

100ml extra virgin olive oil

50g of basil leaves

70g freshly grated parmesan cheese

30g of pecorino cheese

15g of pine nuts

a pinch of salt ( I use fleur de sel)

*Start by grinding the garlic cloves with a pinch of salt in the mortar until a creamy like texture is formed

*Add a few basil leaves at a time to the garlic together with a pinch of salt and grind (or as they say in italy pestare) until the bright green essence of the basil has come out

*Add the pine nuts and crush until creamy, at this point you may add the 2 cheeses altering them with the olive oil and grind till the texture is consistent

Et Voilà! Buon appetito!  

Christmas baking week - My first gingerbread house

Here we are in the final series of the Christmas baking week: my first gingerbread house.

I thought it was going to be the most challenging recipe of the week but it turned out to be pretty simple!

For the gingerbread dough recipe click here,  once you have cut out the dough into house pieces bake them and let them cool down completely. In the meantime prepare the royal icing which is what you will use to put the house together, the texture of the icing should be very thick if not there is chance your house will fall apart, here is the recipe I used:

Royal icing recipe: 

2 egg whites

4 cups of confectioner's sugar

1/2 tsp of cream of tartar 

Once you have constructed the house decorate as you wish using the rest of the icing and your favorite candy! I also added my Christmas meringues do you remember them?   

I wish you all a Merry Christmas :)

Christmas baking week - Gingerbread feast!

Here is the second part of my Christmas baking week : Gingerbread men!

What would the Christmas holiday be without the smell of delicious wintery spices of cakes and mulled wine in the house?! As I looked for the perfect recipe I realized that most recipes use molasses which I am not too fond of, therefore I use Lyle's golden syrup (previously used in this recipe). 

Gingerbread men are also a delicious treat to bring to the office and they can also make a fun decoration for your Christmas tree!

*Recipe here 

*Spices used for the gingerbread men: ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon*

*Make holes before cooking them if you wish to hang them on your Christmas tree*

*A perfect treat to bring to the office (labels designed by me and can also be found here)*

Christmas baking week - Meringue trees and snowmen

Christmas is less than a week away and it is time for the seasonal baking.

Do you remember my Halloween meringue ghosts? Well, as I love meringue so much I decided to experiment it with Christmas trees and snowmen. Here is the result... what do you think about them? 

This weekend we also decorated our Christmas tree, have you done yours yet?

(Click here for the recipe)

*Part of our Christmas tree decorations*

* Happy Birthday Mum :)

Lemon meringue tartlet

Ever since the episode of Desperate Housewives where Bree tries to get hold of Katherine's secret lemon meringue pie recipe (season 4 episode 2), I have been obsessed with this delicious dessert!

I feel that there isn't really a season for it and it is perfect for any occasion, you can make it shaped as a standard pie or as tartlets which I think is cuter and easier to eat :) 

For the recipe, I used the same base as my berrylicious tart which I made back in September and for the lemon filling recipe click here.

My tip for a lemonicious lemon meringue pie: use fresh lemon juice and sieve it before mixing it to the other ingredients so you don't get all the bits.

Bon Appétit!  

Take a bite of my pizza!

I have already made pizza at home however I used to buy the ready made dough where I simply added my toppings . This time I was in the mood for a change, and as time passes I like to make as much homemade food as I can. So here it is... my very first pizza dough :) 

I made 2 of my favorite pizzas: 1 with buffalo mozzarella and parma ham and the second one with normal mozzarella, cooked ham and mushrooms .

TIPS:

1- When using buffalo mozzarella make sure you drain it well before cooking or it will soak your dough

2- Add the fresh parma ham and basil just before serving, do not cook it in the oven

3- Most italian recipes use fresh beer yeast however it is very hard to find this ingredient in Singapore, dry yeast is just as good

Dough Recipe:

http://ricette.giallozafferano.it/Impasto-per-pizza.html

Do you have any favorite pizza? :)