Best Food Recipes

Ingredients:

120g unsalted butter, chopped

220g (1 cup firmly packed) brown sugar

2 eggs

240g (1 cup) cream, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

225g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour

75g (3/4 cup) cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

Chocolate ganache:

200g dark chocolate (55% cocoa solids), finely chopped

300ml thickened cream

Directions:

To make ganache, place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Place cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Pour cream over chocolate and stir until melted and combined. Divide ganache between 2 bowls. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 bowl. Stand second bowl at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 160°C. To make cake, grease pans and line with baking paper. Place butter and sugar in a saucepan. Cook, stirring, over medium heat for 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves and butter is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Sift over flour with cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, then whisk until smooth. Divide batter between pans.

Bake, swapping pans halfway, for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into centres comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Remove ganache from fridge, stir until smooth, then spread over top of 1 cake. Top with second cake, then gently press together. Pour over room temperature ganache to serve.

Ingredients:

16 tostadas

1 can of La Costena Refried Pinto Beans.

2 chipotle peppers out of a can of La Costeña Chipotle Peppers

1 chicken breast, cooked and cut into cubes.

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

3 tablespoons of very fine chopped onion.

1 can of La Costeña sliced jalapeno peppers

1 cup of pureed tomato (pealed & crushed)

3 cups of lettuce cut into small pieces.

3.5 oz (approx. 7 tbsp.) of grated fresh cheese.

Cooking instructions:

In a skillet, place oil, add onion and saute. Grind the chipotle peppers with a little crushed peeled tomato. Mix with the rest of the tomato mixture and let it season. Add chicken and let it simmer for 3 minutes or until it is well covered by the sauce, which already has to be thick. Make sure the beans are extra warm and spread the tostadas with the warm beans, then put the chicken over it and finally garnish with lettuce, cheese, and La Costeña sliced jalapenos. Serve immediately and enjoy. To add more spice, accompany this delicious dish with the leftover sliced jalapenos.

Ingredients:

Full box Vanilla Cake Mix

2 large eggs

1 stick butter- melted

1 cup milk

14-16 store-bought ice cream cones - flat-bottomed

Method:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare batter as directed on package and fill cones 3/4 full. Place cones in muffin tin to prevent toppling when baking for 20 minutes.

Cool completely and decorate with frosting and candies.

Ingredients:

15ml (1tbsp) butter

15ml (1 tbsp) oil

1 kg beef fillet, trimmed

250g button mushrooms

1 small onion, peeled and chopped

75g smooth chicken liver pâté

30ml (2 tbsp) fresh white breadcrumbs

1 sprig fresh thyme, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

400g ready-made puff pastry, thawed

1 large egg, beaten, for glazing

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220 C. In a roasting pan on the stove top, melt the butter, add the oil and brown the fillet on all sides.

Place in the oven and cook for 5 minutes for rare, 10 for medium and 15 minutes for well done, remembering it cooks further once covered in pastry. Remove and cool.

Blend the mushrooms and onion in a food processor then add to the roasting tin and fry in the meat juices for about 5 minutes. Stir in the pâté, then cool. Add the breadcrumbs, thyme and seasoning. Roll out the pastry on lightly floured surface.

Trim to a 40 x 45cm rectangle using a sharp knife. Spoon a little of the mushroom and onion mixture sown the centre of the pastry. Place the fillet on top. Spoon the remaining mushroom and onion mixture over the top and sides of the fillet. Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg and fold the pastry over like a parcel to enclose the fillet. Press the edges together and seal well, trimming off excess pastry.

Place join sides down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with egg. Cut long strips from the pastry trimmings and arrange on top to form a lattice. Brush with egg. Bake at 200 C for 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:

Vanilla Pastry Cream (recipe below)

Bananas (I used two bananas for 6 small dessert servings)

Good quality caramel sauce, or dulce de leche.

Fresh whipped cream (I used 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream and 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar)

Graham Cracker crumble (recipe below)

Vanilla Pastry Cream

2/3 cup sugar (can be reduced to 1/2 cup if you prefer desserts less sweet)

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups whole milk

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste)

Method:

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with a fork to combine. Set aside.

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually pour in milk, while whisking, to make a smooth mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring almost constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Continue to cook and stir one minute.

Pour several tablespoons of the hot mixture into the bowl with the eggs and immediately stir well. Pour warmed egg mixture into the pan with the rest of the hot milk mixture. Return to a slow boil, and cook one minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Set aside to cool. When the pan has cooled, place in the refrigerator to fully cool. If desired, lay a piece of plastic wrap on the top surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (180 mL) boiling water

1 3-ounce box pineapple Jello gelatin

1/4 cup (60 mL) cold water

1/2 cup (120 mL) vodka

1/4 cup (60 mL) butterscotch schnapps

1/4 cup (60 mL) Irish cream

Maraschino Cherries

Method:

Dissolve the gelatin into the boiling water in a large bowl.

Measure and pour the schnapps, vodka, Irish cream, and cold water into the bowl. Thoroughly stir until well mixed. Allow the mixture to cool a little.

Add a maraschino cherry in plastic shot cups.

Carefully pour the Jello mixture over the cherries.

Chill in the refrigerator to allow the mixture to fully set and harden.