Cook Like A Star : Chicken Pot Pie

To "  Cook Like A Star" again  .......... I am kind of excited with Donna Hay's recipe. Mom was complaining again about being hungry at 10.30 pm, then I went ransacking my fridge for anything to cook when I remember Donna Hay's Chicken Pot Pie . Yummy as it sounds , I have to substitute some of the ingredients. I just use whatever ingredients that I have in the fridge at that moment.

It turns out to be a very delicious supper meal for mum . Guess what ?  Mom says " Can you bake this again tomorrow ? " ... Everyone went laughing out loud as in ...LOL... I didn't have any leek so I substitute with bombay onion . Since I can't drive out to buy heavy cream at that time , I made my own heavy cream instead. Heehee... you can get the recipe for heavy cream over here .

                               
I love the taste of this chicken pot pie with my home made substitute for heavy cream . I added capsicum , cherry tomato and fresh thyme which enhance the taste of the chicken pot pie .


Chicken Pot Pie by Donna Hay
Ingredients 
200g  Boneless chicken fillet, cut to bite size
1        Leek, sliced thinly ( I substitue with bombay onion )
1tbsp Olive oil
2tsp   Herbs (sage, rosemary or thyme/ I use fresh thyme )
1        Potato, peeled and diced
1 2/3 cup Chicken stock
3tbsp Heavy/thickened cream
150g  Frozen vegetables (I use fresh capsicum and cherry tomatoes )
         Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
250g Frozen puff pastry, thawed overnight in fridge or at room temperature for about 1/2 to 1 hour
1 egg, beaten

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan and add leek. Stir-fry for 4 minutes, or until soft.

2. Add chicken, potato, herbs and chicken stock. Simmer for 10 minutes (with lid partially closed) 

3. Add the frozen vegetables.

4. Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the chicken are cooked and potatoes are soft. Stir through the cream and season with salt and pepper.

5. Transfer the filling into an ovenproof dish.

6. Dust the roller pin and surface with some flour. Cut a portion of the puff pastry.

7. Roll out the dough as thinly (about 1 to 3 mm). Cut out a piece of rolled puff pastry dough to cover the dish. Seal the edges with water.

8. Crimp the edges with a fork and poke holes (very gently) all over the top with a fork.

9. Brush egg all over the puff and bake at preheated oven at 200 C for 15 minutes , till puff pastry is puffy and golden brown . 

Enjoy your delicious chicken pot pie !!!

Recipe adapted from noobcook

I am going to link this with "Cook Like A Star" blog-hop featuring Donna Hay as the celebrity for the month of March, hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids. Please drop by Bake For Happy Kids for the full details and join in the blog-hop!
                                                 

Cook Like A Star : Blueberry Almond Cake

Does Blueberry Almond Cake rings any bells ? Heehee....  I was looking for some new recipes to bake when I saw this post on La Mia Vita Dolce . The presentation of the cake really makes me wanna try this recipe . I was actually taking a break after dinner when I stumble upon this interesting recipe . Reading thru the post really makes me trying hard to hold my saliva. Heehee...

This is one cake that I will definitely bake again maybe tomorrow or so.. Tasty and simple. I am starting to love Donna Hay more and more each day , each time I try her recipe. Brilliant , simple and tidy .... Heehee .

The moment mom bites on it , she went like " is it almonds in it ? But I dun see any of the almond nibs ? " .... I went laughing out loud ... Well she couldn't be bothered too much tho, as she indulging herself with this Blueberry Almond Cake. Mom actually request for a second slice the moment she finished the first slice. 

The nutty flavour of the cake really makes me having hard time holding my saliva .... Maybe the next time I will add some toasted walnuts instead of blueberry . Those blueberry that I bought seems to taste sour . Heehee.. I love sour but Nat, my daughter seems to dislike it tho. 

Blueberry Almond Cake 

Ingredients 

150 g  Self-rising flour

¼ tsp  Salt

150 g  Unsalted butter

4 large eggs

120 g  Caster sugar ( original recipe calls for 225 g ) 

¼ tsp  Almond Extract [ I omit this ] 

1 tsp  Vanilla extract

150 g  Almonds, toasted and finely ground

280 g  Blueberries, fresh or frozen

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Extra Fresh blueberries, for garnish

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 180° C . Line and grease an 8 inch round pan with non-stick baking paper 

2. In a small bowl whisk together flour (reserving 2 tbsp to toss blueberries ) and salt, set-aside.  Melt butter in a  saucepan over medium low heat, swirling occasionally until it begins to brown (the butter will have a nutty flavour), about 5 minutes and set-aside to cool.

3. In the mixing bowl, using a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment beat eggs, sugar and vanilla extract ( and almond extract if using) at medium speed until thick, pale and triple in volume, about 10 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer.

Using a fine sieve sift half flour mixture over egg mixture; gently fold in using a large flexible spatula and then sift and gently fold in remaining flour until just combined.

4. Fold in butter and ground almonds.

5. Toss 3/4 of the blueberries in reserved flour (to help prevent blueberries from sinking to the bottom).  Add the flour coated berries to the batter and fold in to just combine.

6. Transfer batter to prepared baking pan top with the remaining blueberries.

7. Bake at preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking, until a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.

8. Remove pan and leave to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  If not serving immediately, remove from pan and return cake to wire rack to cool completely.  

9. Serve warm, dusted with confectioners’ sugar and garnished with fresh blueberries.

Enjoy your Blueberry Almond Cake !

Recipe adapted from My Sweet Life

I am going to link this with "Cook Like A Star" blog-hop featuring Donna Hay as the celebrity for the month of March, hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids. Please drop by Bake For Happy Kids for the full details and join in the blog-hop!
                                                 

Cook Like A Star : Lemon Tart

Anything Lemony , everything lemony ... seems to be my top rated " I LOVE THIS RECIPE " list. So this time around I have chosen to try Donna Hay's Lemon Tart recipe . I am always making my mom complaining about luring her to eat in the middle of the night . Gosh ..... I don't think its me. I gotta blame it on the lemon this time around. I love lemon ... yummy...

I was surprise to learn that lemon tart really taste good , much much better than egg tart . Heehee.... Ooopss am I offending any egg tart lovers out there . I will definitely gonna bake this lemon tart again . I brought this to the office the next day , and my staff finish it in no time ... LOL ..

For the Lemon Lovers like me ....

Lemon Tart by Donna Hay
Ingredients 
DOUGH:
200g   All purpose flour
100g   Cold unsalted butter, chopped
1tbsp  Caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4tsp Vanilla extract
LEMON FILLING:
1 cup  Single or pouring cream
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
55g    Caster sugar ( original recipe calls for 110g of caster sugar )
1/2cup Lemon juice

Method
1. Place flour, butter and sugar in a food processor and process until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add in    egg & vanilla and process in short bursts until the pastry just comes together. Pour out and bring together to form a ball. Flatten the pastry and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate pastry for 15 minutes.
2. Lightly flour work surface and roll out the pastry to 3mm thick. Line a deep 22cm round pastry ring with the pastry, trim and prick the base with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line the pastry with non-stick baking paper, fill with baking weights or dried beans and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and paper and bake for further 2-3 minutes or until golden. Set aside.
4. Reduce the oven to 140°C.
5.To make the lemon filling, add cream, eggs, egg yolks, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Pour the mixture into the tart shell and use the back of a metal spoon to skim the surface to remove any bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until just set. Allow to cool and refrigerate until completely set.

Enjoy you yummy Lemony Lemon Tart !!

                                                 

I am going to link this with "Cook Like A Star" blog-hop featuring Donna Hay as the celebrity for the month of March, hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids. Please drop by Bake For Happy Kids for the full details and join in the blog-hop!

Cook Like A Star : Four Tier Chocolate Layer Cake

All of Donna Hay's recipe seems to be so simple and tasty. I have hard time trying to pick one tho. Heehee... Well , I always love baking cakes so I have pick one which I think I can handle easily . Simple as it sounds , I manage to complete everything including the frosting within 2 hours .

This is my first time combining cream cheese frosting with chocolate cake. This cake turn out to be moist and just the right mouth-feel . I simply love the cream cheese frosting and not to mention the simplicity that comes with it. Will definitely bake this cake again .. Heehee .........

This recipe is an Official MasterChef Recipe for Junior MasterChef 2010  . How amazing watching these young talents cooking like a star . I feel so timid when I watch them cook . Gosh .. How I wish my baby can be one of them .. Heehee ..

I have made some minor changes to the original recipe. As usual , I reduce the amount of sugar required for the cake. I used 1/2 cup of castor sugar instead of 1 cup . Same goes to the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting. I have reduced the icing sugar by half.

FOUR TIER CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE 
Ingredients 

1/2 cup  Water
60g        Butter, chopped
2 tbsp    Cocoa, sifted
1 cup     Plain flour, sifted
1/2 tsp   Bicarbonate of soda, sifted
1/2 cup  Caster sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup  Buttermilk
1/2 tsp   Vanilla extract

Chocolate cream cheese frosting
50g        Butter, softened
250g      Cream cheese
1/2 cup  Icing sugar mixture, sifted
1/4 cup  Cocoa, sifted


Method 

1. Preheat oven to 150'C . Lightly greased 2 12cm round pan lined with non-stick baking paper.

2. Place the water, butter and cocoa in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the butter has melted. Place the flour, bicarbonate of soda and sugar in a bowl, add the cocoa mixture and whisk to combine. Add the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla and whisk to combine. Divide mixture between 2 prepared cake pan .

3. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

4. While the cake is baking, prepare the cream cheese frosting. Place the butter and cheese in the mixing bowl and beat for 6–8 minutes or until pale and creamy. Add the icing sugar and cocoa and beat for a further 6–8 minutes or until light and fluffy.

5. To assemble, slice the cakes half horizontally. Place one cake layer on a plate and spread with one quarter of the frosting. Repeat with remaining layers and frosting. Decorate as desired.

                                                 

I am going to link this with "Cook Like A Star" blog-hop featuring Donna Hay as the celebrity for the month of March, hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids. Please drop by Bake For Happy Kids for the full details and join in the blog-hop!