Chocolate peanut butter mousse tart

DISCLAIMER: The below text and images are not for sensitive viewers. Content contains large amounts of fat, sugar, chocolate and decadence. Just looking at this recipe will most likely expand your waistline. You have been warned!

On Expresso Breakfast Show, I'm known for creating incredibly sweet and utterly indulgent recipes. Sometimes, so much so, that I almost feel guilty making such sugary delights so early in the morning. Almost.

Photography by Gunther Schubert of Vorsprung Studio

Because it's National Slipper Day today, I got thinking, what would I enjoy while wearing my favourite fluffy slippers? 

Well, chocolate of course, and peanut butter straight out the jar, or perhaps a slice of caramel cheesecake. So why not combine them all! This weekend, slip on your comfiest pair of slippers while whipping up this recipe, then put your feet up and tuck in to a slice or three! And if you needed some convincing? 

It is Friday after-all, so spoil yourself!

Photography by Gunther Schubert of Vorsprung Studio 

Chocolate peanut butter mousse tart
Serves 10-12

Chocolate pastry
¼ cup cocoa, plus extra for dusting
185g cake flour
125g Stork Bake, chilled and cubed
½ cup icing sugar
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp ice cold water 

Peanut butter mousse filling
1 cup chocolate spread
170g smooth cream cheese
¾ cup icing sugar
1 tsp salt
1 ¼ cups smooth peanut butter
1 tbsp vanilla
2 cups cream, whipped stiffly

To decorate
Chocolate spread, melted
Smooth peanut butter, melted
Caramel sauce (optional)
Chopped chocolate peanut butter bars
 
Place the cocoa, flour, margarine and icing sugar in a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Gradually add the egg yolks and water to form a dough.
Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll the pastry out to 3mm thick and line a 24cm loose-bottomed tart tin, trimming the edges and prick the base with a fork.
Refrigerate again for 30 minutes then bake blind* at 180C for 15 minutes, remove the paper and weights and bake for another 10-15 minutes until crisp. Allow to cool.
Spread the base with the chocolate spread.
Make the filling by beating the cream cheese, icing sugar and salt until fluffy then beat in the peanut butter and vanilla. Fold in the whipped cream gently and spoon into the chocolate crust.
Drizzle with melted chocolate spread, peanut butter, caramel and decorate with chopped chocolate bars.
 
*Baking blind refers to the process of placing baking paper inside the lined tart tin the filling the tart with baking beads, beans or rice to weigh it down and prevent the pastry from puffing up.

Martha's One Pan Wonder Pasta

I’m constantly searching for interesting recipes to cook and experiment with and every now and then I come across a recipe that stops me in my tracks. This recipe blows my mind. It is just impossible. Martha Stewart’s one pan wonder-pasta has got the internet buzzing, mainly because it is prepared in just 10 minutes but mostly because it goes against everything you and I have ever been told about cooking pasta. Here’s why:

ONE:The pasta is cooked in a wide, shallow pan not a tall, big pot.

TWO: The raw pasta is covered with cold water. (Sorry, what? Cold water? Yes, you read right – no boiling, salted water here.)

THREE: All the ingredients are cooked together, the pasta, everything in one go.

I was beginning to think Martha might have lost her mind. But Martha Stewart is one of my favourite food icons, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt and put the recipe to the test and I hate to say it, but this is pretty good. While it’s presence in the world is probably insulting every Italian out there, I must admit it’s an amazingly quick, delicious meal. Dinner on the table in 10 minutes? Yes please! 
Just make sure you don't invite any Italians over when you serve it!  

One pan wonder-pasta

Recipe by Martha Stewart

Serves 4

340g linguine

340g cherry tomatoes, halved

1 onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp red chilli flakes

2 sprigs basil, plus torn leaves for garnish

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

4 1/2 cups water

Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red chilli flakes, basil, oil, 2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and water in a large pan.

Bring to a boil over high heat and boil the mixture, stirring and turning the pasta frequently with tongs, until the pasta is al dente and water has nearly evaporated, about 9 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, divide among 4 bowls and garnish with basil.

Serve with olive oil and Parmesan. 

Warm Greek Salad

Salads have a hard time in winter. Like bikinis, sunscreen and sandals they get reserved for the summer months and called horrible names like ‘rabbit food’. Okay, so maybe I’m the one who calls them that but still, they deserve a little better than to be kept for diets and silly cleanses.

I have two words for you: warm & salads. Why has no one thought of this earlier? It’s simply genius! The delicious, crunchy goodness of salads but served in a warm, cozy, snuggle-up-with-a-bowl-and-a-blanket kind of way. Once you’ve opened your mind to the possibility of warm salads, the possibilities are just endless. Think lentils tossed with wedges of roasted pumpkin and butternut scattered with a warm crispy sage dressing and toasted walnuts or how about a warm potato salad with caramelized garlic, dill and crème fraiche. Add roast chicken, grilled lamb or smoked salmon and you have a salad meal. I could go on and on.

To test my new-found warm salad epiphany, I took one of the most summery recipes I could think of and gave it the snuggly treatment. Greek salad is all about the ripest summery tomatoes, the plumpest olives the creamiest feta, peppery olive oil and the tang of proper balsamic. It’s greatness lies in its simplicity. But roast those ripe tomatoes until they blister and burst with flavour, and warm the plump olives to release their bitter oils, crumb the creamy feta and then fry it so it gets all gooey inside then pile it all on the plate and drizzle with the peppery olive oil and the splashy tang of the balsamic and you have a salad worthy of the name.

Warm Greek salad

Serves 4

200g baby tomatoes
½ red onion, finely sliced

½ cup Mediterranean Delicacies Calamata-style olives, drained and pitted

4 x 25g slabs Mediterranean Delicacies feta, drained well
Olive oil
1 cup dried breadcrumbs, seasoned

½ cucumber, sliced

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the baby tomatoes, red onion and olives on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and roast lightly until blistered but not completely soft. They should still keep their shape. Dip the feta slabs in a little olive oil then in breadcrumbs. Heat a little olive oil in a pan and saute the feta over high heat until golden and just soft. Remove from the pan and arrange on a plate. Top with the tomatoes, olives, onion and cucumber slices. Dress with the balsamic vinegar and oil. Serve with grilled lamb chops, chicken breasts or as is. 

*This post has been sponsored by Mediterranean Delicacies who make a fabulous range of yummy pesto, dips, phyllo pastry, olives and other delicious Med-style goodies. 

{GIVEAWAY} Mediterranean Delicacies are giving away TWO Morphy Richards Induction Cookers! Follow this link to enter their latest competition.

Visit my Facebook page, The Kate Tin, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest to get all updates on my posts and other sweet ramblings.

Homemade flatbreads with tabbouleh and hummus

I had my first taste of tabbouleh just a few weeks ago and was hooked. Okay, perhaps not my first taste but before this experience, the others simply didn’t count because this time, the tabbouleh was prepared by a Lebanese princess. It was the real deal; a recipe carefully translated over the phone all the way from Beirut from grandmother to granddaughter. So very special.

A good tabbouleh is made up of plenty of fresh flat-leaf parsley and mint, carefully shredded by hand to prevent bruising. It is said, that if you are a Lebanese woman and want to find a good husband, the key is to learn how to chop your parsley properly. And that pretty much sums up how important the parsley in authentic tabbouleh is! Serious stuff. Along with heaps of parsley and mint, it has olive oil, seasoning and some tomato and bulgar wheat. The parsley is the main ingredient here, not the wheat.

The flat breads are a delicious accompaniment to the salad as they add a great crunch, along with the velvety smoothness of the hummus, it’s a match made in heaven and a fantastic meal to serve for friends as everything can be placed in the centre of the table for people to help themselves.

Homemade flatbreads with tabbouleh and hummus

Serves 6

Flatbreads

300g self-raising flour

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups grated halloumi or crumbled feta (optional)

1 cup boiling water

1 cup chopped spring onion (optional)

Tabbouleh

2 bunches flat-leaf parsley (350g)

1 small bunch mint (50g)

2 cups Bulgar wheat

1 tomato, chopped

2 spring onions, chopped

100ml olive oil

juice of 2 lemons

Mediterranean Delicacies Low-fat hummus, to serve

For the flatbread, place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix to form a soft dough. Set aside for 15 minutes to rest. Divide into 8 and roll out to 30cm long.

Heat a large pan or griddle pan and fry on both sides until golden and crisp.

Make the tabbouleh, chop the parsley finely using a very sharp knife. Mix through with the rest of the ingredients.

To serve, spread the flatbread with hummus and top with the tabbouleh.

*This post has been sponsored by Mediterranean Delicacies who make a fabulous range of yummy pesto, dips, phyllo pastry, olives and other delicious Med-style goodies. 






{GIVEAWAY} Mediterranean Delicacies are giving away TWO Morphy Richards Induction Cookers! Follow this link to enter their latest competition.

Visit my Facebook page, The Kate Tin, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest to get all updates on my posts and other sweet ramblings.

Moroccan lamb and aubergine tajine

There is something very magical about preparing a Moroccan tajine. It’s an almost therapeutic process; building up layer upon layer of flavour and spices to create a dish with rich complexity. But that’s not what I believe makes it so special; the magic lies in the vessel (also called a tajine) which is traditionally used to prepare the recipe – a clay terracotta bottom and dome-shaped lid designed for no other purpose. And that of course only serves to give its preparation a sense of occasion.

  

The tajine is designed to allow long, slow cooking so that the meat falls off the bone and the traditional earthenware clay pots infuse a rustic flavour to the dish. The conical lid allows pressure to build up inside – like a pressure cooker. The hollow knob on top of the lid was an old-fashioned way of keeping cooking time. Water was put into the knob and when this evaporated the tajine was ready. So clever.

Spicing is an intricate art to try and master when making any Moroccan food but getting just three principles right will get you quite far; the first is that spices are best when bought whole and ground fresh. Remember that ground spices have a very short shelf life, so if your bottles are a bit dusty, it’s time to ditch them. If you’re hesitant, think about the difference between the bite of freshly ground black pepper versus the dullness of the preground stuff. A spice or coffee grinder, and even a pestle and mortar, are a great investment if you want your dishes full of flavour.

Apart from the spices, this recipe has a bit of a twist; rather than using chunks of lamb, the meat is minced, spiced and rolled into kefta then wrapped in chargrilled aubergine and simmered in a tomato and date sauce. A swirl of cool tzatziki and a sprinkling of pine nuts is all that stands between you and a whirlwind tastebud trip to Marrakesh!

Moroccan lamb and aubergine tajine with tzatziki

Serves 4

2T chopped fresh coriander

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2t freshly chopped chilli

2T Moroccan rub spice mix

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

600g beef or lamb mince

Tomato date sauce

Olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tins chopped tomatoes

2t Moroccan rub spice mix

4 fresh dates, chopped

dried chilli, to taste

4 long aubergines, thinly sliced

2T chopped fresh parsley

To serve

Couscous

Mediterranean Delicacies Tzatziki

Toasted pine nuts

Make the keftas by mixing all the ingredients together and shaping them into sausages. Heat a little oil in a pan and brown them on all sides (they don’t need to be cooked through) and set aside. For the sauce, heat a little olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic until soft. Add the tomatoes, spices, dates and chilli and simmer gently.

Sprinkle the aubergine slices with salt and olive oil and place under a hot grill until golden brown and soft. Wrap each kefta in the aubergine slices and place the parcels into the sauce. Simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with couscous, minted yoghurt, pomegranate rubies and toasted pine nuts.

TIP To make your own Moroccan spice blend, mix 1/2t each of ground cinnamon, cumin, fennel, nutmeg and paprika and store in a sealed jar.

*This post has been sponsored by Mediterranean Delicacies who make a fabulous range of yummy pesto, dips, phyllo pastry, olives and other delicious Med-style goodies. 

{GIVEAWAY} Mediterranean Delicacies are giving away TWO Morphy Richards Induction Cookers! Follow this link to enter their latest competition.




Visit my Facebook page, The Kate Tin, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest to get all updates on my posts and other sweet ramblings.