Hi, Exciting news! I have a new blog site www.intrepidchef.wordpress.com
Please go and check it out and subscribe. Here you will find all my recipes and food inspirations.
See you there!
New Blog
Chinese Long Soup
Chinese Long Soup ( Beef or Chicken)
Good Beef or Chicken stock ( I cater about 750ml per person)
Beef strips or Chicken Breasts strips
Ginger Thumb size finely grated
Garlic 1 x tsp
1tsp sesame oil
Half tsp of Chinese 5 spice
Chinese assorted veggies - I used bokchoi, coriander,spring onions, grated carrots and Slices mushrooms
Rice noodles
Make the rice noodles according to packet instructions. Rinse with cold water until ready to use.
Bring the stock to a boil and add the ginger, garlic and sesame oil and chilli (optional), season if necessary.
Then add the thinly sliced meat and boil for 1 minute
add the carrot, spring onions , bok choi, mushrooms and boil for 2 minutes.
Heat up some Chinese bowls and then add the noodle portions per plate and ladle the stock, meat and veggies into each bowl. Top with fresh coriander and extra chilli.
Eat immediately with some chop sticks and a Chinese soup spoon.
Dee’s Irish Stew
IRISH STEW
Sometimes the most simple things in life are the most delicious. Here is my version of the winter warmer Irish Stew.
Sweat 1 onion and 2 cloves of chopped garlic in a little olive oil then add 2 big leeks thickly sliced and fry a little more.
Brown the meat - in my case I used beef shin about 1 and a half kgs with bone (I know it’s traditionally done with lamb).
Once browned add 850 ml of beef stock, 3 x carrots, 3 x potatoes 3 x parsnips and 2 x turnips peeled and chopped up very chunky.
Then add a big hand full of roughly chopped parsley and 5 bay leaves.
Season with pepper.
Mix and put into a oven heated to 180 degrees for 2 hours using a pot with a lid or a dutch oven or even tin foil. Check every half hour make sure there is enough liquid add if necessary (you want lots of juices to dip your bread into later)
Serve with a green salad and lightly toasted Italian bread which I rubbed with fresh garlic and drizzled with olive oil.
Enjoy!
Homemade Cinnabons
Here is a really easy one for those with a sweet tooth :)
Recipe:
1 x pack of ready made puff pastry
Cinnamon sugar- cinnamon mixed with brown sugar
Maple sugar or honey
Melted butter
Icing made with icing sugar, water and vanilla essence
method:
Pre heat oven to 200 degrees
Thaw puff pastry and roll out just a little.
Brush with melted unsalted butter
Pour the syrup over the top then add the cinnamon sugar ( like you are covering a carpet)
Line a baking sheet with melted butter
Roll the puff pastry up as tightly as you can and cut into round disks about 10cm or as big as you like.
Place on the baking tray and brush with a little bit more melted butter and bake at 200 degrees for about 15-20 Minutes until golden and crisp.
Once cooked the pastry should be crispy on the outside but gooyie on the bottom.
Pour over some more syrup and the icing mix.
Eat immediately while still hot and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice- cream.
Try it and let me know how it goes….. Kids love this one :)
Manyards and 5fm Function
D.KOS catered finger snacks for the Manyards function at the University of Johannesburg. 5FM where broadcasting live and DJ Fresh was about to do the “Manyards dunk” DJ Fresh. Just though I would share a few pics with you from the day.
60th Party
D.KOS recently catered for a 60th Birthday party and had so much fun doing it. We did mezze style platters to start which turned out to be amazing. A gorgeous buffet style lunch and a sweet table for dessert. I also did all the decor/flowers and loved doing it. I wanted to share some picture with you.
Duck breast with pak choi and sweet potato mash
I feel the urge to share this recipe with you as it is amazingly delicious and rather exciting because it was my first time cooking duck.
This recipe serves 4
Score the duck breasts and rub in some Chinese 5 spice and 4 crushed up juniper berries leave for and hour or more if you have the time.
Fry the duck skin side down for about 8-10 minutes starting with a cold pan and gradually turning the heat up.
Once the skin is crispy pour all the fat out and turn the breasts to cook the other side about 7-8 minutes ( this is slightly pink inside)
Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Make a sauce by adding some rum I used an orange rum that my mother in law made for me but you could use any nice alcohol with some orange juice and zest or an orange liqueur. A tiny bit of chicken stock 1x star anise and 1 piece of cinnamon.Allow to blip away.Just before serving add in a knob of butter for a glossy rich sauce.
Serve with sweet potato mash and pak choi ( which I flash fried then steamed with garlic and little ginger and a table spoon of oyster sauce.)
So delicious and yummy indeed
PS: Don’t forget to keep the duck fat in a bottle in the fridge to roast your potatoes in next time :)
Red Velvet Cupcakes
This is the recipe for the red velvets; its flop proof and people go mad about them every time I make them. You can also get this recipe and others from my facebook page D.KOS unique Culinary Experience
Red Velvet Cupcakes (makes 12)
Ingredients
RED VELVET CUPCAKES
Ingredients:
• 1.5 cups of cake flour
• 1 cup of sugar
• 10g cocoa (about 1/8 cup)
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 113g butter (at room temperature)
• 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Red food colouring (I use the cheap one you get in those small bottles from Pick n Pay or Spar, its gives the best bright red colour)
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees (Celsius).
- Set aside a 12-cup cupcake tray with cupcake liners.
- In a bowl, cream the butter until smooth.
- Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy and white (this should take about 3 minutes with an electric mixer).
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well after each one is added.
- Add red food colouring(1 x small bottle) to the milk until the milk is bright red.( I use the cheap one you get in those small bottles from Pick n pay or Spar, its gives the best bright red colour)
- Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk.
- Now it’s time to spoon the batter into the cupcake liners. They should be about three-quarters full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean
Frosting – Cream cheese
1 tub of cream cheese
½ tub mascarpone
1tsp vanilla extract
½ cup icing sugar sifted (adjust to the sweetness you like)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Mix all the ingredients together and leave to thicken in fridge
Once the cupcakes are cooled dip them generously into the frosting mixture and cover with coarse desiccated coconut (optional) and enjoy!
Vietnamese Pho Soup - Recipe
Vietnamese PHO SOUP
As promised here is the recipe for the chicken version- I know it look like a ridiculous amount of ingredients but please don’t let it put you off,it is really easy and well worth it.
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts with bones
1 packet of chicken wings
2 onions halved
1 large cinnamon stick,
1 tbl spoon coriander seeds,
1 tbl spoon fennel seeds,
5 whole star anise,
1 cardamom pod,
6 whole cloves
1tsp salt
2 x thumb sized pieces of ginger
2 teaspoons of sugar
1tbl lime juice
Quarter cup of fish sauce
Big handful of each: mint, coriander and basil
2 limes or lemons, cut into wedges
2-3 chili peppers, sliced
2 big handfuls of bean sprouts
Thin slices of carrot (optional)
1 packed of medium size rice noodles
Some Chinese stores sell little packets with all the spices that I have mention above, so keep an eye out for those- it took me a long time to figure out what those packs of spices where for ☺
To make the stock
Add you chicken pieces to a pot add fill the pot with at least 2/3 liters of cold water
Add all the spices
Fish sauce
Sugar
Onions
Salt
Ginger
Lime juice
Boil for 1 to 1and half hours taking the scum and fat off the top throughout. (If you are using chicken with skin then it’s easier to let it cool and then take the fat off the top once cooled) then put it through a fine sieve until all that is left is a clear chicken spice broth.
Taste and make any adjustments now, it should be mildly aromatic, slightly sour and salty with hint of sweetness.
Tear up the chicken into thin strips discarding any fat and place in a bowl on the table.
Cook your noodles according to packet instruction – this is about 8 minutes and once cooked drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process
Reheat your broth until boiling
Prepare a plate for everyone to share with the fresh herbs, limes wedges, chilli, carrot and bean sprouts – this is the plate in which everyone uses to add the extras to their Pho soup
Add the noodles to each bowl and spoon over a few ladles of broth and let your guests garnish their soup by adding the shredded chicken, herbs, limes chilli etc.
Its nice to have some extra fish sauce to add if needed.
Serve and enjoy with a nice cold glass of white wine.
Mmmm divine!
