Strawberry Margarita Granita

Strawberry Margarita Granita

A frozen cocktail for dessert… this is so delicious and a very refreshing end to a meal.  It contains as much alcohol as you’d expect to find in a cocktail, so be careful!

Serves 4

Prep time:   15 minutes

Freezing time: 3 hours

Ingredients

50g caster sugar

400g strawberries

4 limes

100ml tequila

50 ml orange liqueur (Triple Sec, Cointreau or Grand Marnier)

Method

1.    Place the sugar in a pan with 150ml water and heat gently, until the sugar has dissolved.  Set aside to cool.

2.    Hull and halve the strawberries and place in a food processor.  Add the juice of three limes and blitz until smooth.  Pass the strawberry mixture through a fine sieve into the cooled syrup and then stir in the tequila and orange liqueur.

3.    Pour the mixture into a shallow container and freeze for 3 hours.  Meanwhile thinly slice the remaining lime, place on cling film and place in the freezer.

4.    Scrape the surface of the granite with a folk to loosen the crystals.  Spoon into 4 tumblers or margarita glasses, serve with a slice of frozen lime.  Enjoy!  I would make double the quantity as your guests will want more.

Strawberry Tart

Strawberry Tart

This is summer on a plate, the perfect dessert for summer!  You can bake the pastry case and make the filling the day before and decorate with the strawberries a couple of hours before serving!

Serves 8

Prep time: 45 minutes plus 1 hour 20 minutes chill time

Cooking time:  35 minutes

Ingredients

For the Sweet Flan Pastry:

125g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

90g caster sugar

1 large egg

250g plain flour

1 tbsp ice-cold water

For the filling:

75g white chocolate, chopped

100ml double cream

2 tbsp icing sugar

175ml whole milk

75ml double cream

40g caster sugar

½ vanilla pod, split lengthways

3 egg yolks

20g cornflour

400g strawberries, hulled

2tbsp strawberry jam, warmed

Preparation method

1.    For the pastry, place the butter and sugar in a food processor and blitz until combined.  Add the egg and blitz for another 30 seconds.  Now add the flour and process until the dough comes together.  If the dough is too dry add the ice-cold water.

2.    Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead, shape into a flat disc, wrap in cling film and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

3.    Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin.  Now line a 24cm round shallow tart tin with a removable base.  Leave the excess pastry overhanging the rim.  Allow to rest in the fridge for another 30 minutes.

4.    Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C Fan/Gas mark 5.  Line the pastry with baking paper and baking beans, blind bake for 20 minutes.  Now remove the baking paper and beans, return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes.  Cut off the excess pastry.

5.    Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, take off the heat and allow to cool slightly.

6.    Brush the base and sides with melted chocolate and allow to cool and set.

7.    For the filling, whip 100ml double cream and icing sugar together in a large bowl until it is stiff.

8.    Place the milk, 75ml double cream, 1 tbsp caster sugar into a pan over a low heat.  Scrape out the vanilla seeds from the pod and place both into the pan and bring to a simmer.

9.    In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks and the remaining caster sugar.  Now gradually whisk through the cornflour until smooth.  When the pan of milk begins to boil slowly whisk through the egg mixture until it is thick and smooth.  Strain the pastry cream through a sieve into a bowl, allow to cool.

10. Now fold through the whipped cream into the bowl with the cooled pastry cream.  Spoon into the pastry case and level it with a spatula.

11. Slice the strawberries and arrange over the filling, overlapping as you go.  Lightly brush with warm strawberry jam glaze.  Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve, enjoy!

NO BAKE COCONUT SNOWBALLS

NO BAKE COCONUT SNOWBALLS

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
3 tsp coconut oil
3 tbls maple syrup
2 tbls unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
organic dark chocolate
INSTRUCTIONS

Place 1 cup shredded coconut and 3 tsp coconut oil into the bowl of a food processor. Process on high speed, scraping down the sides every once in a while, until it reaches a butter consistency.
Add the maple syrup, coconut milk, vanilla extract, and salt and process on high speed until all of the ingredients have combined.
Add 3/4 cup of additional shredded coconut and process on high speed until all of the ingredients have combined and formed a batter.
Shape the coconut mixture into 1” balls and coat with the additional shredded coconut. Refrigerate for at last an hour or up to a week.
Bring to room temperature before serving.
Chocolate Snowballs
If you’d like to make these extra special, omit the final coating of shredded coconut in step 4 above. Allow the the shaped coconut balls to firm up in the refrigerator, preferably overnight. Once the coconut balls have firmed up, melt the dark chocolate in a small saucepan over medium heat. This should only take a minute or two. Once the chocolate is melted, dip the coconut balls into the melted chocolate and sprinkle them with the shredded coconut. Allow the chocolate to harden by placing the coconut balls back into the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes.paragraph 2

TACO BRAID

TACO BRAID

INGREDIENTS

1 canister refrigerated pizza crust
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 lb. Zaycon Fresh 93 / 7 Super Lean Ground Beef
3 tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning
1/2 cup water
1 cup Fiesta Blend shredded cheese, divided
1 tomato, diced, plus additional for top, if desired
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
Sour cream and taco sauce for serving, if desired
INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare a rimmed baking sheet by lining it with parchment.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
in a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the chopped onion and cook until soft, about 3 – 5 minutes.
Add the Zaycon Fresh 93 / 7 Super Lean Ground Beef and cook until brown.
Add the Homemade Taco Seasoning and water and mix until well incorporated.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 – 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, transfer the piece of parchment to your work surface.
Place the pizza dough on the parchment and roll it so that it measures 10 X 15 – inches.
With a pizza cutter, make slices 1 1/2 – inches thick and 3 – inches in along both long sides of the dough.
Place the ground beef down the center of the dough.
Cover the beef with 3/4 cup of cheese and then add the diced tomato.
Beginning at one end of the braid, fold the end up and wrap the first two slices over to secure it.
Repeat the wrapping with the remaining slices just until the last two.

Salted Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Dip

Salted Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Dip

INGREDIENTS

Dip
8 ounces Cream Cheese – softened
1 Cup Marshmallow Creme
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
2 Tablespoons Dulche de Leche
Topping
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans
2 Tablespoons Dulche de Leche
1/2 teaspoon Milk
Maldon Salt Flakes
INSTRUCTIONS

Dip
Mix cream cheese, marshmallow creme, powdered sugar and dulche de leche until fully combined. Transfer to serving bowl.
Topping
Top dip with chopped pecans.
In microwave safe bowl; microwave dulche de leche 10-15 seconds. Stir in milk. Drizzle over dip and pecans.
Sprinkle with salt flakes.
Serve with apples and cookies.
Notes
Makes approximately 2 cups

5 MINUTE 4 INGREDIENT NO BAKE CHEESECAKE

5 MINUTE 4 INGREDIENT NO BAKE CHEESECAKE

INGREDIENTS

1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 8 ounce (250g) tub of cool whip (whipping cream)
1/3 cup of lemon or lime juice
1 8 ounce (250g) package of cream cheese.
INSTRUCTIONS

Most important part of this recipe, is to leave the cream cheese out for a couple hours at room temperature. The cream cheese will become soft and smooth. The importance of this is to create a smooth texture. Not doing so, will create horrible lumps of cream cheese that will ruin the flavor of this pie.
After your cream cheese is softened enough, I like to see if it will spread easily with a plastic spatula. In a mixing bowl, mix all before mentioned ingredients. Please note: the lemon/lime juice must come last. The reaction of the citrus juice will start to harden your mixture almost immediately.
On the low speed of you hand mixer, blend well. Around 2 minutes of so is plenty, just make sure all ingredients are incorporated. Immediately pour mixture into a waiting graham crust or for those of us that can’t have the gluten, I opt for muffin cups. Refrigerate for an hour to and hour and a half and viola

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Ball

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Ball

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup Reese’s spreads
3 tbs. brown sugar
1 cup mini chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS

Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, Reese’s spread, and brown sugar together in a bowl using a mixer.
Place mixture on top of a piece of wax paper and pull all ends of paper into middle to create a ball out of the mixture.
Place ball of cheese into a ziploc bag and place in freezer for 2 hours.
Pull out of freezer and remove from bag and wax paper, gently form the ball into a round circle and once you have desired shape spread the mini chocolate chips across a plate.
Roll your ball over the chocolate chips coating all sides. Gently push chocolate chips in until all sides are covered.
Place ball back in fridge to firm up.
Serve with apples, nilla wafers, graham crackers or more for an appetizer cheese spread!

PEANUT BRITTLE

PEANUT BRITTLE

INGREDIENTS

Makes 1 pound
Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 cup peanuts
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking soda
INSTRUCTIONS

1.Grease a large cookie sheet. Set aside.
2.In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peanuts. Set candy thermometer in place, and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard and brittle threads.
3.Remove from heat; immediately stir in butter and baking soda; pour at once onto cookie sheet. With 2 forks, lift and pull peanut mixture into rectangle about 14×12 inches; cool. Snap candy into pieces

The Secret to Making the Perfect Chocolate & Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

The Secret to Making the Perfect Chocolate & Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups instant oats
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium sauce pan, add butter, sugar, milk and cocoa. Place on medium heat.
While you wait for the mixture to begin to boil, measure out your peanut butter and oats and have your vanilla jar handy. (once this process gets started – you have to work quickly)
Bring the mixture in the sauce pan to a rolling boil – once it is at a full boil – boil for 1 minute and 15 seconds.
Remove from the heat immediately.
Add in the peanut butter – stir. Add in the oats – stir. Add in the vanilla – stir.
Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheets lined with wax paper.
Let cool for 30 minutes or until set