Donal Skehan's Crunchie Sticky Banoffee Pie

This is another recipe from The Good Mood Food Blog. This banoffee pie is really nice. The base is simple. It’s just mixing digestive biscuits and butter together! I find the flavour of the banana in the banoffee pie is a bit strong, but it’s still nice.

Donal Skehan's Crunchie Sticky Banoffee Pie

Ingredients
Serves 6 
1 can condensed milk (297g)
230g digestive biscuits, about 16 crushed finely
115g butter, melted
3 bananas
250ml of cream
3 crunchie bars, roughly chopped

Method

1. In a small high sided pot, cover the tin and boil the unopened can of condensed milk for 2 hours, keep an eye on it making sure the water level is always above the top of the can.

2. While the can is boiling, prepare the base of the pie.
Mix together the crushed digestive biscuits with the melted butter until they are combined and then spread the mixture evenly over the base of a 18cm cake tin with a removable base.

3. Cover and chill for 2 hours in the fridge.
When the can has finished boiling remove from the water and allow to cool. When the can is cool to the touch, open and spread the caramelised condensed milk over the biscuit base.

4. Slice the bananas evenly and arrange over the caramel.
Whip the cream until it is just about stiff and spread on top of the bananas.

5. Sprinkle the crunchie bar over the top of the cream as artistically as you feel necessary! Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

Extra Chocolaty Hot Chocolate

Whenever my Mam sometimes brings me to a coffee shop and I always order a hot chocolate. When I make my own hot chocolate, I always use this recipe, This is the nicest hot chocolate I've ever tasted. It’s really chocolaty, sweet and delicious.

Extra Chocolaty Hot Chocolate

Ingredients
Serves 3

15 mini marshmallows

80g milk chocolate

2 tablespoons drinking chocolate powder

600ml milk

To Serve

whipped cream

a few mini marshmallows

cocoa powder for dusting

Method

1.     Put all the ingredients into a small saucepan over a low heat.

2.     Keep stirring until all the ingredients are well combined. Pour into a mug.

3.     Top with a spoonful of whipped cream, a few mini marshmallows and a dusting of cocoa powder.

Neven Maguire's Chicken Korma

This recipe is from Neven Maguire's Neven Cook's 2. This would be one of my favourite chicken dishes.

Neven Maguire's Chicken Korma

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teasp finely grated root ginger

1 green chilli,seeded and finely chopped
1 teasp garam marsala

1 teasp ground turmeric

1/4 teasp chilli powder

14oz/ 400g can chopped tomatoes

1 teasp tomatoe puree

4 chicken breasts

1/4 pint/ 150mls cream

To Serve

2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander

salt and freshly ground black pepper

cooked basmati rice

warmed naan bread

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions and garlic for about 10 mins until golden brown. Stir in the ginger and chillli and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

2. Add the garam masala to the pan with turmeric, chilli powder and a pinch of salt and cook for another minute, stirring.

3. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree and 1/4 pint / 150ml of water, stir well to combine. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 mins until the sauce is so well reduced that it is almost sticking to the bottom of the pan and the oil has separated out on the surface, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the chicken to the pan with a few tbsp of water to the reduced sauce.

5. Slowly bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 20 mins or until the chicken is completely cooked.

6. Stir in the cream and simmer gently for a couple of mins. Season to taste.

Serve with a scattering of fresh coriander, boiled basmati rie and warmed naan bread.

Rachel Allen's Baked Eggs with Chorizo and Cheese

Rachel Allen's Baked Eggs with Chorizo and Cheese

This recipe is from Rachel Allen's Food for Living. This is definitely my favourite recipe with eggs.

Ingredients
2 tsp tomato purée,
4 tbsp double cream
freshly ground pepper and sugar
16 thin slices Chorizo
8 eggs
2 tbsp grated Cheese, such as gruyere or cheddar

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/gas mark 8. Mix the tomato puree (if using) with the cream and season with pepper and a pinch of sugar.
2. Spoon half of the cream mixture into the base of four ovenproof cups, bowls or ramekins. Add two slices of chorizo to each dish, then crack two eggs into each, season with a little more pepper, and top the cups with the remaining two slices of chorizo.
3. Spoon over the remaining tomato cream, then sprinkle each portion with the grated cheese. Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until the whites are set and the cheese is bubbling. Serve the eggs on their own or with fingers of buttered toast.

Rachel Allen's Pasta with Spicy Sausage and Cream

This is a great pasta dish from Rachel Allen’s Rachel’s Favourite Food. I think this is one of my favourite pasta dishes ever. They make this a lot at Ballymaloe Cookery School, and people always love it. Just leave out the sausage for a vegetarian pasta sauce. It also freezes well. I met the wonderful Rachel Allen while my Mam was on a course in 2008.

Pasta with Spicy Sausage and Cream 

Ingredients

25g Butter
700g ripe Tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or use 2x 400g tinned tomatoes)
4 cloves Garlic, crushed
2 tsp Rosemary, chopped
1 pinch fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp caster sugar
225g chorizo sausages, or kabanossi sausage, cut into ½cm slices
1 pinch dried red chilli flakes
175ml cream
2 tbsp Parsley, chopped
500g penne pasta, or use rigatoni or farfalle
50g Parmesan, grated

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the chopped tomatoes, garlic and rosemary.
2. Season with salt, pepper and sugar (the sugar really helps the tomatoes).
3. Cook until the tomatoes have just begun to soften, about 5 mins.
4. Add the sausage to the pan with the chilli flakes, cream and half the chopped parsley. 5. Allow to simmer with the lid off until the mixture has reduced by half, stirring frequently.
6. Take off the heat and taste for seasoning.
7. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water, into which you have added 1 dst salt, until it is just cooked, then drain and toss with the sauce.
8. Put into a great big serving bowl and scatter with the grated parmesan cheese and the rest of the parsley. 

NOTE FOR COOKING PASTA If you need to cook your pasta slightly ahead of time, keep about 50ml of the pasta cooking water in with the pasta and a good glug of olive oil.