Caramelised Red Onion Goats Cheese Tart

I'd be a bit of Goats cheese fan to say the very least.
This tart is a super easy and so tasty especially for this warm weather we're experiencing at the moment!


Shortcrust Pastry:
200g plain flour
pinch of salt
100g cold butter (cut into cubes)
1 egg yolk
2-3 tablespoons of cold water

Filling
4 red onions
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
3 eggs
1 block of goats cheese
pinch of salt and pepper


Begin by making the pastry. Sieve the flour and add the pinch of salt. Rub in the butter until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and a few drops of cold water and bring together using your fingers into a smooth ball of dough. Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for as long as possible. (I made mine in the morning for dinner that evening).

Preheat the oven to 180℃.
Peel and slice the red onions finely and gently fry them in a pan with a little oil. Wait until they become soft and then slowly add in the balsamic vinegar to flavour them. Stir for 10-15minutes on a low heat bringing out the natural sugars in the onions. Turn off the heat once soft and dark in colour.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out to the size of your pie dish. Gently grease the bottom of the tin and cover with the pastry. Prick the bottom with a fork to prevent it rising. Cover the top of the pastry with a little greaseproof paper and some baking beans or rice. Bake blind in the oven for 10mins until lightly golden. After ten minutes remove the beans and greaseproof paper and return to the oven for a further 5minutes to dry out.

Pour the onions first over the baked pastry followed by generous slices of the goats cheese. Pour over the whisked eggs and return to the oven for 20minutes until golden brown.

Serve with some simple salad.

Loaded Cheesy Nachos with Homemade Guacamole

Fantastic Finger Food!

These pack a serious punch if you are looking to serve something for light entertaining with numbers or fill an everyday lunchtime with something a little bit more exciting! It's perfect summer time food which doesn't take long to prepare and is light yet filling.


Ingredients: 
400g ground lean beef mince
1 white onion
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of chilli
1 teaspoon of dried coriander
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons of tomato puree

1 large bag of plain nachos
100g cheddar cheese grated
4 spring onions
handful of fresh coriander


Guacamole
2 avocados
1 lime
2 cherry tomatoes
1 shallot
1 red chilli
pinch of salt and pepper
finely chopped coriander

Method
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and gently fry the finely chopped onions and garlic together for 4-5minutes until soft but not coloured. Add in the spices and cook for 2-3minutes to release their flavours.

Next add in the lean mince and cook until brown. Add in the tomato puree and tin of tomatoes and leave to reduce on a medium heat for up to ten minutes.

Grate the cheddar cheese and leave to one side to sprinkle on top of the mince. (Be generous with the cheese!)

To make the Guacamole -
Smash up the two avocados with a fork and add the juice of one lime. This will help soften the avocados and create a smoother consistency. Add in the finely chopped red chill and cherry tomatoes along with the diced shallot. Finally add some chopped coriander on top. Mash up and leave to one side to serve alongside the nachos.

Once the sauce has reduced, spread on top of the nachos in a casserole dish and add the grated cheese. Heat under a hot grill for 5-7minutes until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle some spring onion and some cherry tomatoes on top and voila!

Simple, hearty beautiful food!

Hope you enjoy!

Fragrant Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad

So this is a first… Yes you did read the title correct. Yes I did in fact feature a recipe using Quinoa. And yes I did also include a recipe which is (new to poundofbutter) not a sweet dish. Two new phenomenons in one.  

I have always been a little suspicious of anything that gets promoted as the new ‘superfood’. Hence the reason why it took me a while to get around to trying quinoa. I must admit I was totally overwhelmed by the abundance of fresh flavours and texture from this recipe.

For anyone unfamiliar with Quinoa like myself it is a grain like crop derived from South America. It is cultivated as a food source for it’s edible starchy seeds and it is species of goosefoot. Strictly speaking, quinoa is a seed but it is commonly referred to as a grain and as such is prepared like so. 

Nutritionally it is high in protein, has essential vitamins and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus & iron, not to mention the 8 essential amino acids required for good health and repair. 

Regardless of all this one of the most interesting things for me about Quinoa is it’s texture. Something a little like barley with its chewiness, it also has a light fluffiness comparable to well prepared couscous. 

In this simple salad I decided to combine a small number of different ingredients which have been inspired by some pals of mine who regularly enjoy Quinoa. 

Finally would you know you're eating something very healthy? The answer is Yes. Quinoa needs plenty of flavours added to help it but in saying all this I would incorporate it again into my diet and I think some roasted butternut squash cubes would also really give it some extra body and flavour. 

This salad is a healthy, light dish delicately flavoured through the use of coriander, pomegranate and lemon. It is also a great gluten free dish to add to your table during this nice weather for the summer. This recipe serves 6 people as a small side dish serving. 

Hope you enjoy! 

Ingredients:

-1 cup of quinoa 

-1/2 red pepper 

-1 red onion 

-Juice of 1 lemon 

-1 pomegranate

-Bunch of coriander finely chopped 

-1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts 

-Several twists of freshly ground black pepper 

Method

1. To cook the quinoa, first rinse the quinoa in a sieve under cold water to remove any impurities for a minute or two. In a medium size saucepan combine the rinsed quinoa and 2 cups of water. Bring the water to the boil, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15minutes. Remove the quinoa from the heat and let it rest still covered for 5minutes. Uncover the pot, drain any excess water and fluff the quinoa with a fork and leave on a plate to cool completely. 

2. Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium - low heat for 2-3minutes stirring frequently until they turn a light golden brown colour. Do not leave the frying pan as they can burn easily. Transfer them to a small bowl and leave to cool. 

3. Finely chop the red pepper, red onion and coriander and combine together with the quinoa once cooled. Juice the lemon and add the juice to the quinoa mixture. Slice the pomegranate in half and using a wooden spoon lightly tap the back of the fruit to gently pop out the seeds. 

Assemble salad and toss together all the ingredients gently. Season with some freshly ground black pepper. 

Serve right away or refrigerate for later. 

New Beginnings

This blog is about to step up a notch. After five short years of teaching Home Economics in Dublin I have decided to venture down another road. Some may say a road less travelled. I’ve swapped my secure comfortable teaching job in Dublin to pursue something I can longer ignore. 

This September I am headed to Ballymaloe Cookery School and to say I’m excited is an understatement. I'm sharing this news as I hope that now it will allow me to spend more time doing and throwing myself into what it is I love. More time for blogging about food, preparing and cooking food, learning about food and immersing myself completely in the world of food, aka Ballymaloe Cookery School. 

Looking forward to sharing some of the journey! 

Wish me luck!

Caramel Squares

So perhaps you have some left over chocolate from all those Easter Eggs you got? No....?
I didn't think so. Nor do I. These are not for using up leftovers. These are just a little bit special.
I also call them the holy grail of my baking stash!
They take a little time, a little love and a little bit of waiting around but boy are they worth it in every aspect. I forgot how good a decent and fulfilling a caramel square can really be.
The chewy caramel, buttery shortbread and generous thick cold chocolate topping.

Complete Bliss.


Ingredients:
Shortbread Base:

• 225g plain flour 
• 2 teaspoons of cornflour 
• 80g fine caster sugar 
• 175g butter 
• pinch of salt 

Caramel Layer

• 1 tin of condensed milk 
• 100g caster sugar 
• 200g butter 
• pinch of salt 

Chocolate topping

• 400g good quality chocolate 

Method:
Begin my preheating the oven to 180℃.
Mix together the sugar, flour, cornflour and rub in the soft butter with your hands until it forms a soft crumbly dough.
Line a medium sized baking tray with non-stick greaseproof paper and press the biscuit base with your fingers into the tin. Bake in the hot oven for 20-25minutes until lightly golden.

For the caramel, place the butter, condensed milk, caster sugar and punch of salt into a good heavy based saucepan. Allow the sugar to dissolve gently. Boil the mixture for a good 5-10minutes until it changes to a thick luscious smooth caramel.
Once the biscuit layer is cooled pour over the caramel and smooth off with a spatula. Allow to set for 15minutes in the fridge.

Finally gently melt the chocolate in a bowl over barely simmering water. Do not let steam get into the chocolate as it will split.
Pour the smooth chocolate over the caramel layer and leave to set in the fridge ideally over night.

Chop up the next morning in even sized chunks and enjoy with a big mug of tea.
Bliss!

Chunky Chocolate Banana Muffins

Do you ever just have one of those days when you need a chocolate hit?
Today was one of those....
Baking is one of the most therapeutic activities for me. It calms me down and reminds me exactly what it is I love doing.
These muffins are so moist and delicate and I absolutely loaded them with chocolate chips and even cut up chunks of extra chocolate for an added extra hit!!

So simple and delicious!

My advice is to enjoy them warm straight out of the oven with the chocolate melting and oozing...  

Ingredients:

90ml milk 

2 eggs 

150g butter (melted)

225g plain flour 

1 teaspoon of baking powder 

150g golden caster sugar 

150g plain chocolate chunks 

2 small bananas (mashed up)

Preheat the oven to 180℃ and arrange 12 paper cases into a muffin tin. 

In a small bowl, whisk the milk, eggs and melted butter together until combined. 

Sieve together the flour and baking powder into a separate bowl. Add the sugar and chocolate chips. 

Stir gently to combine gradually adding in the egg mixture but do not beat. Add the mashed bananas. 

Spoon into the paper cases and bake for 20minutes.  

Allow to stand for 5 minutes on a wire tray. 

Sticky Ginger Cake with Lemon Drizzle

January is a long month. 

People are trying to be good, make up for all the boldness and extravagance of the previous weeks. The whole sugar-free great intentions tend to go a little over my head. 

For now I’ve adapted ever so slightly a recipe I watched being made on the ‘Afternoon Show’ on rte one. I’ve added in some chopped hazelnuts and almonds to give it some extra texture, bite and nutritional value.   

I must admit I was a little sceptical at first with this cake but boy was I pleasantly surprised at its mouthwatering taste, smooth nutty texture and warm comforting aroma. It is a rich dark coloured cake full of warming spices and packed full of healing ginger to give the immune system a good old boost this January. 

Sticky Ginger Cake with Lemon Drizzle 

Ingredients: 

225g self-raising flour 

1 tablespoon of ground ginger 

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of mixed spice 

115g butter 

115g dark muscovado sugar

115g treacle 

115g golden syrup 

250ml full fat milk 

85g grated fresh ginger 

1 egg 

75g chopped hazelnuts & almonds 

For the Drizzle 

50g icing sugar 

Zest of 1 lemon 

Juice of 1 lemon 

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 160℃. Grease or line a standard size loaf tin with butter. 

Gently melt the butter, brown sugar, treacle, golden syrup and milk in a heavy based saucepan until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is a nice smooth liquid.

Sieve the flour and spices into a mixing bowl and stir in the chopped nuts. Roughly grate the fresh ginger and add in along with the flour mixture. 

Pour the treacle mixture on top of the flour and stir using a wooden spoon. Add in the egg and continue to mix until evenly distributed.  

Pour the mixture into the greased tin and bake for up to 40minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. 

To make the drizzle sieve the icing sugar into a bowl and grate in the zest of one lemon. Add the lemon juice and stir to make a thick smooth white drizzle. 

Once the cake is well cooled pour the drizzle over the top to create a zigzag design. 

This cake keeps for up to 4days due to the spices. 

It is the perfect little pick me up this January! 

Hope you enjoy!