Baked Bananas with Ice Cream

This was meant to be dessert for the birthday boy last night, but because we had birthday cake, Mr C request that i save this sweet for tonight instead.
With the warm baked bananas which goes perfectly with the cold vanilla ice cream and finished off brilliant with the nutty sauce..... it was soo yummy, Mr C nearly eat my plate too!
If you feel naughty and want a sweet treat, but dont have belgian waffles handy... try this.... its well lush!

This quick and easy recipe taken from 'The Half Hour Cookbook' by Jenni Fleetwood.

Ingredients:

2 Medium-sized Bananas
1/2 Tbspn Lemon Juice
Vanilla Ice cream

For the sauce:
1Tbspn Magarine
25g Hazelnuts, toasted, roughly chopped
3Tbspn Golden (light corn) syrup
2Tbspn Lemon juice

1) Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Place the unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and brush them with the lemon juice. Bake for about 20 minutes until the skins are turning black and the flesh gives a little when the bananas are gently squeezed.
2) Meanwhile, make the sauce. Melt the butter in  a small pan. Add the hazelnuts and cook gently for 1 minute. Add the syrup and lemon juice and heat, stirring for 1 minute.
3) To serve, slit each bananas open with a knife and open out the skins to reveal the tender flesh. Transfer to serving plates and serve with scoops of ice cream. Pour the sauce over.

Happy Cooking!

Hawaiian Pork Loin Chop

For dinner today, i decided to make something abit different for the special birthday boy. I was intrigued by this recipe and came just the right time for me to experiment with ingredients i use all the time. Its good to find new twists and excite the tastebuds and rewarded with pleasant surprises with little effort. Even more delightful when a difficult customer give you the thumbs up, and request to make it more often ;)

To make it more exciting, i made sides served with the loin steaks, - corn-on-the-cob and wilted garlic spinach as well as some white rice.  All the colour on the white plate, just set your mind like a hot summers Hawaiian beach. 

Ingredients:

6 Pork Loin Chop
1 (20oz) tin Pineapple slices, undrained
1/2 cup Light Soy sauce
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
1Tbspn Brown sugar
1 cup of mixed peppers (i used frozen)

Method:

1)Drain the pineapple juice into a jug so that you have 1/2 cup for use later. Set the pineapple slices aside.
2) Put the pork chops in a bowl. Combine together the pineapple juice, light soy sauce, vegetable oil, onion, garlic & brown sugar . Pour over pork chops, then cover with cling film and leave to marinade in fridge for about 2hrs.
3) In a skillet grill pan, over a high heat, brown the pork loin chop on both side for 2 mins.
4) Put the pork loin chops in a oven-proof dish, then pour marinade. Pour the mixed peppers on top.
5) Place in the oven in the middle shelf and let it cook at 190C for 30mins.
6) A few minutes before the pork is ready, place the pineapple rings in a grill pan. ready to serve.

Happy Cooking!

Eggs Benedict

Today, i decided since its a special day, i would make the birthday boy a yummy breakfast, Eggs Benedict.  I dont remember how i discovered it, but its a breakfast i most enjoyed whenever i do have it. 
Eggs Benedict are simply toasted english muffin, with poach egg, ham or bacon and some buttery hollandaise sauce.  Something very simple, but very filling and give you full of energy!
This is my first time attempt to make hollandaise sauce, and its definitely very easy to get it wrong, but when you get it right... its a perfect complement to the food. I would encourage to go and buy good quality from shop, to save time and guarantee get it right all the time. 

Recipe from The Half Hour Cook by Jenni Fleetwood.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 Large Free Range Eggs
4 Lean ham slices/Dry cured back bacon rashers
4Tbspn Warm Hollandaise Sauce
4 English muffins, split
Salt & Ground black pepper to taste.

Hollandaise Sauce: (Delia Online)

2 Large Egg Yolks
1 Tbspn Lemon Juice
1Tbspn White Wine Vinegar
110g Butter, melted and cooled slightly
Salt & Pepper to season


Method:

1) Pour cold water into a medium pan to a depth of about 5cm/2inch and bring to a gentle simmer. Crack an egg into a saucer. Swirl the water in the pan with a spoon, then slide the egg carefully into the centre of the swirl. Simmer for 2-3mins, until the whites are set, but the yolks are still soft. 
2)Repeat step 1 for the other eggs.
3)Meanwhile, toat the muffin halves. Place on serving plates and arrange ham slices on top. (for those have bacon, either fry off the bacon earlier on or put the bacon in the oven to get nice and crispy). Remove the eggs from the pan using a slotted spoon and place on top of the ham.
4) Spoon the hollandaise sauce over the eggs, season and serve immediately.  Go really well with a breakfast tea or awakening coffee.

For Hollandaise Sauce
1) Place the egg yolks in a small bowl and season them with a pinch of salt and pepper.  In a food processor or blender and blend them thoroughly for about 1 minute.
2)In a saucepan, heat the lemon juice and white wine vinegar until the mixture starts to bubble and simmer. 3)Switch the processor or blender on again and pour the hot liquid on to the egg yolks in a slow, steady stream. After that, switch the processor or blender off.
4)In thesame saucepan, melt the butter over a gentle heat, being very careful not to let it brown. When the butter is foaming, switch the processor or blender on once more and pour in the butter in a thin, slow, steady trickle; the slower you add it the better. (If it helps you to use a jug and not pour from the saucepan, warm a jug with boiling water, discard the boiling water and then pour the butter mixture into that first.) When all the butter has been incorporated, wipe around the sides of the processor bowl or blender with a spatula to incorporate all the sauce, then give the sauce one more quick burst and you should end up with a lovely, smooth, thick, buttery sauce.


Happy Cooking!