Twisted Brazil Nut Bread
Friday, October 23, 2020I'm especially fond of making specialty breads like this one and find that they make excellent Christmas gifts for family and friends. It's basically just a sweet yeast dough filled with a luscious Brazil nut filling, which is rather easy to prepare too, and shaped into a beautiful twist, adding a touch of elegance to any festive table.
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- Heat the milk in a saucepan over low heat to 20C/82F. Crumble the fresh yeast into the lukewarm milk together with 1 teaspoon of the coconut sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes or until bubbles appear on surface.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, sift in the flour and add remaining sugar, and salt. Add in diced butter, egg yolks and the yeast mixture. Mix at slow speed until everything comes together. Increase the speed and knead until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes.
- Turn out the dough and shape into a dough ball. Brush the mixing bowl lightly with oil to grease. Return the dough to the bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside in a warm, draught-free place to prove until dough doubles in size, 1-2 hours.
- Meanwhile prepare the filling. Mix together the ground Brazil nuts, coconut sugar, and lemon zest in a mixing bowl. Stir in rum and cream until combined. Whip the egg whites and salt until stiff. Fold the whipped egg white into the nut mixture until well blended. Cover with a plastic film and set aside.
- Punch down the centre of the dough with your fist. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth. Set aside for 10 minutes to rest.
- Line a 26cm springform pan with baking paper. Set aside. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle, roughly 50x25-cm. Spread the prepared nut mixture evenly over dough, leaving 1cm border around edges. With the long edge facing you, tightly roll up dough in jelly roll fashion. Place the roll seam side up and use a sharp knife to cut the roll lengthwise in half along the seam. Tightly weave the two pieces together, leaving the cut sides exposed. Form into a wreath by firmly pinching two ends together. Gently transfer the wreath into the prepared pan.
- Cover with a plastic film or kitchen towel and let rise until doubled for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Bake in centre of oven until bread is deep golden, about 35 minutes. Cool slightly. Dust with icing sugar before serving.
Egg Salad with Cherry Radish and Chives
Wednesday, October 21, 2020Perfectly hard-boiled eggs with fresh chives and cherry radish in the creamy Dijon mayonnaise dressing make for one amazing salad. This salad recipe comes together in just minutes if you have some hard-boiled eggs left in the fridge. This simple delicious egg salad recipe that can be enjoyed just as it is, or turned into a delicious sandwich using your favourite bread or served with crackers over a bed of seasonal greens.
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- Place egg in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 minutes.
- Pour out the hot water and fill with cold water. Let stand for about 10 minutes until the eggs are room temperature. Peel the eggs, then chop into pieces.
- Place the chopped eggs in a bowl, and stir in the mayonnaise, Greek yoghurt, diced cherry radishes, chives, and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Fold to combine. Serve it as a side or on a sandwich using your favourite bread.
Black Rice Goat Cheese Salad with Mango and Sweet Pointed Pepper
Tuesday, October 20, 2020Black rice cooked in homemade broth, topped with goat cheese (or your favourite cheese), mango and sweet pointed pepper with a simple dressing made with red wine vinegar, date syrup and avocado oil, for a delicious, healthy, flavourful, and gluten free Fall meal! You can serve this as a side along with some grilled meat or fish.
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- Bring broth in a medium saucepan to a boil. Add in black rice and cook for about 30 minutes until tender. Drain. Cool completely. Place in a large bowl. Set aside to cool to room-temperature.
- For the dressing, place all the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well to combine.
- Add chopped coriander, sweet pointed pepper rings and mango to the rice. Drizzle with two-thirds of the dressing and toss to combine.
- Divide the salad between two plates and top each with 2 goat cheese. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and garnish with fresh coriander or parsley.
Baked Butternut Squash Rounds with Szechuan Pepper
Sunday, October 18, 2020This super easy and delicious side dish is melt-in-your-mouth tender and packed with flavor! The squash rounds are drizzled with melted butter, then roasted in the oven with smashed garlic, fresh thyme, spiked with mouth-numbing Szechuan peppercorns, and well balanced with a zesty squeeze of lemon juice right before serving. The Szechuan peppers aren't peppers at all. They actually belong in the citrus family. It has a sharp, bright flavour, which is known to enliven food. It is also known for its numbing feature. If you ever tried Szechuan food, you know that tingling sensation. So don't overdo the peppercorns.
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- Preheat your oven to 210C/425F. Cut the neck off of the butternut squash and keep the base for another use. Cut the stem from the end and peel. Cut the squash in slices crosswise, about 1/2 inch thick.
- Transfer the butternut squash rounds to a lightly oiled baking pan. Arrange garlic around the butternut squash slices. Drizzle the melted butter over the squash slices. Finally, sprinkle each round with some chopped thyme leaves, a pinch of salt, black pepper and Szechuan peppers.
- Roast the butternut squash in the oven for 30-35 minutes, depending on the thickness of your butternut slices, until tender and golden on the edges.
- Remove from the oven, drizzle the baked butternut squash slices with lemon juice, then transfer to a serving platter with garlic. Garnish with fresh thyme if you like. Serve immediately!
Marbled Chocolate Brioche
Friday, October 16, 2020I am a fan of swirls, be chocolate, beetroot, or matcha, threading though any kind of baked goods. There's something just so fun about it and plus it makes a beautiful presentation on any dinner table and a lovely gift.
This marbled chocolate brioche is fairly straightforward to prepare since you prepare and knead the dough in the mixer until smooth and elastic. Marbling the plain and chocolate doughs together requires a little patience and effort, but it's pretty easy once you have got the hang of dough plaiting technique.
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- Butter a 26x12x9-cm loaf pan and line with parchment. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk in a bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes until foamy.
- Place plain flour, whole spelt flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer with a dough hook. Add in eggs, yolk and milk-yeast mixture. Mix on low for 3 minutes. Increase the speed to the second level and mix for about four minutes more. Next, add the softened butter one cube at a time until fully incorporated. Knead again for 2 minutes until smooth, elastic and soft.
- Cut slightly more than 1/3 of the dough, about 240 grams. Shape the rest of the dough into a ball. Place it in a bowl. Cover with plastic film. Leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size. Add cocoa powder and nutella to the 240 grams of dough and knead until it's well combined. Cover and leave to rise until doubled in size.
- Turn out and punch each dough down. Cover again and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Roll out each dough into a rectangle. Place the chocolate rectangle on top of the plain one. Roll it up like jelly roll and pinch the sides together. Using a bench scraper or a knife, carefully cut the log vertically in half making sure the seam is side down. Plait and fold into 3 layers. Place the stacked dough into the prepared pan. Cover with plastic film and proof until it's double in size, about 90 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Brush the top with some egg wash and sprinkle some almond slices over if desired. Bake the bread in the center of hot oven for about 35 minutes until nicely golden brown. Remove and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Mussakhan Palestinian Roast Chicken with Sumac and Red Onions
Wednesday, October 14, 2020Mussakhan, one of the beloved national dishes of Palestine, is just one of those dishes that you have to eat it with your hands. "Mussakhan" (literally means "something that is heated"), is roasted chicken, heavily spiced with sumac and a few other Middle Eastern spices. It's a simple, hearty, oniony and packed full of fingerlicking flavour dish that you absolutely need to try.
Mussakhan is usually served over taboon bread which soak up the juice and olive oil, but it's equally delicious over a bed of rice or alongside a seasonal salad.
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- Place chicken drumsticks in a large bowl. Separate thighs and drumsticks if using chicken quarters. Add in 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the sumac, allspice, cumin, cinnamon, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix well, using your hands to rub the marinade into the meat. Add the onion and toss with the chicken, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
- When you are ready to cook the chicken, set a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 190C/375F.
- Line a large baking tray with aluminum foil, then add the chicken drumsticks. Scatter the onion around the pan. Drizzle any extra marinade over. Roast until the chicken skin is deep golden and its juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a paring knife at its thickest parts, 40–50 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet, then tent the chicken with aluminum foil and let rest while you prepare the toppings. Leave the oven on. Place the bread on a clean baking sheet and transfer to the oven to warm it through and lightly toast it.
- In a small skillet over medium-low heat, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the pine nuts. Cook, stirring constantly, until the nuts are fragrant and light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain and cool slightly.
- Remove the bread and transfer to a large serving platter. Top it with the chicken drumsticks and onion, sprinkle with the pine nuts, a little sumac, and the chopped parsley, then drizzle with any remaining roasting juices and more olive oil as needed to moisten the bread. Enjoy!