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The Saturday kids are taking a break over summer when they mainly BBQ but they will be back in winter so watch this space!

Butterflied chicken

Gumbo

1 onion
Garlic and ginger
4 sticks celery
1 leek
1 red capsicum
1 can tomatoes
1 can whole corn kernels
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups cooked shrimps
150g ham
200g chorizo (about 4)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Dice all vegetables.
Brown the onion, garlic and ginger.
Add the paprika and cayenne pepper and fry for 1 minute.
Add the ham and chorizo and fry for 3 minutes.
Add the celery, capsicum and leek and fry for 4 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, corn and stock and bring to boil.
Add the rice.
Simmer until vegetables are cooked, add the shrimps ans warm through.

Chocolate ramekins

4 eggs at room temperature
100g 70% cocoa solids chocolate
100g sugar
75g butter
50g standard flour

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Cream together eggs and sugar.
Melt butter and chocolate in a bowl set over hot water.
Leave to cool for 4 minutes and then stir in the eggs.
Fold in the flour.
Spoon the mixture into the ramekins (makes around 8).
Bake for around 15-20 minutes.
Serve with cream or ice cream.

Chicken korma

1 onion
Garlic and ginger
500g chicken breast
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 cup plain yoghurt
3/4 cup cream

Fry onion, garlic and ginger until browned.
Add chicken and brown.
Add spices and stir for 2 minutes.
Add yoghurt, bring to boil and simmer for around 10 minutes.
Add cream and warm through.
Serve with couscous or basmati rice.

Upside-down pineapple cake

300g self-raising flour
5 tbsp warm golden syrup
450g canned pineapple rings
200g butter
Pottle plain yoghurt
300g sugar
5 eggs

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Line the bottom of a baking dish with baking paper and cover with the syrup.
Arrange the pineapple rings on top.
Cream butter and sugar together.
Stir in the yoghurt.
Mix in the eggs.
Fold in the flour.
Pour the mixture over the pineapple rings.
Bake for around 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Rest for 6 minutes and then slowly run a knife around the edges to release.
Turn out cake and slowly remove the baking paper.
Serve with cream or ice cream.

Pork pie

Sheet flaky pastry
1 onion
Garlic and ginger
750g minced pork
1 large apple, grated
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsps sweet chili sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
Mix together the onion, garlic, ginger, pork, apple, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce and sesame oil.
Spoon into oven dish and cover with the pastry (Be sure to poke some holes in the pastry so steam can escape).
Bake for 20 minutes then reduce heat to 180 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes.

Syrup sponge

200g golden syrup
100g butter
Pottle plain yoghurt
150g sugar
3 eggs
175g self-raising flour

Pour the golden syrup into the bottom of a pudding bowl.
Beat butter and sugar together until light.
Stir in yoghurt.
Beat in the eggs.
Fold in the flour.
Spoon the mixture into the bowl.
Cover the top with foil and secure.
Place in a deep pan half-filled with boiling water.
Steam for 2 hours checking the water level every now and then.
Tip the pudding onto a plate and pour warmed golden syrup over the top.

"No butter" butter chicken

1 onion
Garlic and ginger
2 tsps curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
500g chicken breast
Can tomatoes
1 tsp garam marsala
1 cup plain yoghurt
1/2 cup cream

Fry onion, garlic and ginger until browned.
Add curry, cumin and coriander and stir for about 2 minutes.
Add chicken and brown and then add can tomatoes.
Bring to boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Stir in garam marsala, yoghurt and cream and warm through.
Serve over couscous or basmati rice.

Custard tart

Sheet sweet shortcrust pastry
6 eggs
Pottle plain yoghurt
80g sugar
500 ml cream

Heat oven to 170 degrees C.
Roll out the pastry and cover the bottom and sides of a pie dish.
Bake blind for 10 minutes.
Remove paper and bake for another 5 minutes.
Whisk eggs and sugar together.
Stir in cream.
Warm over low heat until hot but not boiling.
Pour filling into pie dish and bake for around 45 - 50 minutes.
The filling should be set but not firm.
Leave to cool.

Snapper fish curry

Snapper are a favourite NZ firm-fleshed fish.

2 onions
Garlic and ginger
2 tsp spice blend (see below)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp turmeric
Can tomatoes
1 cup water
500g snapper

Spice blend

1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp allspice

Fry onions, garlic and ginger until the onions start browning.
Add all the spices and cook for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and water.
Add fish, cover and simmer until fish is cooked (about 10-15 minutes).

Served with rice. (We use basmati rice).

Blueberry sponge pudding

1 tin blueberries (or blueberries in season)
50g butter
4 Tbsp yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup standard flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
Pour the blueberries into a baking dish.
Cream butter, vanilla and sugar.
Stir in yoghurt.
Beat in the eggs.
Sift flour, salt and baking powder and fold into mixture.
Stir in milk.
Spoon mixture over berries and bake for 40 minutes (or until sponge springs back when lightly pressed).
Serve with cream or ice cream.

Can be used with any other berries as desired.

Mochaccino self-saucing pudding

Spinach and leek cannelloni

Shepherd's pie

8 medium potatoes
50g butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup grated cheese

800g mince
1 onion
1 leek
Garlic and ginger
Herbs and spices
1 cup beef stock
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp chutney
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Peel and quarter the potatoes and boil until soft.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Brown onion, leek, garlic and ginger.
Brown the mince.
Add in herbs and spices and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the stock, chutney, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.

Mash the potatoes and add the butter, milk and grated cheese.
Pour the mince into a baking dish and cover with the mashed potato.
Bake for 20 minutes until golden.

White chocolate tart

300g white chocolate
100g butter
5 eggs separated
100g sugar
2 tbsp standard flour

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Melt the chocolate and butter over boiling water.
Leave for 10 minutes to cool.
Whisk egg yolks and sugar together and then fold in the chocolate mixture.
Fold in the flour.
Beat egg whites until stiff and then fold in.
Spoon into cake tin and bake for 35 minutes.

Baked custard

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C.
Beat together eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla.
Place 4 ramekins into a baking dish and pour the mixture into them.
Pour boiling water into baking dish until halfway up the ramekins.
Bake for 40 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

Spaghetti bolognese

1/2 packet spaghetti
800g mince
1 onion
Garlic and ginger
Herbs and spices
Tin tomatoes

Place the spaghetti in boiling water and cook until al dente.
Brown the onion, ginger and garlic.
Then add the mince and brown.
Add the herbs and spices and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the tin of tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes.

Kiwifruit and honey cake

It's the kiwifruit season and some were going off so we made this cake to use them up.

50g softened butter
1/2 cup honey
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mashed kiwifruit (if you don't have enough use plain yoghurt to top up)
2 cups standard flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Cream butter and honey.
Add eggs and vanilla and beat in.
Fold in the kiwifruit.
Sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and fold through.
Fold through the milk.
Spoon into a cake tin and bake for 35 minutes or until cooked.

Chocolate custard

1 cup milk
1 cup cream
200g 70% dark chocolate
6 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees C.
Melt the milk, cream and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat.
Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl.
Gradually add the milk mixture, stirring all the time.
Pour the mixture into individual ramekins and place in a roasting dish.
Pour hot water half way up the sides.
Bake for 40 minutes.

Note: The milk mixture makes a super hot chocolate as well!