Thai Chicken Curry

This is a great recipe for a cook ahead dinner. The fragrant sauce can be prepared well ahead of time, ready to simmer chicken.

Ingredients:
2 T green curry paste
1 T vegetable oil
1 1/2 c chicken stock or water
400 ml can of coconut cream
2 T fish sauce
finely grated rind of 1/2 lemon
salt and ground black pepper
1 kg boneless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
sliced spring onions
1/2 c toasted cashew nuts
Optional: 6 - 8 dried curry leaves or fresh lime leaves

Method:

1. In a large heavy saucepan heat oil and fry curry paste for about a minute.
2. Add coconut cream, stock or water, fish sauce, lemon rind and optional curry leaves and simmer for 10 minutes. Sauce can be prepared ahead to this point and stored in the fridge.
3. When ready to serve, add the sliced chicken.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover tightly and leave to cook on lowest possible heat for 5 - 6 minutes without uncovering until the chicken is cooked and has turned opaque.
5. Do not over cook.
6. Season to taste and garnish with spring onion and cashew nuts.

Serves 6 - 8 as a main course.

Note: you can experiment by adding vegetables to this recipe. I like to add in a little sliced capsicum.

Choclate Truffle Fudge Cake

Ingredients:
125 g butter
1/4 c caster sugar
2 T golden syrup
2 T milk
2 T drinking chocolate
1 T cocoa
1 pkt plain sweet biscuits, crushed
1 1/2 c chocolate cake crumbs or crumbled sponge cake
nip of whisky or rum
60 g cherries, chopped
1/3 c raisins
250 g dark chocolate, melted for icing

Method:

1. Heat butter, sugar, milk and syrup over a low-medium heat.
2. Add drinking chocolate, cocoa and 1/2 biscuits and mix.
3. Add remaining ingredients and mix.
4. Press into 20cm sandwich tin or flan dish.
5. Melt chocolate in a bowl over boiling water.
6. Spread melted chocolate over slice to ice.
7. Allow to set.
8. Cut with a sharp hot knife.
9. Store in the fridge in a sealed container.

Makes about 30 small pieces.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is best made with chocolate chopped up roughly. The mixture is very soft; chilling it slightly before shaping makes it easier to work with.

Ingredients:
250g butter
1/2 c sugar
3 T sweetened condensed milk
1 - 2 drops vanilla essence
2 1/4 c plain flour
2 t baking powder
250 g Energy chocolate, hand chopped into chunks, not too small

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius.
2. Beat together butter and sugar until creamy.
3. Beat in the condensed milk and vanilla essence.
4. Stir in dry ingredients and chopped chocolate.
5. Chill.
6. Roll into large walnut-sized balls.
7. Place on cold, greased oven trays, allowing some room to flatten.
8. Flatten with the palm of your hand.
9. Bake at 170 degrees celsius for 15 - 20 minutes until lightly golden.
10. Cool, then remove from trays and store in an airtight container.

Makes about 30 biscuits.