Wednesday 5 May 2010

Rich Chocolate Self-saucing Pudding

Serves: 8

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 2 hours, using high and low



Ingredients

3 cups self-raising flour

1/4 cup cocoa

100 grams butter, chilled and diced

1 cup sugar

2 cups milk

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla essence



Chocolate sauce

3 1/2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup dark rum or coffee liqueur

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa
Method
Turn the slow cooker on to low to pre-warm while gathering and preparing the ingredients.

Sift the flour and cocoa into a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre.

Beat the milk, eggs and vanilla essence together and mix into the dry ingredients using a holed spoon to form a stiff batter.

Into the pre-warmed slow cooker, put the boiling water, rum or coffee liqueur, sugar and cocoa and stir to dissolve the cocoa.

Carefully spoon the batter evenly into the slow cooker and cover with the lid.

Cook on high for 1 hour then turn to low for a further 1 hour.

Serve hot with ice cream and cream.



Allyson's tip

The alcohol will have cooked out of the rum or liqueur, however, use only water for an alcohol-free recipe.

Tuesday 4 May 2010

Vegetables in Coconut Curry Sauce

Serves: 6

Time: 20 mins

Cost: $10
Ingredients



4 tbsp peanut oil


1/2 cup raw cashew nuts

2 large red onion cut into think wedges

1 large carrot cut julienne

2 stalks celery - cut into thick slices

1 green pepper; 1 red pepper cut into small squares

4 cloves garlic - finely sliced

1 heaped tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

Small tin pineapple pieces - drained

1 cup green beans

1 1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp brown sugar



Method

Into a large heavy based pan, add a little oil and pan fry cashew nuts. Set aside.

Heat in the same pan, 2 tbsp oil then sauté, onion, carrots celery and capsicums. Stir fry until almost cooked, yet still firm. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Heat a little more oil and sauté garlic, ginger and curry powered until aromatic - about 30 seconds.

Mix in pineapple, beans and stir to coat with spices.

Return vegetables and nuts to pan along with coconut milk, water, salt and sugar and simmer gently uncovered for around 10 minutes.

If mixture becomes too thick - just add a little of the pineapple juice.