The addition of molasses and using brown sugar gives these biscuits a rich caramel flavour and darker colour.
The dough can also be rolled into a log and frozen for later use.
Who can enter:
How to enter:
General:
Vanessa and Ingrid Opera are the sisters behind kiwi food blog, FoodOpera. They are usually cooking off against each other each week but this Wednesday night they will appear with Mike Van de Elzen (The Food Truck) in his new series Family Recipes. They teach Mike how to cook their Dad’s ‘famous in their family’ pasta sauce, and then they head to his restaurant to be taught Mike’s version. The whole family take part in a blind taste testing of both sauces. To read and see more about their experience check out the behind the scenes.
FAMILY RECIPES | Wednesday | September 11 | TV ONE | 8P.M
What you need
2 cups of flour
2 cups of brown sugar
1 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup black coffee
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
250g chocolate buttons
2 chocolate flake bars
Preheat oven to 180°C. Mix ingredients together, except chocolate buttons, until smooth. Stir in buttons. Pour into a greased 20cm cake tin and bake for approx 45mins. Test with skewer, cake is ready when it is clean. When cooled dust with cocoa powder and crumble with chocolate flake bars
This weeks quiz is general food and drink with no particular theme.
Test your food trivia knowledge! Continue reading
Nici Wickes
Wine match: Selaks Reserve Hawkes Bay Chardonnay
By wrapping salmon fillets in baking paper before roasting them, you ensure that the fish is moist and flavoursome when cooked. The combination of salmon with the sweet-tart flavour of currants, the creaminess of pine nuts and a hit of lemon zest is truly delicious.
YOU WILL NEED:
4 x 200g salmon fillets, skin on or off, bones removed
4 Tbs currants
4 Tbs pine nuts
Zest of one lemon
2 Tbs fresh parsley, finely chopped
Olive oil for drizzling
Sea salt
Hollandaise sauce made in the blender is quick and easy, the only draw back is that generally you do need to make quite a bit as you need 2 egg yolks as your base to create enough movement in the blender – make sense?
Make sure your egg yolks are at room temperature and often I wash the blender in hot water first to make sure that is warm as well.
Hollandaise doesn’t keep well but you can pour it into a bowl, cover it and sit over a saucepan of just hot (not simmering or boiling) water until you need it.
Over the last month I had the opportunity to cook (in front of a camera) in the most fabulous kitchen that has now left me with serious kitchen envy. We were shooting some new videos for foodlovers tv – watch this space, they will be popping up over the next few months with the first one being this standing rib roast of beef.
The kitchen has enough bench space to host a party and the appliances are all the latest releases from the F&P stable.
The double door French style fridge that makes, water, ice, instantly chills wine etc… has been on my wish list for some years but now the New Generation 2 oven has joined it. Cooking functions include removing steam from the oven (great for pavs and meringues) and also a roast function, where steam is added, ensuring beautiful moist meat.
There are many more functions of course such as self clean and the fact that they are black sleek glass that aesthetically blends in with the rest of the F&P family.
Onto cooking, spring is here and it is so exciting to see asparagus appearing in stores and my broad beans going from strength to strength in the garden.
My strawberries are all in fruit (despite the fact that I broke the rules and didn’t pull them up at the end of last season).
The mint that takes over in summer and disappears in winter is adding a lovely burst of freshness to many dishes and gradually the rest of the herb garden is waking up.
This spring my recipes are using a lot more mint, it is one of those herbs that is easy to look over yet it is indispensible in raw energy salad, courgete fritters,
The whitebait season has opened and I look forward to fat puffy patties sandwiched in Artisan white bread with a spread of good butter and a squeeze of lemon.
The highlight though of spring must belong to asparagus, I am sure I am not alone in my pacing of the greengrocer store, waiting for the price to become realistic so we can start throwing asparagus into just about everything. This pizza of asparagus, lemon, courgette and goats’ cheese is probably a month away from being the right price but I made it anyway – in the name of photography and recipe testing!
Another new favourite for this spring is asparagus, broad bean and farro risotto. Farro is such an interesting grain that gives great texture and flavour to risottos, salads and soups. The broad beans are not quite out of my garden yet but in a month or so I will be feeling very virtuous with lovely pods of spray free fresh beans,
And for something a little more decadent then asparagus with bacon and hollandaise sauce is a delicious brunch treat.
Of course it is not all just about vegetables and this spring for me is going to be more fabulously well slow roasted legs of lamb and of the standing rib roast of beef. Arm yourself with meat thermometer for the beef, follow our video instructions and make sure your cook your lamb long and slow. It always surprises me how complicated some people can try and make a roasted leg of lamb, I don’t brown or do anything special yet it comes out perfect time after time.
While the strawberries are not yet in huge supply, lemons are everywhere, so for now my dessert pick is an elegant slice of lemon tart.
I leave you now to go and measure up my kitchen to check the possibility of housing a F&P refrigerator drawer that has settings for everything. It can chill enough to keep frozen solid, look after meat or be mild enough to keep those summer strawberries looking perfect – love it!
See our exciting new prize on offer from F&P here – anyone need a new fridge?
This week’s quiz is all sweet. From music to temperatures, how well do you know your sugar?
Last week we filmed some new videos for foodlovers TV so are now waiting to see how they turn out. Lance the Butcher put his skills to good use and I had fun cooking in a gorgeous Fisher and Paykel Kitchen. There were definitely some blooper moments such as the pavlova that collapsed as soon as I started to spoon cream over it! Thank goodness for back ups!
This week is all about Dads with Father’s Day this Sunday.
I am still planning what we will cook for Ed, what is on the menu at your place?
Happy Cooking!