Nutella and Walnut Sweet Rolls with Cappuccino Glaze

Today I made Nutella and Walnut Sweet Rolls with Cappuccino Glaze

I've been in love with a lot of different foods in my life, but nothing surpasses the decadence of these Nutella and Walnut Rolls. The Dough gets slathered with a generous helping of Chocolatey Nutella goodness, then sprinkled with toasted Walnuts before getting rolled up and baked to golden brown perfection. Be still my beating heart! These little treats are something that you have to share with friends and family for fear of eating the entire twelve.

The sweet Cappuccino glaze gets drizzled on while the rolls are still warm. Making its way through the doughy crevices, the glaze creates a caramelized crunch on its journey to the underbelly of the rolls, ensuring each roll is perfectly coated with the gooey glaze and each bite is just as sticky and delicious as the one before it. These little beauties are just perfect for breakfast, you're combining the "Cinnamon Roll-esque" style breakfast treat with, the best breakfast spread - Nutella and coffee - the main reason we get up out of bed in the morning. 

Ingredients:

(Makes 12) 

For The Rolls

• 350g All Purpose Flour
• 3 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
• 7g Dried Yeast
• 60mls Milk
• 120mls Water
• 40g Butter
• 1 Large Egg

For The Filling:

• 60g Unsalted Butter - softened to room temperature
• 250g Nutella
• 80g Chopped Walnuts
• 100g Granulated Sugar

For The Glaze:

• 150g Icing Sugar
• 1 Sachet Instant Cappuccino 
• 6 Tablespoons Milk

Instructions:

1. Sift the Flour into a large bowl. Add in the sugar and yeast and mix until evenly dispersed. Set Aside while you prepare the wet ingredients.

2. Heat the water, milk and butter together in the microwave until the butter is melted, it normally takes me 40-50 seconds. Add the Egg. Then stir the butter mixtures into the flour mixtures  and bring together with your fingers until it forms a soft dough.

3. The dough is ready when it gently pulls away from the side of the bowl and starts to feel smooth and springy. 

4. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 4-5 minutes. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and leave to rest for 10 minutes. I do all my dough proofing in my dryer - In case you don't know about my weird little secret way of proving dough. I normally put on the dryer while I make the dough when the dough is ready I turn off the dryer and place the bowl into the dryer with a damp clean tea towel or cling film over it - This gives perfect proving conditions.

5. After an hour the dough will have over doubled in size. Remove from the dryer and knock back the dough- knock the air out it. Tip onto a floured surface.

6. Knead the dough for a further 6-8 until the dough becomes elastic and smooth. You're preparing the dough to be rolled out.

7. Roll the dough out into a 14x8 inch rectangle. Slightly melt the Nutella - You can do this by placing the jar into a bowl of boiling water for 30 seconds. 

8. Once the dough is rolled out you can drizzle the Nutella on using a Large spoon. Make sure to be very generous with the Nutella.

9. Using the back of the spoon spread the Nutella to all the edges of the rectangle. Then sprinkle the Nutella with chopped Walnuts.

10. Sprinkle with the Granulated Sugar. Starting from one side roll the dough into a tight log, 

11. Using a sharp knife cut into 12 even pieces. Using your palms shape each slice slightly into a round shape. 

12. I cook these Rolls in my cupcake tin so they can be baked individually. Lightly oil a cupcake tin, place one of the rolls into each hole. Place cupcake tin back into the warm dryer for a futher 20-25 minutes to allow the rolls to rise one more time. 

13. Mine nearly doubled in size, completely filling each cupcake hole. Sprinkle the top of each with a pinch of Granulated Sugar. Place into a preheated oven at 190C for 12-15.

13. To make the Glaze, Sift the Icing Sugar into a small bowl, add in the Cappuccino mixture and the milk and whisk with fork til frothy. Pour a copious amount over your roll of choice and dig in.

"Coffee makes it possible to get out of bed, but chocolate makes it worthwhile."

Chickendales

Today I made Chili, Lime and Parmesan Chicken Strippers 

Everybody seems to love Chicken Strippers, from young to old and every age in between. From Chicken Nuggets for the kids all the way to Chicken Strippers for the adults.They seem to be a staple on most bar and restaurant menus along with being a huge feature in fast food joints along with the new addition to most pizzerias. Yet it's very rare that I come across Chicken Goujons that actually taste how I want them to taste. They're either too dry, really soggy, chewy to the point where you question if you're actually eating Chicken or just have no flavour. These Chicken Strippers are Crunchy and Crispy on the outside with Juicy, Succulent Chicken on the inside. 

The flavours in these Chicken Strippers live up to the real Chippendale's. They'r hot and spicy, zesty and fresh and just a little but cheesy but they make it work. For an extra crunch I use crispy Bread Rolls to make the Breadcrumb coating instead of regular Bread as using regular bread can sometimes be too soft and fine. The Red Chilli adds a little spice to the Strippers , I remove the seeds and cut up the flesh very fine so the heat kick is very subtle. You don't get it straight away but after a few seconds you get that lovely warm feeling. The lime zest adds a freshness to Strippers and the Parmesan adds a dept of cheesy flavour that's incomparable

Ingredients:

(Serves 4-6 ) 

• 4 Chicken Fillets
• 2 Large Eggs
• 2 Demi Baguette
• 80g Flour
• Sea Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper
• 1 Medium Red Chilli
• 1 Large Lime
• 60g Parmesan 
• Chili Sauce - To serve
• Mixed Leaves - To serve

Instructions:

1. Slice Chicken Fillets into long strips, season and set aside.

2. Place Demi Baguettes into a Food Processor and blitz until you reach the Breadcrumbs stage, leave with a little texture - not too fine.

3. Cut the top off the Chilli and remove the seeds. Slice length ways into stick then again so the Chili is cut very fine. Zest the lime.

4. Place the Breadcrumbs into a large dish. Add in the finely diced Red Chilli and and the Lime Zest and mix through. Then add in the dried Parmesan. 

5. Set out three dishes. In the first place the flour and season with the Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper. In the second, crack and whisk the 2 large Eggs add it a squeeze of Lime Juice. The third contains your Chili, Lime and Parmesan Coating.

6. Take each Chicken Strip and coat in the Seasoned Flour. Toss around so each is fully covered. I normally do this step one Strip at a time.

7. From the Flour you dip your Chicken Strip into the beaten Egg and then into the Chili, Lime and Parmesan Coating.

8. Heat Olive Oil in a Pan until it reaches 190-200C. Place 3-4 Chicken Strippers into the pan at a time to monitor cooking. Cook until golden brown. Place onto some Kitchen Paper to soak any additional Olive Oil - Because you are cooking at such a high temperature the Chicken Strippers don't take on much Oil.

9. Serve Chicken Strippers with a mixed Salad, a portion of Sweet Chilli Sauce and a wedge of Lime.

"They're Finger Lickin' Good"

Bacon, Sweetcorn and Mozzarella

Today I made Bacon, Sweetcorn and Mozzarella Scones 


For years I only ever made sweet scones until one day I wanted to make scone but I had no sweet add-ins in the cupboard so I had to look to the fridge. Where I found an array of savory possibilities, three that stood out being  Bacon, Cheese and Sweetcorn. Images of some kind of Pizza/Scone hybrid flashed into my mind. It's from there I started to experiment with creating this savory scone I had imagined. My first batch of these scone used Cheddar Cheese which gave a nice flavour bout I found the texture of the scone were slightly off as when the Cheese melted it didn't set back so the scones were cooled they tasted almost under cooked as the inside was very soft.


The next batch I made I used Grated Mozzarella which gave a much better texture to the scone while also giving a great taste and brought me one step closer to getting that Pizza-y feel. I also tried these Scones with Pepperoni but they didn't crisp up as well as the streaky bacon. The crispy bacon acts as a lovely contrast to the creaminess of the Cheese and sweetness of the Sweetcorn as well as adding great colour contrast to the scones. You can also add in sun-dried tomatoes or slow roasted peppers to add in an extra colour and the sun-dried tomatoes cook down to create almost an sauce within the scone. 

Ingredients:

(Makes 8-10)

• 225g Self-raising Flour - Plus extra for dusting
• 75g Butter - Chilled and cut into cubes
• 120mls Milk
• 100g Streaky Bacon cubes
• 100g Grated Mozzerella
• 80g Sweetcorn
• 8-10 Teaspoons of Onion Chutney
• 1 Egg - Whisked

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the Streaky Bacon till cooked and just starting to crisp.

2. Tip out onto kitchen paper to allow them to cool and drain off any excess fat.

3. Sieve the Flour into a large bowl and add in the cubes of Butter. Rub the Butter between your fingertips into the flour until your mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

4. Add in the Bacon, Cheese and Sweetcorn and mix through to evenly disperse the add-ins. 

5. Gradually add in the milk and mix until you have a soft dough.

6. Turn out onto a floured work surface and lightly knead until the dough comes together. Press down with your hands until you reach a thickness of around 2.5cm. Using a 4cm pastry cutter cut into scones.

7. Re-work the trimmings to make the remainder of the scones. Place scone onto prepared tray and brush some beaten egg on top of each scone.

8. Bake in the top of the oven for 12 minutes until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

9. To serve, allow to cool slightly then half the scones and place a Teaspoon of Onion Chutney on each scone. 

“Humor keeps us alive. Humor and food. Don't forget food. You can go a week without laughing.”

Souper Foods

Today I made Superfood Soup

Over the last number of years I've done a lot of research into "Superfoods". I try to include as many of these Superfoods into my recipes as possible. The main ingredient in today's recipe is Broccoli. Broccoli is a nutrient packed vegetable containing many vitamins, minerals, trace element, fiber, calcium and antioxidants that all play an important role in keeping the body healthy. It's a powerful anti-carcinogen, since it stimulates the body to produce its own cancer-fighting substances. But Broccoli doesn't stop there, it can also help prevent cataracts, heart disease, arthritis, ulcers and viruses. Garlic is used to give this soup a punch of flavour. Garlic is more powerful than penicillin in it's potency while promoting the immune system.

Another Super ingredient in this soup is Curly Kale. Curly Kale is packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and Phytochemicals, it contains move calcium per 100g than milk, yogurt, broccoli or spinach. It has been known to cause cell repair, meaning it has cancer fighting properties. It has also been linked to reduction of cholesterol and a decrease in the absorption of fat in your diet. Leeks are another important ingredient in this soup. Leeks are an excellent source of Vitamin C, Vitaman E and some B Vitamins including Folate. They also contain properties that support the immune system and lower cholesterol. All these ingredients produce a tasty soup that will fight to keep you healthy.

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)   

For the Soup:

• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 1 Large Onion
• 1 Leek
• 1 Head of Broccoli
• Large bunch of Curly Kale
• Tablespoon of Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 500g Vegetable Stock
• 80g Cheddar Cheese

For the Croutons:

• 1 Slice of gluten free bread
• 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
• Pinch of Sea Salt

Instructions:

1. Crush the two clove of Garlic. Finely slice the Large Onion. Cut up the Broccoli into small florets, finely dice the Leek and roughly chop the Curly Kale. 

2. Drizzle the Olive Oil into a large pan. Fry the Garlic and Onion till softened. Add a splash of the Vegetable Stock to prevent the onions from colouring. 

3. Add in the Broccoli, Leek and Curly Kale. Stir around and allow to fry for 3-4 minutes. Add in all but 100mls of Stock in to the vegetables and stir.

4. Cook until all vegetables are soft. Blitz with a hand blender until fully blended or place into a smoothie maker to blend. 

5. Add in any extra stock that may be needed until you reach your desired consistency. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.

6. Cut up your slice of bread into small cubes. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add in the cubes of bread. Fry till golden brown and sprinkle with the Sea Salt.

 7. Take up a portion into a large Soup Bowl, Sprinkle a pinch of Cheddar Cheese in the center of each bowl and top with three of four crispy croutons.

"Soup-er Foods"