SIX MINUTE PERFECT BOILED EGG

My mum has taught me how to cook perfect eggs, now this you might think is easy peasy, sure cooking a egg is but to cook the perfect egg to order is not as easy as you might think.  

To cook the perfect runny egg where the white is just set and the yolk really runny or to have a soft boiled egg where the yolk is still soft, thick and gooey, (often confused with a hard boiled egg) and then there is the hard boiled egg where the yolk is set but still soft and squidgy without the grey/blue ring around the yolk, that colour ring means the egg was cooked too long and it makes for a rubbery squeaky when eaten egg. 

Mollet Eggs

This is my favourite way to eat eggs, I love the white to be just set and the yolks to be soft thick and gooey, not runny runny, but the yolk will have just wanted to start to set and will very slowly run like thick honey, perfect.

The All Important Method

This is the key to success every time, my mum says I have to follow the instructions like a military operation and five seconds over time will make the difference between the yolk setting that little bit more making all the difference between a runny or soft boiled egg!  You know the ones where your soldiers go in and come out clean!

The Perfect Mollet Egg

Bring a small but deep saucepan of water to a simmering boil, add your room temperature eggs and immediately set the timer for 6 minutes, if your eggs are large the add a further 20 seconds.  Leave to simmer and now this is the important bit, as soon as that timer goes off you have to take the pan immediately to the sink drain off the hot water and place the saucepan under the running cold water tap, leave the saucepan in the sink and allow the cold water to run in and over the top of the saucepan for a further 10 seconds, then turn off the tap and leave the eggs in the cold water for another 20 seconds, it is these seconds that make the difference between a more fluid yolk or a further slightly set yolk, you can adjust this to your own likin.  

Sometimes I do not leave the eggs for the further 20 seconds in the cold water and this just stops the setting a little bit more and gives me a thick yolk sauce without a hint of setting.  A perfect solider dipping egg as this yolk coats the solider so thick it is rich and divine.

My 1st Cream Legbars egg, this is sooooo exciting...

This is my Great Grandad's egg cup that my Grandma also used to eat her eggs in growing up and then my mum had her eggs in this egg cup throughout her childhood and now it is mine, that is FOUR generations, and I think how amazing that I have two pet pigs and this is a pig egg cup !!!

CHOCOLATE HOT FUDGE BROWNIE SUNDAE

This is one of those puddings that my dad loves and always moans that he has eaten too much every time he has this!  Home made double chocolate brownies layered with home made double chocolate fudge sauce, layered with chocolate brownie and fudge ice cream with a handful of chopped nuts and finished off with thick whipped double cream...

Ingredients

Chocolate fudge brownie ice cream

2 tbsp chopped walnuts

2 tbsp chopped hazelnuts

200ml double cream whipped

The Brownie

2 egg

225g caster sugar

85g butter

70% coco powder

self raising flour

The Hot Fudge Sauce

150g 70% chocolate

1 tbsp golden syrup

250ml double cream

I got mum to Pre heat the oven 170 degrees, meanwhile mum placed the butter in a saucepan on a low heat to melt, in a large bowl I helped beat the eggs and sugar together, mum finished off beating to a light and fluffy consistency.  Next I asked mum to add the coco powder to the melted butter and stir in well, I got mum to add this to the egg and sugar mix, stir in well and then to fold in the flour.  This brownie mix is now ready for a greased lined baking tin.  Cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes.  I got mum to leave to cooked brownies in the tin while they cooled and then cut them into 8 portions.

Next I got mum to heat the cream on a medium heat and to add the chocolate and golden syrup then remove from the heat and stir until you have a wonderful hot chocolate fudge sauce.

Now to assemble, take a tall glass and swirl 2 tbps of hot chocolate sauce around the inside of the glass, sprinkle in a few chopped nuts, then take one brownie and tear off chunks add half to the glass, top with a scoop of ice cream, a dollop of cream and tsp of chocolate sauce, repeat again and again and finish off with lots of whipped cream on the top, I also decided to ask mum to grated some chocolate over the cream, enjoy.

RICH RICE CUSTARD PUDDING

I made this for my dad as he loves all puddings, I got mum to read an article about the best ever rice pudding on line and then we went to dad and asked him which of the three recipes he would like, of course dad choose the richest creamiest rice pudding recipe.

Ingredients

(makes enough for two, except my dad says one)!

5 egg yolks

250ml double cream

250ml milk

90g sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

90g pudding rice

First I got mum to put the egg yolks, vanilla paste and sugar in a large jug and then let me whisk them together, I did as much as I could do and then enlisted my dad's muscles to finish whipping the yolks to a light fluffy mixture. 

My dad finishing my whisking for me...

Meanwhile wash the rice several times, then I got mum to put the rice, milk and cream in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer for approx twenty minutes, by this time the rice should be soft and cooked.  Next I had to enlist the help of dad as mum had to go to the farm, so dad took two ladles of the hot rice milk and added to the egg yolk mix, whisked to a smooth paste and then added the rest of the rice milk, mixed it well and returned it all to the pan, this following the instructions I told dad to cook gently for two minutes and then the rice pudding is ready.

While me and mum were doing our research we learnt that this recipe does not give you that old fashioned school baked on skin, Yuuukkk!!!!!  My dad loves skin on rice pudding and custard!!!  So next time I am going to make him a old fashioned oven baked rice pudding.

TOAD IN THE HOLE

This is one of my favourite cooks for when my teenage mates come over for a chill out in my teenage den, it is simple and a one pan cook which leaves me more time with my mates.  I like to serve this with buttery mashed potato, peas and onion gravy.

Cooking Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

(serves 4)

Toad In The Hole

8-12 sausages

200g plain flour

200g beaten eggs

200g full cream milk

Pinch of sea salt

Pinch white pepper

50ml olive oil

4ptn buttery mashed potatoes 

4ptn peas

Onion Gravy 

1 lrg onion sliced

10ml olive oil

1 tbsp sugar

500ml boiling water

2tbsp cornflour

3tbsp water

Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees C.  To make the batter I started to whisk the eggs into the flour, I got mum to whisk the mixture to a smooth paste and then asked mum to pour in the milk while I whisked until I had a thick smooth batter, I then seasoned with the salt and pepper.  This I left to rest on the side while I put the sausages in a oiled roasting tin and ordered mum to put the roasting tin in the oven to start cooking the sausages for 20 minutes, next I start to make the onion gravy while the sausages are cooking.

I placed the olive oil and onions in a frying pan and cooked with mum until they were soft around 20 minutes then I added the sugar and water, once the gravy was simmering I mixed the cornflour with the water and mum added this to the gravy to thicken, I seasoned the pan and that's the gravy made,.

Next the sausages, these were now half way cooked so I got mum to take the roasting tin out of the oven and I asked mum to pour in the batter around the sausages, this is needed to be done as fast as possible so I enjoyed giving mum the hurry up stick!  I also pointed out to mum that if the batter did not rise it would be down to something she did not me !!!

The batter will take a further 20 minutes to cook, in this time you must not open the oven door at all or the batter will flop!  When the cooking time is up, I asked mum to serve with the mashed potatoes, peas and my onion gravy this is my friends favourite dinner next to my wood fired pizzas.

POPPERS

A family favourite treat, the trouble with these is after you've eaten one suddenly 10 more have passed your lips!  I was able to be more hands on with the making of these which I really enjoyed.

I got mum to set me up with the base ingredients, I had fresh whole jalapenos sliced in half and the seeds removed and placed in a bowl, then I got mum to mix sharp cream cheese in with the seeds and spoon this mixture generously in to the jalapenos.  Next I had three glass bowls set up with beaten egg, corn flour and breadcrumbs, this is my dipping station.

In order to get a good coating that insulates the cheese so it does not melt when I cook them, you need to toss the jalapenos in the egg first so that the flour will stick, then back in to the egg so that the breadcrumbs will stick.

Mum asked for a smile but I gave her my oh so cheeky face, I found the egg mix my least favourtie in the dipping station, but I was very pleased with myself for making each stage.

Ingredients

10 fresh jalapenos halved de-seeded

500g philly cream cheese

2 eggs beaten

200g corn flour

300g panko breadcrumbs

1 ltr ground nut oil for frying

To cook these lovely poppers mum says, as this bit I am not allowed to do!, heat the nut oil to 180 degrees C and fry in small batches until crispy and light golden brown, drain on paper roll and these are best served fresh and warm.

ONION BHAJIS WITH A CHILLI KICK

My first recipe for my blog is these great spicy fragrant onion bhajis that I wanted to make for dad and as the new kitchen Executive Chef 'O' in the house I have instructed my new Comis Cook (mum)! to follow my instructions.

Ingredients

(makes 12)

2 Spanish onions

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp sea salt 

1/2 tsp white pepper

4 tbsp coriander

2 habaneros chopped

200g gram flour (chickpea)

100ml water

1ltr ground nut oil for frying

Cool Mint Yogurt Dip

Just mix all ingredients together

200ml goat or sheeps yogurt

30 mint leaves finely chopped

1/4 tsp honey

I first got mum to slice the onions thinly and place in a large bowl, then asked mum to add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl except the water.  I needed to smell the curry powders as we had a few to choose from and I choose a mild madras curry powder as I wanted to zing these bhajis up with the wonderful habanero chilli, I love this chilli, I have never eaten it, I'm not that brave! but I love the fresh sweet peachy smell and it was that flavour I wanted to add in to these bhajis along with a hot kick that dad will love.

Next I had a go at mixing the onions together then I got mum to keep mixing the onions by hand squeezing all the ingredients together, this is because I learnt that the salt in the mix will encourage the onions to release their water, this will start to make the batter with the gram flour, so we will need less water in the batter making a better bhajis and ensuring a even mix where no gram flour gets left dry, next I got mum to start adding the water stirring in until I was happy with a thick batter consistency, these are now ready to cook.  I choose to deep fry as they taste better fried, but you can oven bake for 30 minutes.

This mum did, heated a deep pan of oil to 180 degrees C, and dropped in large spoonfuls of the onion batter, cook for 3 minutes each side turning once, remove from the oil and drain on paper, serve warm with a cool yogurt and fresh mint dip, that's for the chilli kick!