Chocolate Profiteroles

In another BritMums challenge, this time in conjunction with Anchor, I have been asked to cook a family recipe that includes butter or cream. I've decided to make a family favourite, Chocolate Profiteroles, that my Mum usually makes when we all get together as it's my brother's all-time favourite dessert. The chocolate sauce recipe is one that my Mum has been making for years, taken from a very old M&S freezer cook book. It makes a good quantity of sauce but if there's too much it can be kept in the fridge and eaten with ice cream, or frozen for use at a later date.

Profiteroles are something that look pretty impressive but are actually a lot easier to make than they look. Choux pastry is possibly one of the easiest pastries to make and it can be used to make profiteroles or choux buns / eclairs.

Chocolate Profiteroles

140g Butter
300ml Water
200g Plain Flour
4 Eggs

Filling
600ml Double Cream
3 tsp Cocoa Powder (optional)

Chocolate Sauce
100g Caster Sugar
100g Soft Brown Sugar
75g Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 tsp Cornflour
300ml Milk
50g Dark Chocolate
25g Butter

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (C)
• Place the butter and water into a saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted, bring to the boil.



• Remove from heat and stir the flour quickly in and beat well until the mixture leaves the sides of the saucepan and forms a ball
• Leave to cool slightly then gradually beat in the eggs
• Spoon into a piping bad with a plain nozzle and pipe balls onto a greased baking sheet, spaced well apart
• Bake for 20 minutes until crisp & golden
• Make a slit in the side of each, and pop back in the oven for 2-3 minutes
• Remove from oven & cool on a wire rack
• Whip the cream with the cocoa powder (optional) until thick
• Pipe or spoon the cream into the cooled choux buns
• Add the caster sugar, soft brown sugar, cocoa powder & vanilla to a pan
• Mix the cornflour to a paste with a little of the milk and add to the pan with the remaining milk
• Heat gently and bring to the boil, strirring well
• Increase the heat and boil briskly with no stirring for 2 minutes
• Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and chocolate - allow to cool slightly before pouring over the cream filled buns

the proof, they say, is in the pudding ...and finally I think we've found a dessert that this little one approves of..

Chocolate Crunchy Honeycomb

In the second part of my Whitworths Baking Challenge I have picked one of Whitworths own recipes to try out for myself. I've never made honeycomb before so I thought I would give it a go with the intention of making more towards Christmas to give to friends and family as gifts, if it turned out ok.

Crunchy Honeycomb

200g Whitworths For Baking Fine Caster Sugar
4 tbsp Golden Syrup
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• Generously oil a 30cm x 10cm baking tray
• Gently heat the Caster Sugar, syrup, vinegar and vanilla in a saucepan, stirring to combine
• Allow to dissolve completely and simmer for approx 3 minutes, until it's the colour of Maple Syrup*
• Add the bicarbonate of soda and carefully whisk (it will be very very hot) until fully combined
• Carefully pour the bubbling mixture into the prepared tin
• Leave to set
• When cool, break into pieces and serve
• The honeycomb can be stored for a couple of days in an airtight container

*Note: this was my second attempt, the first turned out like toffee as I was rushing and didn't dissolve the sugar fully before simmering.

We crumbled some of the honeycomb over ice cream

and then drizzled melted chocolate over the rest

You can find more of Whitworths delicious recipes here.

I'm working with Whitworths Sugar, whose site includes ideas and recipes for baking with sugar. Follow the conversation on Twitter with the #bakingSOS hashtag and @WhitworthsSugar

Christmas Pudding Cupcakes with Rum Butter Frosting

I've been sent a lovely bag full of Whitworths sugars to take part in their Baking Challenge. The new range of sugars consists of six high quality baking sugars - fine caster, superfine icing, fine demerara, crunchy demerara, light soft brown and dark soft brown sugar, all in sturdy re-sealable packs. There is also a Twist & Sprinkle icing sugar duster with built in sieve for adding the final touch.

The first part of my challenge is to bake a recipe of my own using sugar - considering most of my recipes are cakes and desserts I had quite a selection to choose from. I've decided to adapt a cupcake recipe that I recently used and make it a little more festive, what with that 'C' word just around the corner! It's a very moist cake, very much like a carrot cake....and full of juicy plump dried fruit.

Christmas Pudding Cupcakes with Rum Butter Frosting

1 large cooking apple, grated (approx 200g of grated apple)
3 tbsp Dark Rum
150g Whitworths dark soft brown sugar
150ml Sunflower oil
3 Eggs
grated zest of 1 orange
grated zest of 1 lemon
50g Dried cherries
50g Sultanas
50g Raisins
150g Self Raising Flour
50g Ground Almonds
1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp Mixed spice
1 tsp Cinnamon

Frosting
130g Butter, softened
220g Whitworths superfine icing Sugar
3 tbsp Dark Rum
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
pinch of mixed spice

• Preheat the oven to 180º C
• Line a 12 hole muffin pan with muffin cases
• Mix the apple, rum, dark brown sugar, oil, eggs, zests, cherries, sultanas and raisins together until well combined.
• Mix the flour, almonds, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice and cinnamon together and stir into the wet ingredients, mix well.
• Spoon into the muffin cases
• Bake for approx 20 minutes, until spongy to touch
• Turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool
• Beat the butter, half the icing sugar, rum, cinnamon, vanilla and mixed spice together until pale, smooth and creamy
• Add the rest of the icing sugar and beat again until smooth
• Pipe onto the cupcakes and finish off with a sprinkling of cinnamon

I'm working with Whitworths Sugar, whose site includes ideas and recipes for baking with sugar. Follow the conversation on Twitter with the #bakingSOS hashtag and @WhitworthsSugar

Chocolate Banoffee Pie

Foodies 100 have set a blogging challenge for us foodies to get baking with Fairtrade ingredients. 

Why bake with Fairtrade you may ask?

Baking with Fairtrade ingredients is an easy way for everyone to make a difference to millions of people who desperately need a better deal from trade. Without a fair price for the crops they grow many farmers struggle to support their families. Fairtrade offers farmers and workers the safety net of a fair price today and a little extra to invest in projects which benefit the whole community, such as clean water, education and health care.

You can join in with the Fairtrade 'Take a Step' campaign by registering your step, which can be anything from switching your regular teabags to Fairtrade or holding an event - you can find out more here.

You can also get involved in The Big Fair Bake from 24th September to 7th October and even be in with a chance of winning a Kitchen Aid, by buying and baking with Fairtrade ingredients and sharing who you're baking for.

I've being doing my bit by buying Fairtrade ingredients to make a family dessert that will probably last most of the week!

Chocolate Banoffee Pie
Base
200g Digestive biscuits
20g Cadbury Fairtrade Bournville Cocoa
70g Butter, melted

Filling
397g Can of Condensed Milk
100g Billingtons Fairtrade Light Brown Sugar
100g Butter
150g Tesco Finest Fairtrade Organic Peruvian 70% Chocolate
2 Fairtrade Bananas
300ml Double Cream

To Decorate
Chocolate shavings or cocoa powder

• Crush the biscuits finely and stir in the cocoa powder
• Add the melted butter and mix together until combined
• Press the mixture into the base and halfway up the sides of a loose bottomed flan tin
• Refrigerate for an hour
• Gently bring the condensed milk, sugar and butter to the boil in a pan, stirring all the time with a balloon whisk
• Remove from the heat and add the chocolate and stir until melted
• Pour over the base and spread evenly
• Refrigerate until cool
• Slice the bananas thinly and lay evenly over the chocolate layer
• Whip the cream and spread over the bananas and decorate with chocolate shavings or dust with cocoa powder

Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Everywhere I look this week there are cupcakes and cupcake recipes - something to do with it being National Cupcake Week no doubt. Well, without further ado, here is my contribution to the celebrations.

Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

3 Small Bananas, mashed

150ml Vegetable Oil

3 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

150g Caster Sugar

150g Self Raising Flour

1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
2 tsp Cinnamon
pinch of mixed spice
150g Juicy Raisins

For the Cream Cheese Frosting
60g Butter, softened
200g Cream Cheese
400g Icing Sugar
1-2 tsp Cinnamon

• Line a 12 hole muffin pan with cases
• Beat the mashed bananas, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla together
• Stir in the sugar until combined
• Sift in the flour, bicarb. of soda and spices and mix well
• Add the raisins and stir until combined
• Divide mixture between the muffin cases - depending on the size of the bananas you may have too much mixture for the 12 cases - I made 13, which of course means one for the cook!
• Bake in a preheated a 80 degree (C) oven for 20-25 minutes
• Allow to cool on a wire rack
• When cool make the icing
• Beat the butter together with half of the icing sugar, add the cream cheese & beat well
• Add the rest of the icing sugar and cinnamon and beat again until smooth
• Decorate cakes as desired - this makes more than enough icing to decorate these cakes so you might have to make some more cakes!

These cakes were adapted from a recipe that I've previously posted for Butternut Squash cake and the icing came from the fabulous Pink Whisk.

Slow Cooker Steamed Fig Pudding

As figs are in season and so cheap at the moment I decided to buy some more and try them in a cake, well a steamed pudding actually. I used the Summer Fruits pudding recipe I'd previously tried and adapted it slightly to produce this Autumn pudding that could also be a great alternative to a Christmas Pudding - yes I dared to mention the 'C' word!

Slow Cooker Steamed Fig Pudding

115g Stork Baking Liquid

115g Caster Sugar

2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

140g SR Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

2 tsp Mixed Spice

30g Dark Brown Sugar

4 Figs, chopped

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

• Beat the Stork, caster sugar,eggs & vanilla together
• Stir in the flour, baking powder and 1tsp of the mixed spice, until smooth
• Place the dark brown sugar, other tsp of mixed spice, chopped figs and cinnamon together
• Tip the figs into a greased heatproof bowl (one that fits into your slow cooker and large enough for the ingredients with room for rising)
• Pour the batter over the figs
• Cover the bowl with foil and place into the slow cooker
• Pour boiling water around the sides of the bowl until halfway up the sides of the bowl
• Cook on high for 2-3 hours until the cake is cooked through
• Turn out onto a plate and serve with ice cream, cream or custard

I'm linking this up to Working London Mummy's & How to Cook Good Food's One Ingredient Challenge, which for September is Figs.

and also Ren's Simple & in Season which is being hosted on Katie's blog

Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding

As part of my Morrisons M Savers challenge I've come up with a recipe of my own using only products from the M Savers range. I like making puddings and decided upon a Bread & Butter pudding but to ensure it was liked by the children I made it into a chocolate one.

Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding

10 Slices of M Savers white bread
50g M Savers Butter
200g M Savers Chocolate Spread
500ml M Savers Longlife Skimmed Milk
3 M Savers Eggs

• Generously butter the bread and then spread with 140g of the Chocolate Spread
• Cut each slice in half diagonally & lay the slices into a greased ovenproof bowl
• Heat 125ml of the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds and beat in the remaining 60g of Chocolate spread
• Add the rest of the milk and eggs and beat well.
• Pour this over the bread and leave to stand for 10 minutes
• Bake in a preheated 180 degree (C) oven for around 30 minutes until the chocolate custard has set

Serve with M Savers ready to serve tinned custard (17p) or M Savers vanilla ice cream (89p).

The cost of the ingredients used here was only £1.35 and would serve 6-8 people

It doesn't look that appealing but you can take the word of my husband and children that it definitely tasted good.

You can find out more about the M Savers range on the Morrisons website.

I was sent a voucher towards the cost of ingredients for my Challenge

Chocolate & Apricot Cornflake Clusters

I've been challenged by Morrisons to come up with a Frugal recipe using products from their M Savers range, but first myself and Jack rustled up some chocolatey treats using one of Morrisons own M Savers recipes.

Chocolate & Apricot Cornflake Clusters

50g M Savers Milk Chocolate
1 tbsp milk (room temp)
50g M Savers Cornflakes
70g M Savers Dried Apricots

• In a heatproof bowl over boiling water, melt the chocolate
• Add the milk once the chocolate has melted
• Stir in the Cornflakes and Apricots - I cut the apricots into quarters 
• Divide the mixture into 16 bite-sized clumps* onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
• Refrigerate until set.

* We doubled the mixture and made larger ones in cupcake cases

If you follow the recipe and make 16 bite-size clusters they work out at just 3p each, with a total cost of just 51p - what a bargain! The chocolate tasted as good as other milk chocolate and the apricots were lovely & moist and not chewy and dry like I was expecting them to be.

Jack took a shine to the cornflakes and helped himself to a small snack whilst he waited for the cornflake cakes to set.

You can find out more about the M Savers range on the Morrisons website.

I was sent a voucher towards the cost of ingredients for my Challenge

Triple Layer Chocolate Fudge Caramel Cake

I've made chocolate fudge cake a fair few times now but for Hanna's birthday I wanted to try something a little different with it and decided to give it an extra caramel layer. I made the chocolate layers on Friday night  just leaving me the caramel layer and the icing of the cake to do early on Saturday morning whilst the birthday girl was at swimming.

Unfortunately, although the sponge rose beautifully in the oven, when I went to take it out it had sunk. I didn't have time to make another and carried on regardless. I found out that it's not easy to cool a cake down on a hot day, even leaving it outside didn't seem to make it much cooler so, due to time constraints it was necessary to assemble the cake whilst the middle layer was still slightly warm, which I wouldn't recommend as it did slide around somewhat!

As someone who doesn't like to be defeated by a sunken cake I decide to fill the crater with some Rolo's and extra caramel sauce, making the middle really gooey - which definitely went down well with the kids. I also have no idea why the cake sank in the first place and wondered if it had anything to do with adding the caramel sauce to the batter, but after googling a few recipes it seems to be quite usual to add the sauce with the butter/sugar/egg mixture so it's either the recipe needing an extra egg , omitting the yoghurt or me just not feeling the 'love' with the cake & the poor cake feeling it, the conclusion that I came to after reading this. Whatever the reason it was it didn't matter in the end, and unless you're entering a a competition for 'best looking cake' or The Great British Bake Off don't let a sunken cake worry you too much, as long as it's cooked all the way through.

.
Triple Layer Chocolate Fudge Caramel Cake

Chocolate layers

175g butter

175g dark brown sugar

150g SR flour

25g cocoa powder

1tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

3 medium eggs

100ml greek yoghurt

Caramel Layer

100g butter

100g Light Muscovado sugar

100g SR Flour

1/2 tbsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Sosa

1 Egg

50ml Greek Yoghurt

50ml Caramel Sauce taken from a can of Carnation Caramel

Filling

Remainder of the can of Carnation Caramel
6 Rolo's (if your cake develops a crater during baking)

Fudge Frosting
220g Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa Solids)
160g Butter
5 tbsp Milk
250g Icing Sugar

• Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C. Grease and line the bases of 3 8" sandwich tins with baking paper.

Chocolate Layers

• Beat the butter & sugar until light & creamy
• Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and beat into the mixture
• Divide the mixture between 2 of the tins 

Caramel Layer

• Beat the butter & sugar until light & creamy
• Add the eggs & the yoghurt and beat well
• Beat in the caramel until combined
• Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and beat into the mixture
• Pour into the baking tin
• Bake all 3 layers for 25-30 minutes. Leave to cool slightly before turning out onto a wire rack.
• When the cakes have cooled spread half of the remaining caramel onto it and place the caramel cake on top.
• Spread the remaining caramel onto this cake and place the second chocolate layer on top

To make the icing

• Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, or on short bursts in the microwave. Add the milk & stir to combine.
• Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and pour over the melted chocolate. 
• Beat together until smooth and formimg into soft peaks.
• Spread the icing over the top and covering the sides. If the chocolate is too soft to gain a smooth finish refrigerate for 10 minutes before smoothing over with a flat metal spatula
• Decorate with chosen toppings - I used 8 Cadbury's Caramels and 4 crushed Twirls.

Just for fun I roughly calculated the total calories in this cake - I'm not sure I should share this information and it's certainly made me feel a little queasy. The whole cake has  just under 10,000 Calories!! whoops! 

I'm linking this up to Mummy Mishaps 'I love Cake' which, for this month, is Celebration Cakes. 

One Chicken 3 Ways

Last week I bought a couple of chickens, froze one and decided to use the other one to see how frugal I could be and see how far it would spread rather than just roasting it and sharing it out at one mealtime.

Firstly I slow cooked the chicken for around 3 hours with just a few herbs on it and a stuffed with a lemon. I then separated the meat into two - breast meat and dark meat. The carcass then went back into the slow cooker in the juices and some extra boiling water for another few hours to make some stock, which I then froze until I needed it.

I used the dark meat to make a Chicken Biryani which was served with a Butternut Squash and coconut curry and accompaniments, plenty enough for all 5 of us.

The breast meat was then sliced and layered with cumberland sausage to make a large Chicken & Sausage Pie, using the same pastry recipe as I used in my Turkey & Apple Picnic Pies, just increasing the quantities. It can be eaten hot with vegetables and gravy or (like I served it) with jacket potatoes and salad.

I forgot to add the second layer of chicken in the pie so I instead used it to make a couple of Waldorf Salads (Marco Pierre White style).

The third meal was a lovely Chicken and Mushroom Soup made from the stock. The stock was brought to the boil with mushrooms and an onion and then blended until smooth. A tablespoon of cornflour was added to thicken it up as no cream was used. This was then served with large chunks of tear and share bread, which this time I added rosemary to the dough.

It just shows how far you can stretch a chicken if you need to, and apart from the addition of the sausages most of the other ingredients used in these dishes are just from the store cupboard. Pastry is actually easier than you think to make, especially if you're lucky enough to own a food mixer or processor, and adding rosemary to the pastry makes it so much tastier.

I would also thoroughly recommend investing in a meat thermometer to enable you to check when your chicken is cooked, without overdoing it and running the risk of it drying out.

Sweet n Sour Sausage & Peppers

I've been challenged by Heinz to come up with a recipe using a 'secret ingredient' of theirs. The ingredient they wanted me to use is Tomato Ketchup, which, to be honest, I do actually add to recipes from time to time, after all it does already include herbs and spices so is ideal to add a bit of flavour.

I was sent a Secret Ingredient pack to help me on my way.

Firstly here's Nadia Sawalha showing how Heinz Tomato Ketchup can be used in various recipes : 

Sweet n Sour Sausage & Peppers - serves 4

12 Cumberland Sausages

tbsp Olive oil

400g tin of Tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

2cm fresh ginger, peeled

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp Heinz Tomato Ketchup

1 tbsp Cornflour

1 red onion

2 Peppers (any colour)

Diced fresh or tinned pineapple (optional) - I didn't use this as my children aren't keen

• Cut the each sausage into 3 pieces and fry in the olive oil until lightly browned
• Drain sausages onto some kitchen paper and pour any excess oil away
• Blend the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, tomato ketchup and cornflour together until smooth
• Cut the peppers & onion into large chunks and fry for approx 3-4 minutes
• Add the sausages back to the pan, along with the sauce 
• Bring to the boil, replace the lid and simmer for approx 20 minutes

Serve with boiled rice

I was sent the Secret Ingredient pack for the purpose of this recipe challenge

Rum Baked Figs

Figs are not a fruit that I often buy, but I picked some up last week whilst at the Supermarket and thought I would try and recreate a baked figs dish that I'd eaten in a restaurant a couple of years ago. I browsed the Internet and found a simple recipe on the Ocado website that I adapted slightly.

Rum Baked Figs

4 Fresh Figs, quartered

2 tbsp Honey

2 tbsp Dark Rum

a generous sprinkling of Cinnamon

• Lay the figs in an ovenproof dish
• mix the honey and rum together and pour over the figs
• Sprinkle the cinnamon over the figs and bake in a preheated 180 degree (C) oven for approx 15-20 minutes
• Serve with creme fraiche or Greek yoghurt

I'm linking this up to Working London Mummy's & How to Cook Good Food's One Ingredient Challenge, which for September is Figs.

and also Ren's Simple & in Season which is being hosted on Katie's blog

Baked Lemon Cheesecake

I'm a big lover of cheesecake but as far as I can remember I have never made a baked one so when I spotted a New York Cheesecake in this month's Asda magazine I thought I would try out my new Great British Bakeware springform cake pan and give it a go.

I adapted the recipe slightly as I wanted to use ginger biscuits for the base instead of digestives, and then I had to adapt it further as I'd read the recipe wrong and not bought enough cream cheese or sour cream which meant I couldn't make the topping so I created a topping of my own instead.

Baked Lemon Cheesecake

110g butter, melted

225g Ginger biscuits, crushed

400g Full Fat Cream Cheese

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 2 large lemons

300ml Sour Cream

3 eggs + 1 yolk, beaten

1/2 tbsp Cornflour

2 tbsp Caster Sugar

• Mix the melted butter & biscuit crumbs together and press into the base of a loose bottomed or springform cake pan - I used a 23cm pan
• Bake in a preheated 180 degree (C) oven for 10 minutes, set aside to cool
• Reduce the oven temperature to 160 degrees (C)
• Beat the cream cheese, vanilla, lemon zest, 2 tbsp of lemon juice and sour cream together in a large bowl until smooth
• Add the cornflour & caster sugar and mix well
• Add the beaten eggs and stir until just combined
• Pour mixture into the cake pan and smooth the top
• Bake for approx 1 hour
• Mix the cornflour and caster sugar with 2 tbsp of the remaining lemon juice until smooth and then add the rest of the juice
• Heat gently in a microwavable bowl in the microwave on short bursts until it boils and thickens
• Pour over the cheesecake and smooth over the surface
• Allow to cool in the tin and refrigerate before turning out
• Decorate with fresh fruit to serve

Butternut Squash & Coconut Soup with Tear & Share Bread

I'm going to get back into weekly soup making and I've started with my usual, simple, Butternut squash. Instead of adding any cream (or milk as I usually do) I added creamed coconut to give a different flavour. The Knorr stock pots are also a great way to add flavour easily and I really like the Herb Infusion which I add to quite a lot of dishes.

Butternut Squash Soup

Large butternut squash

1 Knorr Herb Infusions stock pot

1 Knorr Chicken stock pot

50g sachet of creamed coconut 

boiling water

• Peel and deseed the squash and cut into large chunks
• Add to a slow cooker with 1 pint of boiling water and the stock pots
• Cook on high for 2-3 hours until squash is soft
• Stir the coconut cream into boiling water to dissolve & add to the slow cooker
• Blend with a stick blender until smooth, adding more water if necessary

Tear & Share Bread

200ml water (room temp)

150ml milk (room temp)

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 tsp salt

475g Strong White bread flour

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp fast acting dried yeast
grated cheddar cheese (optional)

• Add ingredients to your breadmaker in the order relevant to your breadmaker & set to 'dough'
• Remove the dough from the pan and place onto a floured surface
• Cut into 16 equal pieces and roll each into a ball
• Place the balls into a greased baking tin, evenly spaced apart - I used a 10" round tin
• Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for around an hour
• Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with grated cheese (optional)
• Bake in a preheated 200 degree (C) oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown - I was distracted by the telephone and left mine in the oven a bit longer than I would have liked!

Raspberry Delight

After being inspired by some very pretty strawberry desserts from Tales of Pigling Bland that I spotted on What Kate Baked's teatime treats roundup I decided to give something similar a go. When I was in my local cookshop getting a new potato peeler I spotted some cute little silicone moulds and thought they would be perfect for individual desserts.

I had two packs of Raspberry Angel Delight (or rather the supermarket own brand version) and made them up as directed on the pack and poured into the moulds. They were then placed in the freezer until they set. Whilst they were still frozen they were turned out on a plate and topped with frozen raspberries that had been thawed out. The desserts were then left out at room temperature for a short while until they thawed out slightly.

Next time I think I'll try them with Angel Delight ice cream as the kids were a bit impatient waiting for them to thaw! 

Vegetarian Chilli Baskets

I like a nice hot chilli but unfortunately the children don't so rather than making two meals I usually make a mild one and add some extra chilli or piri piri sauce at the table for the adults.

We've discovered a really nice meat free mince recently so I've been using it quite a lot but this would work just as well with beef or turkey mince. Serving it in the tortilla baskets makes it a bit of fun too.

Vegetarian Chilli Baskets - serves 4

2 tbsp Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
Sliced Peppers - I used 200g of frozen
Slices Mushrooms - I used 100g of frozen
454g Meat free mince (prepared as directed on the pack)
1 Knorr Herb Infusions stock pot
3 tbsp Sainsbury's Harissa Paste*
1 can of chopped tomatoes
4 Flour Tortillas
Olive oil for brushing

• Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onion, mince, peppers & mushrooms.
• Fry for a couple of minutes and then add the stock pot, Harissa paste and tomatoes 
• Simmer for around 20 minutes 
• Meanwhile brush the tortillas with a little olive oil - I also topped with peri peri chip sprinkles to add some extra flavour
• Lay the tortilla over a small ovenproof bowl and place a slightly larger bowl on top - the 2nd bowl isn't absolutely necessary but it gives the basket a better shape
• Bake in a preheated 180 degree (C) oven for 10 minutes until lightly browned, removing the second bowl after 2 minutes of cooking time
• Allow the tortilla baskets to cool and crisp up before filling with chilli and serving topped with grated cheese

The harissa paste gives a rich sauce with a nice mild flavour.

 

*I was sent the Harissa paste, along with some other ingredients from the Sainsbury's Speciality Ingredients range, to use in my recipes