Do you eat dropped food?

Mini Banoffee Pies

Banoffee pie, (a combination of the words"Banana" and "Toffee") is a true classic. It also happens to be one of the easiest desserts to make! A little bit of boiling, crushing, slicing, whipping and voila, you have yourself a culinary delight!




Sweetened condensed milk plays an essential role in the making of banoffee pie. After boiling it for several hours the milk caramelizes and turns into a wonderfully rich Dulce de leche. This is the yummy toffee like filling that banoffee pie is known for.

Try these babies with some freshly brewed coffee. Delicious!




Makes about 15 mini pies, with plenty of leftover caramel for ice cream!



200g Walkers shortbread or any other good quality shortbread

50g butter, melted

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1-2 bananas, sliced

Small carton of heavy whipping cream / Double cream

A good chunk of Cadburys milk chocolate, grated



Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Peel the wrapper from the can of milk and add it (unopened) to the boiling water. Reduce heat slightly to a slow boil. Boil for 2 1/2 hours. Topping up with water when necessary.



Preheat oven to 325F

Crush the biscuits in a food processor into fine crumbs. Add butter and whiz again until well combined.

Press the biscuit mixture into greased mini muffin or tart pans. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes. Allow to cool and then chill until firm.



Whisk whipping cream until nice and thick and refrigerate until needed.



When the milk is ready, remove from the water and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, open and stir well.

Carefully remove tart shells from the muffin pan. Place a small spoonful of the caramelized milk into each tart shell. Top each one with a slice of banana.

Add a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with chocolate.


Serve immediately or chill for up to 24 hours.

Baked Onions

I like onion, fried , baked , cooked on the grill, however, I like them. So I thought this sounded pretty tasty!


Serves 4




4 tennis-ball-sized white onions, peeled

3/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms

3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp freshly chopped rosemary

8-9 tbls double (heavy) cream. You can also use light cream or a mixture of both

4 slices of pancetta or streaky bacon

A few good handfuls of grated Parmesan cheese, plus a little extra for topping
 
Boil the onions for 15 minutes or steam for about 25. The onions need to be slightly tender.


Remove from the pan and set aside to cool. With a sharp knife cut an inch off the stem end of each onion. Then, cut about a heaping tablespoon out of the inside of each onion being sure to leave the outer layers intact. Finely chop and set aside for the filling.



Preheat oven to 400F. Wrap each hollowed onion with a slice of pancetta or bacon and secure with a sharpened sprig of rosemary if desired.



Heat a little olive oil in a pan. Add reserved chopped onion, garlic, mushrooms and rosemary. Cook for a few minutes until softened. Add cream and remove from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper.



Place onions onto a roasting tray and spoon some of the cream mixture into each one. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan and bake for about 25-30 minutes until tender, depending on the size of the onions.



Recipe adapted from 'Happy Days with the Naked Chef' by Jamie Oliver.

Green Tea Mousse Cheesecake

Now here is something a biy different-

Ingredients


1 (4.8 ounce) package graham crackers, crushed 2 tablespoons white sugar 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2 tablespoons green tea powder (matcha) 1/2 cup warm water 2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin 1/2 cup cold water 2 cups whipping cream 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature 1/2 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup honey 2 eggs

Directions

Combine the graham cracker crumbs with 2 tablespoons of sugar in a mixing bowl. Drizzle in the melted butter and mix until evenly moistened. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan lined with waxed paper; set aside.

Stir the tea powder into the warm water; set aside. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water; set aside.

Whip the cream to stiff peaks; set aside. Beat the cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla, and honey in a clean mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time until evenly blended. Cook the gelatin mixture in the microwave until melted, about 45 seconds. Beat the gelatin and tea into the cream cheese mixture, then fold in the whipped cream until smooth. Pour into the springform pan. Refrigerate 7 hours to overnight before unmolding and serving.