Tuesday, 20 December 2011

How To Make Mixed Berries Broiled with Cream Salad

I’m not that good at making desserts, whenever I prepare a meal I put all of my efforts and time into the appetizers, main meal and side dishes that just thinking about making dessert leaves me exhausted. Also I’m more into the salty tasting stuff than the sweet stuff, this doesn’t mean in any way that I don’t enjoy something sweet, I am completely envious and impressed with my friends who make awesome looking desserts and by some of the desserts I see on other blogs, some look so good and beautiful that it almost seems a sin to eat them. I probably eat fruit or chocolate or ice cream at least once a day, and I’ve been known to grab a spoon and a jar of nutella and almost finish it, but unlike Nicolas and the boys I can’t bring myself to eat bread and nutella, I have to have cheese or something salty with my bread. Of course I can’t just say “no desserts”, especially when I have a 5 year old whose main incentive for behaving throughout the day is knowing that the reward will be a dessert (surprise me he says when I ask him what he wants for dessert and yes I know that bribing kids with food and candy is probably wrong and but I still do it), so I know how to make a few desserts and most of them are very easy and simple and I am trying to be more creative and experimental in the dessert (which means there have been a few disasters but at least they contain sugar so they are still consumed). This dessert of mixed berries with cream is very easy and can be almost entirely prepared in advance; the final assembly and broiling can be done right before serving. The finished dessert looks somewhat like a crème brulee but the filling does not contain eggs and is extremely simple to make, and the best part is that they taste delicious; I overfilled my ramekins with the cream mixture which caused them to overflow while broiling and gave them that messy look. The quantities in this recipe are for 6 people or 6 ramekins.
Ingredients:
4 cups of mixed berries
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 tbs sugar + 6 tbs sugar for topping
Preparation:
Mix together the yogurt, cream, vanilla and 2 tbs sugar until well mixed.
Place the berries in ramekins or small oven proof containers; arrange the berries in a way that small spaces are left in between to allow the cream mixture to seep through.
Spoon the cream mixture over the berries (if you don’t want them to overflow while broiling don’t overfill them).
Pre-heat the broiler and place your oven rack as close to the broiler as possible.
Sprinkle with 1 tbs of sugar per each ramekin.
Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet, this makes it easier to put them in and take them out of the oven, and broil until the sugar begins to caramelize, about 6-8 minutes (depending on your oven).

Thursday, 15 December 2011

Traditional Green Bean Recipes

Green Bean recipes that you can make quickly and easily and they are delicious, too. Use those garden veggies for two different cucumber salad recipes. One uses cucumbers, tomato, bell pepper and onion, a perfect garden salad. The other is similar yet very different. Another popular garden vegetable is green beans. So we offer a green bean salad recipe, too. In a saucepan with a small amount of water to steam, place the green beans and salt. Cover and cook 7 to 8 minutes until crisp tender. Immediately drain and rinse in cold water. Drain from cold water once cooled. If you are looking for how to cook fresh green beans, there are many different ways to do that. For example, you can steam them, you can make green beans almondine, you can add them to many different soups, you can stir fry them, you can make many different tasty salads with them. There are tons of different dishes that you can create!

Perhaps the most important ingredient in traditional Greek dish is olive oil. Indeed, olive oil is used frequently and is usually derived from the many olive trees that populate the region. The distinctive flavours of Greek cuisine owe much to olive oil, but many other ingredients are important in this country's cuisine. The main grain utilized in Greek cuisine is wheat, and perhaps the most popular bread from Greece is the pita bread. Today, the pita bread has become a mainstay of North American supermarkets as it can be used for everything from traditional Greek kebabs or for dipping with the delicious yoghurt, cucumber, and garlic dip known as tzatziki; but is also a popular option for an updated version of the sandwich. In fact, Greek food often includes distinct flavourings to other Mediterranean dishes. Oregano, mint, garlic, onion, dill, and bay leaves along with common herbs and spices such as basil, thyme, and fennel are often noticed in many Greek dishes. Still, the tastes and styles of Greek food will surely vary by region, and you may notice that dishes from northern Greece are flavoured with sweet spices such as cinnamon and cloves.

Many typical Greek dishes will offer a combination of these vegetables with a protein. Fish, poultry, rabbit, pork, and beef are all widely used proteins in Greek food. Indeed, one of the most popular dishes in Greek cuisine is souvlaki: skewered, seasoned, and grilled meat (usually chicken, pork, or lamb). Of course, no Greek meal would be complete without the very popular Greek Salad. Greek Salad usually includes largely chopped onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers finished with delicious Greek olives, a light vinaigrette, and feta cheese. Despite common ingredients, there are a wide range of regional dishes that make Greek food especially difficult to define. This is a delicious salad that can also be served as a vegetable dish. The asparagus add a nice fresh taste to this and just a little crunch. I sometimes cook my own candied walnuts, and they come out excellent! But I usually buy the candied walnuts I add to this salad, it makes the preparation process a lot easier.

Monday, 12 December 2011

How To Cook Spare Ribs ?

Summertime is here and you're ready to do some grilling outside. There are many varieties of food, that can be cooked, such us chicken, fish, meats or spareribs. If you like hot and spicy food, this recipe is for you. Hot and spicy or tender and sweet, it doesn't matter; learning how to cook the best spare ribs you can is a skill that your friends and family will savor whenever they sit at your kitchen table. While pre-made sauces are good, the best ones are made right in your own kitchen with fresh ingredients you choose yourself. Now, coming up with a winning recipe isn't always easy, but if you take the time to scour the internet looking for a good base and then experiment a bit with your own tasty additions, you will be well pleased with the final result.

We start with a food processor, where you have to process the following ingredients: garlic, ginger, onion, chili and you have to add soy sauce in the mix. When you have processed it to a paste, use a separate cup and include the other ingredients: 3 tablespoons of lime juice, 1 brown sugar and peanut oil. Stir well with adding some pepper and salt. Don't overdue it, as some people like to have less salt or pepper on their spareribs. When you have the mix ready, take the spareribs and place them on a preheated pan. Recommended is a non stick pan with a lid to cover it and have more heat going to the spareribs. Add the mixture you have made before with the spareribs and after it starts to boil, make sure you change it to a lower heat, stir occasionally for about 25 min. You can also add some water, if it gets too dry.

Who would have thought that learning the tricks to cook the best spare ribs would be that easy? Well, it is. Now you have no excuse but to fire up the grill and get cooking. In our zeal to whip up a good-looking and lip-smacking dish, many a times we tend to cut short some basic principles of cooking. Finally take the spareribs and use the low to medium-hot coals to cook them on your grill. Use the same sauce while cooking the spareribs to bast them for another 20 to 25 min. Enjoy the unique hot and spicy taste of the summer spareribs. Most of the parts on lotus plant are editable. For example, the flowers are used for garnish, large leaves are used to wrap food, roots are used to as vegetables to make soup or stir fry and seeds are used to make paste.