Quick Toffee Apple Puddings

Now when I say quick with this recipe, I mean 5 minutes to put together, 3 minutes to cook the pudding and 2 minutes to make the sauce. How did I do this? Its a microwave pudding! I have started experimenting recently with microwave cakes and they are a great idea for a quick desserts.

This one was brought about by The Bloke really wanting a dessert on Sunday night after our roast dinner. I hadn't planned one but had planned to try this one out so had recently bought a bag of toffees. Two bramley apples were in the fruit bowl - one looking a bit worse for wear - so this was what I made. They were light, soft and delicious!

Ingredients:     (Makes 6)

100g self raising flour
100g soft brown sugar
100g butter, softened 
2 eggs
4 tbsp. milk
1 large bramley apple, chopped 

Method:

Put all of the above ingredients, apart from the apple, into a microwavable bowl and mix with a fork or an electric hand mixer. Stir in the chopped apple. Grease 6 ramekins with butter and measure out the pudding mix into each, leaving about half a cm for the cake to rise. Pop three of them in a circle in the microwave for 3 minutes. They will feel firm to touch. Take out and cover with foil to keep warm. You can then cook the remaining three.

For the sauce:

150ml double cream
100g toffees
Put the cream and toffees in a microwaveable bowl and put in for one minute. Stir, put back in the microwave for another minute and stir again. Put back in for about 30 seconds. The cream will be boiling so watch it doesn't boil over. This should be long enough so when you stir the toffees will melt perfectly into the cream to make a delicious sauce.

Tip the puddings out onto a serving plate and top with the sauce. Serve with ice cream and enjoy!!

Chinese Hot & Sour Soup

Hands up the number of people who always order Hot & Sour soup in a restaurant but shy away from making it at home as it looks daunting? Well, that was me up until last night - I decided to go for it as I love it so much. And you know what? Its not that hard. I won't lie to you, it did take half an hour to prepare all the veg and stock etc. but once its all prepped, its easy. And this recipe tastes just like the one you get at a restaurant.

Just read the recipe and make sure you have everything prepped and ready to go - and it falls into place. Its SO tasty, I hope you try it. Delicious hot & sour soup.

Ingredients:

¼ cup cornflour (cornstarch) plus 1 tsp.

¼ cup water

200g. pork loin, sliced thick matchstick

½ teaspoon oil

1 chicken breast, sliced thick matchstick

big handful small prawns (I used frozen)

¼ cup dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in boiling water

½ block firm tofu (1/4 cup)

¼ cup winter bamboo shoots (tinned is ok)

1 small carrot

1 spring onion (scallion), chopped

1 red & 1 green chilli, sliced (go for hot ones if you can)

1.5 litres chicken stock (cube is fine)

½ teaspoon fresh ground white pepper

2 teaspoon dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

3 tablespoons white vinegar

1 pinch of sugar

2 eggs, beaten

Mix the 1 tsp. cornflour with the ½ tsp. oil and the sliced pork in a small bowl. Set to one side. Mix the ¼ cup cornflour with  ¼ cup of water in a small bowl and mix well. Set to one side.

Chop the soaked mushrooms, slice the carrot, bamboo shoots & tofu into thin strips.

Bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the pork (in its cornflour mix) and sliced chicken. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the carrots, bamboo shoots, tofu, chillies, white pepper and soy sauces. Stir and cook for 2 mins. Now add the sesame oil vinegar and a pinch of sugar. Finally add the prawns and cook for a further few minutes.

Bring your soup to a simmer and have the cornflour and water mix ready. Stir the soup to create a whirlpool effect in the middle and slowly add the cornflour mix. This will thicken the soup without creating 'clumps'.

Now do the same with the beaten egg. Create a whirlpool effect and slowly, slowly pour in the beaten egg to create ribbons of egg.  Check for seasoning and add a little more soy sauce or sugar to taste.

Your soup is ready to serve. Garnish with the chopped spring onions and enjoy!