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What's Cooking Ella

Mallow Roll

29/8/2015

This is a great recipe to do with the kids, so easy, so much fun.

It's a treat that all kids love, big kids included. It has biscuits in it, lollies, marshmallows, nuts, coconut and chocolate to name a few ingredients.

This is something I make when I need something sweet.

Most of the ingredients i'll find in my pantry. You can add stuff, take stuff out, substitute ingredients, use what you have. In the picture you can see I added mini m&m's.

I love it, the kid in me comes out when this gets put on the table.

Recipe

Makes approximately 30 slices

250g packet malt biscuits, crushed roughly
1/2 cup raspberry jellies, cut into thirds
1/4 cup roasted macadamia nuts, chopped coarsely
2 x 100g packets mini marshmallows, vanilla or rainbow
1/2 cup shredded coconut
200g sweetened condensed milk
150g white or milk chocolate, melted
100g unsalted butter, melted
150g white or milk chocolate, melted, extra, for drizzling

Put crushed biscuits into a large bowl. Add the raspberry jellies, nuts, marshmallows, coconut, condensed milk, chocolate and butter, mix well.

Divide the mixture in half, roll each half into a 30cm long log. Wrap each log in cling film, then roll in aluminium foil. Refrigerate until set, preferably overnight.

Remove the foil and cling film. Place the logs on a tray. Drizzle each roll evenly with the extra melted chocolate. Refrigerate until set.

Cut each log into 1cm slices. Serve.

Enjoy!

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/mallow-roll.html
Pin it: www.pinterest.com/pin/399413060678231803/

I'd love to know what you think about this recipe, and please let me know if you have made it, I do like to get feedback. Name and comment only required.

Mediterranean Chicken

25/8/2015

I love this dish, I love it a lot. I love when something so simple can taste so good. Many times you try new recipes and they can fall a little flat. Some you even tweak, as they are worth making a little extra effort to improve them. This one, was just perfect.

My family to, loved this. But not each one of them liked all that was in there. But was great was that it still catered for everyone. I have one child that doesn't eat capsicum, so he left the capsicum, but ate the rest. One doesn't like olives, so don't eat an olive, there is so much choice in this dish and they all work together.

I loved everything about this dish, the simplicity, the flavour, the smell in the house, the chicken, the vegetables, the feta, the lot.

The original recipe called this Greek Chicken, I felt the need to change the name as I felt many Mediterranean families would include all these ingredients in their diet. My parents are Croatian and I grew up on all these ingredients, the Italians I know, eat them to, so I felt Mediterranean was a more fitting name.

Whatever it is called it is a great dish, one your family will love.

Recipe

Recipe adapted from www.taste.com.au

Serves 5

750g chat or kipfler potatoes, skin on, cut into medium pieces
Vegeta for sprinkling
5 large chicken thighs on the bone, skin on
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 Spanish onions, cut into 8 wedges
1 red capsicum, cut into strips
1 yellow capsicum, cut into strips
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
400g can diced tomatoes
12 black olives
Chopped flat leaf parsley, to serve
1 cup crumbled feta, to serve

Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan forced.

Place the potatoes in a pot of cold tap water, bring to the boil, cook for 5 minutes. Drain.

You will need a large baking dish for this recipe. Place the 2 tablespoons of the oil in the baking dish, scatter over the potatoes, scatter over a little of vegeta (like a seasoning), toss in the oil, season with some salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes.

Place the chicken in a large bowl, add the paprika and toss to spread the paprika and seasoning over the chicken thighs.

Add the onion, capsicum and garlic to the potatoes, toss to mix it about. Make gaps between the vegetables and add the chicken thighs in the gaps. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, season well with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the oregano. Bake for 45 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and olives around the chicken, cook for a further 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Serve with parsley and feta.

Enjoy!

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/mediterranean-chicken.html
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If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

Peach Melba

24/8/2015

Peach Melba was first made for our very own Australian opera singer Dame Nellie Melba.

It is such a beautiful dessert, beautiful to look at, beautiful to eat.

I love poached peaches, I love vanilla ice cream, I love raspberries, put it all together and you get a simple yet elegant dessert.

All the elements are easy to make, and can be made in advance, just assemble right before serving.

With the peaches, if you can't find slipstone peaches, use normal peaches, you just cut them in half around the stone, twist gently and one half will have no stone, the other half, using a sharp knife, you can carefully cut around the stone, until it is easy to remove. A bit more fiddly, but very worth it. If the peach won't twist without squashing the fruit, you can carefully with a small sharp knife cut around the stone, again, fiddily, but so worth it.

The saucepan that you cook the peaches in needs to be large enough to place all the peach halves in a single row on the base of it.

Cartouche: I like to scrunch up the baking paper and place under running water to soften it slightly, then I place it over the peaches.

With the poaching liquid, I don't discard it, I keep it refrigerated in a glass jar and use as a sugar syrup for cocktails.

If the raspberries are really sour, you can add a teaspoon of sugar to the sauce, but don't over sweeten as you want it slightly tart.

If the skins from your peaches refuses to come off once poached, don't stress, it happens. Leave it on, just cut each peach into halves, if small, or thirds, if large, and serve as per normal. No one will know the difference.
You need to cut it as a spoon won't be able to, so the pieces need to be kind of bite sized.

This dessert is best presented in clear glasses or bowls.

This is the perfect summer dessert, peaches, raspberries and ice cream.

Recipe

Recipe adapted from Manu Feildel's cookbook 'Manu's French Kitchen'

Serves 4

150g caster sugar
500ml water
1/2 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
4 just ripe yellow slipstone peaches

Raspberry Sauce:
250g raspberries, plus extra to serve

300g vanilla ice cream

Chantilly Cream: (optional)
100ml pouring cream
1/2 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
20g caster sugar

50g flaked almonds, toasted (optional)
Mint sprigs to serve

Place the sugar, water, vanilla seeds and pod in a heavy based saucepan, stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar has dissolved increase the heat to medium and bring to the boil.

Meanwhile, cut the peaches in half, twist gently to separate, remove the stones. Add the peaches halves to the syrup, skin side up, in a single row. Cover with a piece of baking paper (cartouche). Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the peaches to cool in the syrup for 30 minutes. Remove peach skins, they should come off quite easily. Transfer peaches and syrup into a smaller container or bowl, refrigerate until cold.

Raspberry Sauce: In a small saucepan add the raspberries and 2-3 tablespoons of the poaching liquid. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes to make it thick like a puree. Place in a small food processor and blitz. Strain into a small jug to remove the seeds. Refrigerate until needed.

If using almonds, place baking paper on an oven tray, scatter over the almonds. Toast in a preheated 180C oven for 3-4 minutes or until golden.

1-2 hours before serving, place 4 serving glasses in the freezer to chill.

If using the Chantilly cream: Place the cream, vanilla seeds and sugar in a bowl, stir to combine. Whisk the cream until soft peaks form.

To serve, place a large scoop of ice cream in each serving glass, then top with 2 peach halves, cut side down. Coat the peaches with the raspberry sauce. Top with a little of the Chantilly cream and some toasted almonds (if using). Add the extra raspberries and a mint sprig, serve immediately.

Enjoy!

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/peach-melba.html
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If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

Choc-Vanilla Slice

22/8/2015

If I think of a dessert that was my mum's and that everyone loved, this is it. She was asked to make this at every party we went to.

Originally it was made with Arnott's Morning Coffee Biscuits and White Wings Vanilla Magic Instant Mousse and it was a delicious, delicious dessert. But for some reason both items were discontinued at the same time, which for me was upsetting as I could no longer get to eat a dessert that I found divine.

My mum recently went about trying different biscuits and pudding mixes and found this to be the closest to her original recipe. The biscuit is slightly thicker than the original one, but flavour wise similar. The pudding mix although not as good as the original, is quite close and is still fabulous.

Now Cottee's where I am, have also discontinued the chocolate pudding, so we now use two layers of the vanilla pudding instead.

So for you out there who never tried my mum's original recipe you won't know the difference. For those that do, you will love this one to. This is a simple dessert that everyone that tries it loves.

A quick tip: When it is time to slice, flip the cake onto a clean board and slice with the chocolate down on the board, the chocolate tends not to crack when you do it this way.

This cake can be sliced and frozen, it can even be eaten slightly frozen and it's like an ice cream slice.

Once you make this, you will never stop making it.

Recipe

Serves 20

2 x 250g packets milk coffee biscuits
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons instant coffee powder
1 x 100g packet Cottee's Instant Vanilla Pudding
2 x 300ml cartons thickened cream
1 1/2 cups milk
1 x 100g packet Cottee's Instant Chocolate Pudding (or another vanilla)
150g dark chocolate
50g unsalted butter

Line a 20cm x 30cm lamington pan with a sheet of foil to cover base and two opposite sides, bring foil 5cm above edge of pan.

In a medium sized bowl add the coffee powder and boiling water, stir to combine. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Dip one-third of the biscuits into the coffee, place each biscuit side by side over the base of the prepared pan. Don't over soak the biscuits, or they will become soggy.

In a large bowl combine the vanilla pudding mix with 1/2 the cream (300ml) and 1/2 of the milk (3/4 cup), beat with an electric mixer for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is thick, but spreadable. Spread evenly over the biscuit base.

Dip half of the remaining biscuits into the coffee, place side by side over the vanilla pudding.

In a large bowl combine the chocolate pudding mix with the remaining 300ml cream and remaining 3/4 cup milk, beat with an electric mixer for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is thick, but spreadable. Spread evenly over the biscuit base.

Dip the remaining biscuits into the coffee, place side by side over the chocolate pudding.

Combine the chocolate with the butter in a small heatproof bowl, place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, stir until the butter and chocolate have melted. Spread quickly over the biscuits, to cover.

Place in the refrigerator uncovered to set for 30 minutes. Then cover with some aluminium foil and refrigerate overnight.

When slicing, I like to slice it chocolate side down, the chocolate tends to not crack this way.

Serve cut into squares.

Enjoy!

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/choc-vanilla-slice.html
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Blueberry Cream Cheese Pastries

18/8/2015

I love puff pastry, I love fresh fruit tarts, I love how the look, they always look beautiful. As soon as I found this recipe, I knew I had to try it.

This is the kind of dessert my family gets excited over, anything with fresh fruit makes my kids look like they have never eaten before, they sit at the table and start counting the pieces and working out how much they can have. It makes me laugh as they never known hunger and there is always plenty.

This recipe I am posting 3 ways, one is the blueberry tart, two is a strawberry version and three is a raspberry version (links to the strawberry and raspberry version is at the bottom of this page). The blueberry version is in the triangle shape here, but you can make it any shape you want, any size you want for that matter. Here are a few examples.

These are party sized, so cut the pastry into 9 squares for each of the patterns below:

The Flower

The Pinwheel

The Danish

The Tart

The combination of the blueberries with the lemon flavoured cream cheese and pastry is just beautiful, each and every bite, just divine (good luck at trying to only eat one).

For a quick dessert, I don't bother with the glaze, I like to serve it with a dollop of vanilla ice cream instead, or a dusting of icing sugar, but if I was having a party, I would add the glaze, as it looks amazing, I would then just place them on a platter on there own, trust me they would go quickly.

So if you are looking for a lovely dessert that is quick to make, tastes amazing, you do need to try these blueberry tarts.

Recipe

Recipe adapted from www.justataste.com

Makes 16

250g cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
1/2 cup blueberry jam, optional
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 egg

For the glaze (optional)
1 cup icing sugar
4 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan forced. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Set aside.

Get your sheets of puff pastry, they need to be a about a 25cm square shape, roll out if needed. Cut the sheets of pastry into 4 smaller squares. Then cut each of your smaller squares in half diagonally, to make a total of 16 triangles. Place on your prepared baking tray.

Using a sharp knife score a triangle shape about 1cm from the edge (do not cut through the pastry, just lightly score it). Using a fork prick the centre of the pastry inside of the triangle.

Place a portion of the cream cheese mixture into the centre of each pastry, spread out within the scored area. Top with a dollop of the blueberry jam, if using, spread out a little. Place on your blueberries, spreading them all over the cream cheese mixture.

In a small bowl beat together the egg and a tablespoon of water. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg mixture.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed around the edges.

They can be served immediately with a dusting of icing sugar and a dollop of vanilla ice cream. If you are making the glaze, transfer the pastries onto a cooling rack while you continue on making the glaze.

Glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk and lemon juice until smooth. If the glaze is too thick add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it is a consistency that can be drizzled over the pastries. If too thin, whisk in more sugar.

Once the pastries have cooled completely, use a small spoon or fork and drizzle the glaze onto the pastries.

Enjoy!

To save the recipe to your favourites go to
www.whatscookingella.com/blueberry-cream-cheese-pastries.html
Pin it: www.pinterest.com/pin/399413060679562888/

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

For the Raspberry and Strawberry Recipes go to:
www.whatscookingella.com/raspberry-cream-cheese-pinwheels.html
www.whatscookingella.com/strawberry-cream-cheese-pastries.html

Pappardelle Carbonara

17/8/2015

Some nights you just feel like making something quick and easy for your family. This is what I make on those nights.

This is the second carbonara recipe on my site, but I had to add it, not because it is better than the other one, in fact I love both of them, but it just deserved to be here, as we loved it so much. This one adds a bit of cream into the sauce which is not in a usual carbonara.

My husband and youngest son were not supposed to be home for dinner, when I planned this. But last minute changes meant they were, I knew this would not be enough for us five as I only bought 250g pasta, so it was amusing watching my kids eating and watching the pan, making sure that they ate quick enough that they got a tiny bit extra. We all loved the pappardelle, it really is a lovely pasta.

The recipe says 400g pasta, but you can use less, like I did, if cooking for 2 say, it will just be saucier if making it with less pasta. If you need more, just double the recipe.

If you a short on time this is a brilliant mid week dinner, it is made in the time it takes to cook the pasta.

Recipe

Recipe adapted from Janelle Bloom's cookbook Fab Food for Family and Friends

Serves 4

400g pappardelle
2 tablespoons olive oil
250g bacon, rind removed, cut into strips
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
3 eggs
1/2 cup thickened cream
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
60g parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, following packet directions, until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan or saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for 4 minutes or until it starts to colour. Add the garlic, stir it through, cook for 30 seconds, turn off the heat.

Place the eggs and cream in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Season with pepper. You may add a light sprinkle of salt, but the bacon and parmesan are salty, so don't add too much.

Reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta water.

Drain the pasta, then put the pasta back into the saucepan you cooked it in. Quickly while the pasta is still hot, add the bacon, egg mixture, parsley, 3/4 of the parmesan cheese and the reserved water. Toss the sauce through, the residual heat of the pasta will cook the eggs in the sauce.

Season with pepper and salt, if needed.

Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/pappardelle-carbonara.html
Pin it: www.pinterest.com.au/pin/399413060695142411/

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

Margarita Cheesecake

16/8/2015

Me and some of my friends are getting together soon for a Mexican Fiesta. Now the mains are taken care of, but what for dessert, I've never made a Mexican dessert before.

I saw a Key Lime Cheesecake recipe recently, which I thought I would try, however as I really only like my own baked cheesecakes (tried many in the past that were dry and just yuck), I thought I would use bits of my cheesecake with bits of the key lime cheesecake to make a new cheesecake. But then I thought I wanted it to taste a little like a margarita, so I added bits of a Margarita Cheesecake I found. So in the end I combined bits and pieces of three cheesecakes to make my very own Margarita Cheesecake.

This is creamy, smooth and just delicious. I absolutely love my method of cheesecake baking. You will honestly never bake a cheesecake any other way once you have tried my recipe. It all started with the best New York Cheesecake recipe I found. Since then that recipe has been modified with each cheesecake I want to try.

This recipe is worth trying, I promise you won't be disappointed, just make sure to follow the steps as they are written.

Recipe

It is best made the day before.
Serves 12

For the crust:
85g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for tin
200g digestive biscuits, made into fine crumbs
1 tablespoon caster sugar

For the cheesecake topping:
750g Philadelphia full fat cream cheese, softened
250g caster sugar
3 tablespoons plain flour
Pinch of salt
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
1 tablespoon Tequilla
3 x 60g eggs
150ml sour cream

For the sour cream topping:
230ml sour cream
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice (about 1/2 lime)

Finely grated zest of 1 lime, for decorating

Position an oven shelf in the middle of your oven. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Line the base of a 23cm round springform cake tin with baking paper.

For the crust: I like to blitz the biscuits in a food processor until you get fine crumbs. To the crushed biscuits add the melted butter and caster sugar, mix well to combine. Press the biscuit mix into the base of your prepared tin, when evenly spread, bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool while you make the filling.

For the filling: Once the crust is baked and removed from the oven, increase the oven temperature to 220C/200C fan. Using a free standing electric mixer., with the paddle attachment on, beat the soft cream cheese at medium-low speed for 2 minutes or until creamy.

With the mixer on low, gradually add the sugar, then the flour and salt. You should scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle twice during this process to ensure it is all well combined.

Remove the paddle attachment and put on the whisk attachment. With the mixer on a low speed, add lime zest, lime juice, lemon juice, Grand Marnier and Tequilla. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Here you should scrape down the sides of the bowl and whisk twice during this process to ensure it is all well combined. Add the sour cream and continue mixing until smooth and light, do not overbeat.

Brush the sides of the baking tin with some extra melted butter. Place the springform tin onto a baking tray. Place the cheesecake filling over the biscuit base. Smooth out the top, push any lumps down with a knife, if you have any. Bake for 10 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature down to 110C/90C fan, bake for a further 25 minutes. When done, the cheesecake should wobble slightly when you gently shake the tin. Open the oven door slightly and allow to cool in the oven for 2 hours. This gives you a cheesecake that is creamy in the centre. If you want a cheesecake with a drier texture leave the door closed the entire time. My cheesecake has never cracked on top, but it may according to the original recipe.

For the topping: Place the lime juice and caster sugar in a bowl. Add the sour cream, mix well to combine, Taste, if it needs a little more lime juice, add some, just don't make it too runny. Pour it over the cheesecake, spread it out evenly all the way to the edges. Cover the cheesecake loosely with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake, to release any stuck bits. Unlock the sides, carefully remove. Slide the cheesecake onto a serving plate.

Sprinkle over some finely grated lime zest and serve.

Enjoy!

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/margarita-cheesecake.html
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If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

Chocolate Chip Cookies

14/8/2015

It has taken me years of trying different recipes to find the best ever chocolate chip cookie, but I have finally found it. These are amazing, they have a softness in the centre, but an edge that is crisp. They are chunky, every choc chip put in it has kept its shape and did not sink to the bottom of the cookie. The recipe states milk choc chips, I used dark, they were great, so I assume you can use whichever you prefer, or a combination of any choc chip.

In the past the cookies I have made have been too sweet, were flat and unappealing to look at, were too crispy. You would think it was easy to find the perfect recipe for a cookie but it has not been. And then I read a recipe in a Nigella Lawson cookbook, she is amazing. What I found the most interesting was her introduction, she also for years could not get the 'simple' cookie right, but I am so glad she has.

After loving her Totally Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies, I now also love her Chocolate Chip Cookies.

The cookies will keep in an airtight container for 5 days.

Baked cookies can be frozen, defrost for 2-3 hours at room temperature before eating.

Unbaked cookies can be scooped onto baking paper lined trays as if you were going to bake them, freeze until solid. Then you can place them in resealable bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake directly from the freezer, no need to thaw, just add 2-3 minutes to your baking time. You can also keep them refrigerated unbaked for up to 3 days and bake as needed.

I will never look for another cookie recipe again. These are perfect.

Recipe

Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson's Cookbook 'Kitchen-Recipes from the heart of the home'

Makes approximately 14

150g soft unsalted butter
125g soft light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg, fridge cold
1 egg yolk, fridge cold
300g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
326g milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Melt the butter and allow it to cool slightly. It is important to let it cool as if you don't it doesn't beat well with the sugars.

Once the butter has cooled slightly, add the brown and white sugars to a large bowl, pour over the butter and beat them together.

Add the vanilla, cold egg and cold egg yolk. Beat until the mixture is light and creamy.

Using a spoon, stir in the flour and bicarbonate of soda into the butter mixture. Add the choc chips and fold them into the mix until well mixed.

If your dough is too soft, this can happen if the butter wasn't cooled enough, place your cookie dough in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to firm up.

Once firm, place ice cream scoop sized mounds on the prepared baking tray. (You can make them smaller if you prefer). You do not need to roll them into balls just place rough mounds on the tray about 8cm apart, as they will spread. While one batch is baking, refrigerate the cookie dough not being used.

Bake for 15-17 minutes for smaller cookies, 20 minutes for larger cookies, or until the edges have browned. Cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/chocolate-chip-cookies.html
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If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

Bread and Butter Pickles

14/8/2015

I am in a pickling mode at the moment. I am constantly trying to pickle something. Which is very unlike me as I am not someone that loves things pickled.

My husband and children do though. My husband loves anything pickled and my kids they eat jars and jars of pickled cucumbers. So when I came across this recipe I knew I had to try it. I have tried a few pickled cucumber recipes and this one was voted the best one.

It is so easy to make and far cheaper than the store bought ones, and I love when my kids eat food I make.

So if you love pickled cucumbers, try making these ones, they are really good and so easy to make.

Recipe

Recipe adapted from www.taste.com.au

Makes about 4 cups

5 large Lebanese cucumbers, trimmed, cut into 5mm slices
2 small brown onions, halved, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon salt
375ml (1 1/2 cups) apple cider vinegar
215g (1 cup) caster sugar
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
Large pinch of ground turmeric

Place the cucumber, onions and salt in a large bowl. Using your hands, toss to combine well. Cover bowl with cling film and refrigerate overnight, to soften.

Remove from the refrigerator, rinse the cucumber mixture well in a colander, allow water to strain away while you get on with the pickling mix.

Place the vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and turmeric in a medium saucepan (the saucepan needs to be large enough to fit in the cucumbers later). Place over a medium heat and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cucumbers and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat.

Transfer the cucumber mixture (and liquid) to clean, dry sterilised jars. Make sure the liquid covers the cucumbers in the jars. Put on the lid tightly and invert (lid side down) and leave for 2 minutes. Turn right side up and set aside for 1 day to develop the flavours. After the one day I keep them refrigerated, as we prefer them cold.

Serve with sandwiches and cold meats, or as my kids eat it, on there own straight from the jar.

Enjoy!

To save the recipe to your favourites go www.whatscookingella.com/bread-and-butter-pickles.html
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If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

Minion Cake

12/8/2015

This is a cake I made for one of my daughters friends. She sent me a photo of the cake she wanted me to make along with a tutorial video (in Spanish, which would be great if I actually spoke Spanish) from You tube. This is the link to the tutorial, it is worth looking at www.youtube.com/watch?v=31E_CkR0cQA

I took on this challenge, and can I tell you although I am proud of the final result, this cake took me 17 hours from start to completion, thank goodness not all in one day.

I don't work with fondant, this is probably my second or third go at it, so when I went to my favourite cake decorating place for supplies, the sales assistant laughed at me when I showed her what I was going to attempt, especially since I hadn't really worked with fondant before.

Anyway after watching the Spanish tutorial repeatedly, I started the cake (there was no recipe) I used the video and picture as a guide.

The original picture I used as a guide

I started with the cakes, I made three, it just wasn't tall enough so I baked a fourth. I made four different cakes as I knew there would be a lot of cake left over, and I didn't want them stuck eating the same cake for weeks. All the cakes could be frozen, so nothing needed to be thrown out.

To 'glue' the fondant pieces on, I used glucose syrup, which I would not do next time. It was so hot and humid when I was making the cake, that the pieces were sliding about. I had to put pins under the minions eyes to keep them in place until it finally set. I would use a little water next time.

The hardest part for me was covering the cakes in the yellow fondant, it is a big cake to cover. But as you add blue clothing to the minion, some of your errors can get covered up.

Cover the cake board in fondant or gift wrap, whatever you prefer.

All cake recipes can be found in my desserts sections on this website. You can use whatever mud cakes you like. I chose red velvet on the top as that was the birthday girls request.

I buy the already coloured fondants, but it is cheaper to mix your own colour. Also a tip I got from my cake decorating place, if you buy the yellow fondant, add 1/3 as much white fondant to the yellow when kneading, it won't change the intensity of the yellow, but it makes the fondant better to work with.

Was the cake perfect in the end, no, but it was pretty impressive none the less. The birthday girl loved it, her friends loved it and I have to admit I loved it to. Now after months of getting over the minion, my 7 year old just said he wants a minion cake to. There is still time, I'm hoping he will change his mind.

Recipe

Equipment:

20cm round cake tin
30cm prepared cake Board
Candles
Heart shape fondant cutter
Five skewers

Cake:
1 x white chocolate mud cake
1 x triple choc marble mud cake
1 x chocolate mud cake
1 x red velvet cake
4 x white chocolate ganache (see White Chocolate Mud Cake for recipe)
1 large cupcake (see Chocolate Cupcakes with a White Chocolate Ganache recipe)

Decorations:
Yellow fondant
Blue fondant
Black Fondant
White fondant
Pink fondant

Bake the cakes. I bake the mud cakes up to 5 days before needed. Bake the red velvet cake 2 days before needed. Cover cakes until needed.

Make white chocolate ganache a day before needed, following the recipe. Once it has reached a spreadable consistency, do not refrigerate it anymore. Ganache will last outside of the refrigerator for as long as the use by date of the cream (unless left out in extreme heat). So when making ganache always buy cream that has a long use by date.

Level the cakes. Sandwich the cakes together with some of the ganache.

Place 4 or 5 cake skewers around the cake, so that they stay in place and don't slide about. (You will see where I placed them in the photo below of the sliced cake).

Place the cakes on your prepared cake board. Spread ganache all over the cake. This is a crucial part as the smoother your ganache, the smoother your fondant will be. I do like to refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes prior to putting on the fondant, to set the ganache a little.

Now you need to knead your yellow fondant with some white fondant together, see notes above. Once smooth and all yellow, place on a fondant mat, and roll out into a large circular shape, large enough to cover the whole cake. If the fondant is sticking to your work surface, dust the work surface with sifted icing sugar. Roll the fondant loosely over a rolling pin (here I also used my husband here to help lift the fondant) and carefully place the fondant over the cake. Use a smoother to help smooth the fondant over the cake (since making this cake I have gotten better at this, it comes with practice).

Now using the photo below as a guide, you need to dress the minion.

Start with the pants. Knead blue fondant with some white (see notes above). Roll out.

You need to cut a band about 4-5cm wide, that is long enough to wrap around the whole base of the cake. Slightly moisten with water the underside of the band and wrap it onto the cake, pressing gently to stick it on the cake.

Now cut out the overalls. In the rough diagram below I have given the basic shapes that need to be cut out.

Cut out the overall fronts, they need to be about 6-7cm high in the centre, make the side bits even, the sides need to wrap to only as far as the minions arms sit on the side.

Cut out the overall straps about 2cm wide, they need to wrap all the way to meet at the back.

Also blue, cut out the blue from the eyes, the patch pentagon shape that will go on the overalls and the blue square that goes on the patch.

Now to put the overalls on, first stick on the overall fronts, moisten the underside with a little water, position in place, allow a little sag that look like pockets.

Position on the blue overall straps all the way around the back.

Now using a dinner fork go around the edge of the band, overalls and straps, press straight lines, using the fork all around the edge to make it look like stitching.
Now with any leftover yellow fondant, make the arms. You just need to make two long sausage shapes that go from the side to front, see photo below as a guide. Flatten one end slightly and slightly dampen with water and position it on the minions side.

White Fondant: make two circles for eyes about 5cm in diameter, use round cookie cutters or a glass to cut out the rounds.

Now for the black fondant: You need to mix the black fondant with a bit of white fondant, like you did with the yellow and blue. Once smooth and pliable make the minions feet and hands, position them on the minion, dampen connecting parts with a little water.

Make two buttons, about 2cm in diameter, press four holes into each button to look like button holes.

Make the black circle that will go on the patch on the overalls, the diameter of the circle will depend on the size you made patch. Stick the black circle on the patch with a little water, then stick the blue square on the black circle, allow to dry. Press the outside edge of the patch with the fork to look like stitching.

Make the rim of the glasses, to cover the edge of the white circle for the minions eyes. Stick the rim onto the white of the eyes with a little water. Allow to dry.
Position the blue of the eyes on the white also. Make two black eye balls and position on the blue. Allow to dry.

Dampen the underside of the white eye circles with a little water and position them on the minion.

Make the glasses straps, they need to meet at the back of the minion. Make two small 'clip' like pieces that sit right next to the rim of the glasses.

Position the clip bits next to the rim with a little water, then position the straps to the clip and wrap around the minion, meeting at the back.

Make the minions hair, allow to dry a little.

Then using a skewer poke holes where you want the hair to go, and gently push the hair in.

Once dry position the patch on the overalls.

Make the minions mouth out of black fondant, stick on with a little water.

Make the tongue out of pink fondant. Stick on with a little water.

Note: Whilst drying you can use sewing pins (the ones with the coloured heads that are easily visible) to keep parts in position, just make sure you remove them all once everything has set.

I made 12 pink balls to put the candles in, this is optional.

Position in the candles before the balls go too hard.

Make any large cupcake the party person loves, decorate with icing and sprinkles.
Position in front of the minion, place a little ganache under the cupcake to keep it from moving about.

Enjoy!

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