Butternut squash soup

Used more veggies in my box today - leeks, carrots, shallots and butternut squash. I wanted to have the squash for lunch but couldn't decide how to cook it, so i thought i'd chuck a few other veggies in and make a soup! Topped it with freshly grated parmesan, ands it made for a very filling lunch.. (with some leftover)

INGREDIENTS (these are my rough estimates, it doesn't really matter how much you use of each - add more veggies if you want)
1/2 a butternut squash, cubed
2 shallots
1/2 a leek, sliced
1/2 a carrot, sliced
Vegetable stock or water
Fresh rosemary (or other herbs)
salt and pepper
Parmesan/croutons/bread to serve.
METHOD
1. Start by steaming the squash for about half an hour. Alternatively, roast it
2. Gently fry the shallots till soft, then add the leeks, carrot, herbs and vegetable stock. Simmer till soft.
3. Take out the whole herbs, and blend the leeks and carrot
4. Roughly mash the squash and add it to the leek mixture and blend until smooth. Sieve to make it even smoother.
5. Season to taste and put it back on the heat to warm through
6. Serve

Brownie bites

I just found this pic of brownie bite i made a while ago. The recipe was adapted from a recipe on Esurientes. The url is http://esurientes.blogspot.com/2005/07/stans-famous-almond-mocha-brownies.html I made mine sugarfree (used xylitol) , and baked them in little muffin cups to make mini bites. I think i overbaked them slightly but they were still very good. (should have taken around 15 mins). I quartered the recipe too, to make 4 of these bites. By the way i learnt from a site a while back that a good way to keep your brownies gooey/fudgey was to put them straight into the freezer as soon as you take them out of the oven. Didn't try it myself but it makes sense.

Back with a recipe...Creamy mushroom tagliatelle

I know it's been a while since i last posted...i kinda gave up on my blog for a bit but then after seeing some new comments decided to have another go :P Sorry to anyone who was expecting new posts, i havnt checked back in ages. Anyway I've still been cooking, and sometimes taking pictures , but unfortunately i haven't got many decent pictures to put up now. I do have a recipe, something i threw together last night. There was some double (heavy) cream in the fridge and fresh mushrooms and shallots from an organic box i ordered that needed using so i put together a creamy mushroom pasta dish which turned out excellent! I had some for lunch today too but forgot to take a pic. I'll take one next time i make it which will hopefully be soon.

INGREDIENTS
(serves 2)
200g Tagliatelle pasta (or enough for 2 people)
4 or 5 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
a small tub double cream (maybe..1/2 cup?)
About 10 mushrooms, sliced

METHOD
1. Cook the pasta according to instructions in salted water. Drain saving a little of the cooking water. Also start steaming the mushrooms, like i did or cook with the onions.
2. In the meantime fry the shallots and garlic in a little olive oil till soft. You can add the mushrooms at this point to cook, or if already cooked add them when the onions are done.
3. Add the double cream and heat gently till starting to boil then turn the heat way down.
4. Season sauce with salt (and pepper or fresh chopped herbs if you want) and toss in the pasta. Eat immediately.

Profiteroles

INGREDIENTS
200g plain flour
350ml water
150g unsalted butter, diced
pinch of salt
4 large eggs, beaten
350ml double cream
350g dark chocolate
plenty of whipped cream

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Sieve flour. Put water, butter and salt in a saucepan and heat until the butter's melted and water begins to boil. Take pan immediately off heat and beat in the flour using a wooden spoon until smooth
3. Put pan back on heat to finish off and until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the pan to form a smooth ball.
4. Beat in the eggs by hand or machine, adding the egg gradually and beating until you have a smooth, shiny soft dough. You may not need all of the egg.
5. Pipe or spoon little rounds onto oiled baking sheets and bake for 15 mins until golden and crisp.
6. Remove to cooling rack and pierce each puff with a pin to let the steam escape.
7. To make the chocolate ganache melt the 350ml cream and chocolate together until smooth.
8. When profiteroles are ready cut each in half and spooon some whipped cream in the middle, or inject it. Top with some warm chocolate sauce and let cool.

My trip to paris..

Just got back from Paris a couple of hours ago...had gone there for a 2 day short break with my mum...And came home with bags of breads and pastries! I managed to take some pics of 1 or 2 places and their pastries/chocolates. The best ones were from Angélina (226, rue de Rivoli), where they had amazing pastries - i tried the Mille-feuille, and a pistachio mousse thingy, both were amazing. Then got some bread at Poilane (8 Rue du Cherche-Midi) (which also had their famous butter cookies to try - which were very tasty!), and some bread and pastries from Paul, on the Champs-Elysees. Here are the photos I took...


Maison du chocolat (numerous locations around Paris), where I bought a small vanilla macaroon...and had it all tied up in a bag with gold string :P The guy was pretty friendly though considering he had to go through all that trouble for a measly macaroon :P (it was good though)


The outside of Poilane, the famous french bakery. (damn van reflection!)


PAUL, where we bought lots of nice patries.





Pastries from Angelina. At top is the Mille-feuille, and the bottom two are the inside of a chocolate/almond croissant, and a pic of a full croissant, frangipane tart and palmier.

Chicken Kievs

This is something I made and took pics of quite a while back....this was my first time making chicken kievs and although kinda tricky (especially getting the herb butter in the chicken), it wasn't all the bad. At least it tasted good!

INGREDIENTS
2 Chicken breasts
Filling
3 tbsp butter
Large handful parsley
salt and pepper
Coating
2 slices white bread, crusts removed, dried and processed into breadcrumbs
2 tbsps plain/all purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tbsp milk

METHOD
1. Wash the chicken thoroughly and slice off the mini fillet at the back of the breasts. Using a sharp knife slice both breasts open so you can open them up like a book
2. Gently bash the meat with a rolling pin or mallet so it’s flat.
3. For the herb butter mix the butter, parsley, garlic and salt and pepper. Divide the mixture into 2 and rest the pieces in the fridge to chill till set.
4. Put a blob of herb butter in the center of each chicken breast and fold over. Lightly bash the sides to seal. Coat them with flour, shaking off the excess and put in the freezer for 5 mins.
5. Dip the breasts in the egg and milk mixture, then roll in the breadcrumbs to coat all over. Rest in the fridge for 30 mins at least
6. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and fry the breasts for about two mins
7. Bake in a 190C/375F oven for 15 mins or until brown and golden.
8. Serve with lemon wedges or fries or roast potatoes.

A new food blog is born!

Hello, and welcome to my foodblog. At the moment I am a 15 year old girl living in London, and I love to cook and ofcourse eat. I have long been fascinated by other food blogs and have a very long list of my favorites...:) Anyway i'm glad I have one of my own, and hope it can be as good as the numerous others I've seen