Churro's

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは 

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

It's been a few years since I baked any of the sweet treats from the Pinch of Nom recipe books. I was looking at some things to bake back in January as we were heading to Manchester. I've never attempted to make churro's, so I decided to give them a go.

This recipe can be found in the Quick & Easy recipe book, in the Sweet Treat chapter.

Let's get baking!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tbsp brown granulated sugar

55g unsalted reduced-fat butter

125ml water

1/4 tsp salt

90g plain flour

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1 tbsp granulated sweetener

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Pre-heat your oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas Mark 7.

In a small saucepan combine the brown granulated sweetener, reduced-fat butter, water and salt. I used a sugar alternative to demerara sugar as none of my local supermarkets had brown granulated sweetener.

Heat slowly over a medium heat until the butter has melted.

Bring to the boil and take off the heat.

Tip in the flour and beat until it forms a ball and comes away from the sides of the pan.

Add the vanilla extract and egg.

The mixture will look like it's separated at first, but carry on mixing and it will come back together and turn glossy.

Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper and pour the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a star-shaped nozzle. 

Pipe thirty churro's, approximately 10cm in length, onto the baking sheets, leaving room foe them to spread slightly.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until they are crispy and golden brown in colour.

Mix the sweetener and ground cinnamon in a small bowl and dip each churro in the mix, coating them on all sides.

Leave them on the baking sheets and keep warm in the oven, or serve.

The only difficulty I found with this recipe was the beating the mixture to bring it all together, my mixture wasn't really a pouring consistency so I'm not sure if I over beat the mixture, or didn't beat it enough. As you can see from the pictures, I think I over baked mine as some were a lot darker in colour than a nice golden brown.

I'd definitely give these another try as they were actually nice and I'd love to make the chocolate sauce to give them that something extra.

I'd definitely recommend reheating them and having them warm, they definitely taste better warm.

If you're interested in any of Pinch of Nom's recipe's then you can buy the recipe books in all major supermarkets as well as online retailers Waterstones and Amazon.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye

Cheeseburger Quiche

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

It's tome yet again to share another Pinch of Nom recipe. Today I want to share with you the Cheeseburger Quiche recipe, which can be found in the Quick & Easy recipe book, in the Batch Cook chapter.

Let's get cooking!

Ingredients:

500g 5%-fat beef mince

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Low-calorie cooking spray

1 onion, peeled & thinly sliced

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, peeled & chopped

2 tsp granulated sweetener

1 tbsp tomato puree

1/2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

4 eggs

200g reduced-fat cream cheese

100ml semi-skimmed milk

60g reduced-fat cheddar, grated

Start off by pre-heating your oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas Mark 6.

In a mixing bowl, add the minced beef, paprika, black pepper, cumin, soy sauce, sea salt and Worcestershire sauce and mix well.

Spray an ovenproof frying pan or a 30cm quiche dish with low-calorie cooking spray, then flatten the mince mix evenly in the base to form a flat disc.

Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until browned.

Remove from the oven and drain any excess fat from the dish.

While your mince is cooking, spray a frying pan with cooking spray and fry the onion for 15 minutes or until it's caramelised.

In a separate pan, add the white wine vinegar, garlic, granulate sweetener, tomato puree and the 1/2 tin of tomatoes.

Cook on a medium heat until the sauce has thickened.

Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the cooked mince and top with the caramelised onion.

In a bowl, mix the eggs, cream cheese, milk and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Pour this mixture into the dish on top of the  mince and tomato sauce and top with the grated cheese.

Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the egg mix is golden brown and set.

Let the quiche rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve with your choice of accompaniments.

Time to serve.

I used 2 dishes to create my quiche because I thought there was too much mince, forgetting that the meat would shrink. I think next time I'd stick to one dish.

I loved the flavours, they were really nice.

It was really easy and simple to make and I would happily make it again.

If you're interested in any of Pinch of Nom's recipe's then you can buy the recipe books in all major supermarkets as well as online retailers Waterstones and Amazon.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye

Corned Beef Hash Patties

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

It's time for another Pinch of Nom recipe, and today I want to share with you the Corned Beef Hash Patties recipe.

This recipe can be found in the Quick & Easy book in the Bakes & Roasts section.

Let's get cooking!

Ingredients:

Low-calorie cooking spray

500g potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks

1 onion, peeled and finely diced

1x 200g tin lean corned beef

15 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

1 tsp garlic granules

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 egg, beaten

60g wholemeal breadcrumbs

Preheat your oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas Mark 6. Spray a baking tray with your cooking spray.

Cook the potatoes in a pan of salted boiling water for about 15 minutes, until a knife slides easily through. Drain well and  mash.

Leave to one side to cool.

While the potatoes are cooking, spray a frying pan with cooking spray and sauté the onion over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until soft.

Place the corned beef into a large bowl and lightly mash with a fork.

Add the cooled potatoes, sage, onion and garlic granules, and mix well. Taste and season to taste with salt & pepper. I couldn't get my hands on any fresh sage so used dried sage.

Shape the potato mix into four even patties. Dip each patty into the beaten egg, then into the breadcrumbs, covering all sides.

Place the corned beef patties onto the baking tray, spray with cooking spray and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden and crisp.

Now you're ready to serve.

Now that we're in the new year this is the perfect dish if you're wanting to eat healthier after the festive period.

As suggested in the book you can accompany this dish with a mixed salad, I had some garlic spread spare so had it with the patties. I also feel that this dish would be perfect with poached eggs on top too.

I thought this dish was really easy to make and it tasted delicious. They're definitely on my to be cooked again list.

If you're interested in any of Pinch of Nom's recipe's then you can buy the recipe books in all major supermarkets as well as online retailers Waterstones and Amazon.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye