Category Archives: Food Blog

Tiramisu Cream Puff Christmas Tree

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Ready to impress? A dramatic tower of cream puffs filled with Tiramisu cream, held together with melted chocolate. Then finally dusted with lots of confectioners sugar.

It is not as difficult as it looks, but it does require a few steps. I like to make the cream puffs the day before assembling to divide the work. You can also make the filling the day before, whatever works for you best.

Leftover cream puffs can be frozen for up to two months.

A stunning dessert for any special occasion!

INGREDIENTS:

Cream Puffs:

  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1-1/3 cups water
  • 1 cup butter, cubed
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature

FILLING:

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1-2 tsp instant coffee granules
  • 2 tsp instant gelatine powder
  • 1 recipe pastry cream, home made or store bought (about 2 cups)


GLAZE:

  • 1/3 cup butter, cubed
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. instant coffee granules
  • 3 to 6 tablespoons hot water
  • Additional confectioners’ sugar, optional

DIRECTIONS:

In a large saucepan, bring water, milk and butter to a boil. Add flour and salt all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes to cool a little. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. Place mixture in a piping bag fitted with a large nozzle and pipe puffs onto baking sheet, about the size of a ping pong ball. You can press the tip of the puffs down with a wet finger to make them nice and round. Bake at 200C / 400F for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Cut a small slit in the side of each puff to allow steam to escape. Cool puffs.
For filling, Prepare creme patisserie, see below if making home made.

In a large bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form add sugar, coffee and intant gelatine powder beat until stiff. Fold in creme patisserie. Place filling in piping bag fitted with a pointed tip and pipe about 1 tablespoon into each puff.

For glaze, in a small saucepan, combine butter and chocolate. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Remove from the heat. Using a whisk, stir in the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and coffee granules and enough water to make desired consistency for dipping. Stir until smooth and no lumps appear.

To assemble tree: Dip the bottoms of the puffs into glaze to start building your tree. Start with four puffs in the middle and then form a circle around them That’s your first layer, now continue for the second layer by dipping puffs in chocolate and placing them on the first circle. Continue all the way up until you are at the top. Drizzle remaining glaze over the tree, dust with confectioners sugar just before serving.

Enjoy!

Creme Pattiserie:

  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup caster sugar
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 2 tsp cornflour
  • 1 1/4 cup milk

Method:

  • Beat the egg yolks and sugar for a few minutes until pale and slightly thickened.
  • Whisk in the flours.
  • Heat the milk in a saucepan until stating to boil.
  • Whisk the milk into the egg mix.
  • Put the whole lot back into the pan, stirring all the time until thick and boiling.
  • Take the pan off the heat – cover with cling-film to prevent a skin from forming.

Coconut curried Lentil Soup

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A hearty feel-good soup

A comforting and warming soup that is super healthy and very delicious. Packed with iron, vitamins and minerals, low in fat, high in fibre and perfect for during the hectic Holiday season.
The great thing is that Lentils cook relatively quick, all in one pot, so you could have dinner on the table in about half an hour. Finish the soup off with a little drizzle of coconut cream and you have yourself a fantastic budget friendly nutritious dinner that also happens to be suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

I can’t think of a better sidekick than my homemade Spelt bread to go with it to dunk into the soup. So good.


Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time 40 minutes
Serves : 4

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 tbsp. olive oil or coconut oil
  • 2 onions, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped fine
  • 4 celery stalks, chopped
  • 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 leeks, sliced
  • 2 cups of roughly chopped kale
  • 2 cans of coconut milk, reserve a ¼ cup for serving
  • 2 cans of vegetable stock
  • 4 tbsp. madras curry paste
  • 2 cups / 400 gr. dried brown lentils
  • A good squeeze of lemon juice
  • A handful of coriander, chopped
  • Lemon wedges to serve
  • salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:


Take a large pot and heat on medium high, add the oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes. Add the celery, carrots and leeks and cook for a few more minutes. Now add the curry paste and cook for a minute to release the flavor. Add the kale and the stock, coconut milk (reserve ¼ cup) and lentils. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until lentils have softened. Taste and correct seasoning with salt and pepper. You can cook the lentils a little longer if you want your soup to thicken or you could blend a bit with an immersion blender.
Add the squeeze of lemon juice and add almost all the coriander, reserving some to decorate when serving.
Serve piping hot, garnished with coriander, coconut cream and lemon wedges and plenty of fresh bread.

Enjoy!

If you make this Lentil soup be sure to leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you and if you love it, pin it. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! @thecookingspoonblog or hashtag it #thecookingspoonblog

Cheats Banoffee Pie, step by step.

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Cheats Banoffee pie


It’s always good to have a cheats recipe or two up your sleeve, just in case you don’t have time, or simply aren’t in the mood for fuss. Especially now with the holidays around the corner, there’s plenty to do already.
Maybe someone is going to ask you to bring along a dessert at a dinner party, this would be perfect. And because I add a layer of chocolate to the base, the pie crust stays nice and crunchy and doesn’t go soggy.
This Cheats Banoffee Pie recipe is so good and very simple with just a few store cupboard ingredients. You can make my simple pastry crust recipe or make it even easier by buying a ready made crust. It’s all about as little effort as possible today.

Prep time : 30 min (if you’re making the crust, otherwise 10 min)
Cooking time : 20 min (for the pie crust)
Serves : 8
1 x 20cm/8in spring form tin

INGREDIENTS:


For the base:
• 1 x super simple pastry dough recipe or store bought ready pie crust
• 100 gr./ 3.5 oz. dark or milk chocolate (whichever you prefer) chopped
For the caramel filling:
• 1 x can 397gr./14oz. Dulce de Leche or creamy thick caramel from a jar
For the topping:
• 300ml/10fl oz. double cream
• 3 medium bananas, peeled and sliced
• 100 gr./ 3.5 oz. dark or milk chocolate (whichever you prefer)

METHOD:

1. Line the base of a 20cm/8in spring form tin with baking paper.
2. To make the base, follow the recipe for pie crust and bake accordingly. Let cool.
3. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between until completely melted. Spread over the pie crust base and place in the freezer until set. This will only take 15 minutes or so.
4. For the filling, simply spread a can of dulce de leche over the chocolate.
5. Whip the cream in a bowl until soft peaks form.
6. Arrange the banana slices in neat rounds on top of the toffee. Spoon or pipe the cream on top and level. Set in the fridge for an hour.
7. Decorate with chocolate shavings or sprinkles.* see note

Note: I have a little trick for the chocolate shavings that I use all the time. Unwrap a chocolate bar and place it on a plate, flat side up. Place it in the microwave.
Set on defrost program and run for 30 to 60 seconds. Then take a vegetable peeler and shave off the curls.

Enjoy!

PS: the wonders you can do with a can of Dulce de Leche….or otherwise caramel related recipes

If you make this Cheats Banoffee Pie recipe, be sure to leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you and if you love it, pin it. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! @thecookingspoonblog or hashtag it #thecookingspoonblog

Five Spice Chestnut Banana Bread with chocolate chips

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This very satisfying Five Spice Chestnut Banana Bread with chocolate chips is one of those quick breads that you want to bake every week, especially during colder months. With warming and fragrant spices that just brings joy by the smell they spread through the house while baking. Perfect for breakfast with a little butter, as a snack or even as a dessert. The five spice takes it to the next level. Wondering what five spice is?

Let me explain.

Chinese Five spice is a combination of the five basic flavours, sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (hearty/savoury).

The components of this wonderful spice mix are cinnamon, star anise, fennel, cloves and peppercorns. You can find the mix at most supermarkets. It’s a very versatile spice mix that can be used in sweet and savoury dishes.

INGREDIENTS

WET
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
• 1/2 cup/100 gr. light brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup mild olive oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup grated zucchini, don’t pack to measure, instead fit loosely in the cup. (about 1 medium/large zucchini)

DRY
• 1 cup/125gr. whole wheat flour
• 1 cup/125 gr all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. Chinese five spice
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup chocolate chips (optional but recommend)
• 1 cup cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped (vacuum pack or can, drained)

METHOD:

Heat the oven to 180C/350F. Lightly oil a 9×5-inch/23x13cm loaf tin and line with baking paper.

Place grated zucchini op clean kitchen towel, roll it up and squeeze and twist, to drain as much of the liquid as you can.
In the bowl of a standing mixer or a large mixing bowl, beat the mashed banana with the brown sugar, olive oil, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth.
In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, Chinese five spice and salt.

Add this to the wet batter and mix very slowly until just combined. Remove bowl from stand mixer.
Using a rubber spatula, fold in the zucchini, chestnuts and chocolate chips until just combined. Do not overmix

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with the spatula.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out dry(-ish). It is still supposed to be moist since it’s a banana zucchini bread, however there should not be any batter still sticking to the skewer.
Should the bread become too dark you can tent some foil over the top loosely.

Remove from oven once it is finished baking and let it cool on a rack for about 10 minutes, then remove from tin with the parchment paper and let cool completely before slicing.

Enjoy!