Tag: oven

Pear Bircher muesli with pecans and ginger

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Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Skill level: Easy peasy
Costs: Cheap as chips

The beauty of Bircher is that you don’t have to stand over a stove to cook it and lose some of your porridge to the bottom of the pan. An overnight of soaking the oats in the fridge means dishing up quickly in the morning, leaving you more time to get ready for the day – or maybe even spend an extra hour in bed! We’ve gone for a twist on the apple variety using pear instead, with an added crunchy topping made with pecans, ginger and maple syrup. Yum!

Ingredients

3 dessert pears, peeled, cored and then grated
1tsp ground ginger
300g porridge oats
650ml mixed apple and pear juice
4tbsp maple syrup
1tbsp sunflower oil
1 ball stem ginger, chopped finely plus a tbsp of syrup from the jar
75g pecan halves, roughly chopped
30g sultanas

That’s goodtoknow

Bircher muesli is easy to play around with and adapt. Try out different fruit combos to see what you’d like and even squeeze in one of your five a day!

Method

In a large bowl, combine the grated pear and ground ginger. Add the oats and juice, stir well and then leave overnight.
Whilst the oats are soaking make your crunchy topping. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F/175°C/Electric Fan 160°C/Gas Mark 4 and prepare a baking tray with baking paper. Combine the two syrups, oil and then add the pecans and chopped ginger. Spread on the baking tray and pop in the oven.
After 10 mins take the tray out, give it a quick stir and add the sultanas. Give it another little stir and put back into the oven for another 10 mins. Remove from the oven, cool and then transfer to an airtight container until ready to use.
About 30-45 mins before you’re ready to plate up, take the soaked oats out of the fridge so it gets close to room temp. Dish up into bowls and then scatter on the pecan and ginger topping. Drizzle over some extra maple syrup if you’d like, then serve.

By Nadine Brown

What do you think of this recipe? Leave us your comments, twists and handy tips.

Rose meringues

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Makes: 12
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 1 hr
Total time: 1 hr 10 mins
Skill level: Easy peasy
Costs: Cheap as chips

These rose meringue nests have a subtle rose flavour that makes them a great summer dessert. They’re delicate, light and easy to make. Serve with fresh berries, whipped cream and drizzle in chocolate sauce for the perfect finish. These are perfect for making as food gifts for a friend. Just wrap them into an airtight bag and tie with a ribbon.

Ingredients

220g caster sugar
4 egg whites
1tbsp rosewater
50g chopped pistachios

That’s goodtoknow

Sandwich 2 together with whipped cream and sprinkle with Pistachios for a quick easy dessert.

Method

Preheat oven to 235F/120C/Fan 100C/Gas Mark 2 and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment.
Put the sugar into a large bowl and pour the egg white on top
Whisk with an electric whisk until the mixture is glossy and forms stiff peaks
Add the rosewater and whisk for another 2 minutes
Either pipe or spoon mounds onto the baking sheet
Bake for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and allow to cool fully with the oven door slightly ajar

By Bronya Seifert

What do you think of this recipe? Leave us your comments, twists and handy tips.

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Baked Mushroom Risotto – Why Stir When You Can Stare at an Oven?

It’s not often that I post a video for an alternative method on a classic recipe before I’ve actually shown the real deal, but
that’s what we have with this incredible baked mushroom risotto.

I was playing around with a baked paella recipe, and began
wondering what would happen if I used a similar method for doing risotto. As
you’ll see, the beginning and the end of the recipe are pretty standard, but
we’ve taken the middle 15 minutes and moved it into the oven, in an attempt to
eliminate those dreaded “variables.”

The size, shape, and thickness of your pan, how fast you add
the liquid, and how high your heat is are factors that can wildly affect the
outcome when done on the stovetop. By using the oven for the majority of the
cooking, we don’t have as many things to worry about.

Of course, you still need to finish this thing off yourself,
and taste and test for doneness and seasoning, but that goes for any recipe. The
goal is to have the rice come out of the oven between 80-90% cooked, so that
all it takes is a final addition of liquid, and a few minutes of stirring to
recreate that signature “sauce” that makes this dish so famous.

I used a variety of risotto rice called “Carnaroli,” which is
known as “the king of rices.” Thanks to a higher starch content and
slightly longer grain, Carnaroli produces a beautifully creamy sauce, while
still maintaining a firm, toothsome texture. You should be able to find it
fairly easily at those fancy grocery stores, but if not, it’s readily available
online.

If you end up using Arborio rice, the most popular variety
sold for risotto, I’d suggest checking this after 10 minutes in the oven, as I
suspect it will cook slightly quicker than the Carnaroli. Besides, you can
always cook it an extra few minutes at the end. As many of us have learned the
hard way, you can’t un-cook something.

Besides being easier and more repeatable, this method
produced a risotto that was identical in looks, taste, and texture to anything
I can do on the stove. Having said that, I enjoy standing at the stove making
risotto the traditional way, as it’s one of the best meditations ever, so it
will be interesting to see which method I use the next time I’m craving the
dish.

Anyway, whether you’ve always been afraid to try risotto, or
you’ve mastered it and are just curious, I hope you give this a try soon.
Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

3 tbsp butter

3 cups diced mushrooms

1/2 yellow onion, diced

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

1 cup Carnaroli or Arborio rice

2 1/2 cups chicken broth, plus more if desired

1/2 cup cream, plus a few tablespoons to finish

1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (don’t use that
fake crap)

2 tbsp sliced chives