Dayrecipe Food Community

I love both the taste & the health benefits of Matcha tea. Not only do I enjoy drinking the tea but also baking with it – it is actually extremely versatile…why not give it a go? These little cakes are a gorgeous pale jade green colour & the extra sparkle on the top makes them perfect for a special occasion.

Makes 12-15 mini cakes

INGREDIENTS:

For the Mini Cakes

• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 medium free range eggs
• 2 cups self raising flour
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 lemon
• almost 1/2 cup skimmed milk
• 1.5-2 tsp matcha tea (Japanese green tea powder).

For the Buttercream Topping:

• 1 cup homemade or store bought buttercream
• 1 tsp matcha tea
• 1/2 tsp bronze edible glitter
• 1/4 tsp matcha tea

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the margarine, matcha tea, eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl. Using an electric hand held mixer beat the mixture until light and creamy.
2. Finely zest the lemon and add to the bowl along with the baking powder and salt.
3. Cut the lemon in half & squeeze the juice into a measurement cup, top up the lemon juice with the skimmed milk until you have a total of 1/2 cup of liquid.
4. Pour the milk mixture into the bowl & whisk on high for a few minutes.
5. Sift the flour & gradually add to the miture, mixing well until completely combined.
6. Set the oven to 180c & allow the mixture to sit until the oven is preheated, preferably 10-15 minutes.
7. Spoon the mixture into a muffin pan lined with paper cases (until two thirds full).
8. Place in the oven & cook for 22 minutes – or until just set & springy to the touch.
9. Once cooked, remove from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.
10. Once cooled, beat the matcha tea into the buttercream until it is an even green colour and fluffy consistency.
11. Spread a generous amount of the buttercream on top of each mini cake. Top with a sprinkling of matcha tea and the bronze glitter.

TIPS:

1. You can increase the matcha tea in the mini cakes by 1/2 tsp or more if you like a stronger taste & deeper green colour.
2. Try using lime instead of lemon for a slightly different citrus zing!

Yes, this recipe is just for ” Garlic Fiends “! This recipe results in the most amazing chicken I’ve ever eaten ~ juicy & moist & flavoursome. My parents wouldn’t stop talking about this chicken for a month after they ate it for lunch with us!

Serves 4-8

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken

• 2 – 2.5  kgs  chicken
• 1 head of garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup olive oil
•  1 large lemon, juice of
• 1/2 teaspoon sumac

Dipping Sauce

• 1 large egg, free range (& salmonella vaccinated if possible)
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I use fairly large cloves)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 pinch sumac, ground
• 1-2 tablespoon vinegar (I use malt)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 3/4 cups sunflower oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Grind garlic & salt to a paste in mortar or small food processor. Work olive oil, sumac & lemon to create creamy consistency – similar to mayo.
2. Make plenty of deep cuts in the chicken pieces - right down to the bone.
3. Place the chicken pieces & garlic sauce in a large ziploc bag. Close the bag massage the chicken for a few minutes before placing in the fridge overnight.
4. Grill the chicken pieces over a medium heat until the juices run totally clear, 12 – 15 minutes per side. I often grill it on my griddle / grill pan then transfer to the oven on 200 C for 15 minutes.
5. Once the chicken is cooked, set it aside to rest & make the sauce.
6. In a blender, food processor, or a jug with an immersion / stick blender (I use a Kenwood Wizzard), whizz the egg, salt, sumac & garlic.
7. Once they are completely blended, slowly add the oil in as thin a stream as you can manage. I find it easiest to pour the oil from a jug with a small spout. Pulse until the mayo thickens to your desired consistency – usually after 1 3/4 to 2 cups oil has been added. You can thin with a little extra oil if you wish.
8. Add the vinegar to taste & mix well with a spoon – add one tbsp & taste then add more if you wish.

TIPS:

1. Use you favourite chicken pieces for this, I like thighs & bone-in breast etc.
2. For the best bbq you’ve ever had, use this chicken & cook until done!

Inspired by Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’, here is a seriously delicious, moist & flavourful lemon cake. The purple rain here comes in the form of juicy fresh blueberries & tiny little poppy seeds. Serve with a cup of tea or freshly brewed coffee or even as a dessert with custard or ice cream!

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

• 8oz self raising flour
• 8oz margarine
• 6oz granulated white sugar
• 3 free range eggs
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 2 large lemons or 3 medium lemons
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds

 

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

1. Heat the margarine in the microwave or in a pan until just starting to soften & melt. Beat the sugar and the margarine together until creamy then beat in the eggs.
2. Add the flour and the baking powder and mix well to combine. You can sift these if you’re worried about lumps but it’s not essential to get a lot of air into the batter.
3. Gently mix in the blueberries. Finely grate the lemon zest and add to the batter, stirring well.
4. Finally, squeeze the lemons and stir the lemon juice into the rest of the ingredients.
5. Pour into a well greased cake tin – I use a round 12″ cake tin to produce a large cake around 1.5″ in height.
6. Bake in an oven preheated to 180c for 45 minutes.

 

 

TIP:

Finish the cake with a dusting of icing sugar or a generous helping of lemon drizzle icing (icing sugar mixed with lemon juice).

The “tart shells” are crisp meringues; they’re filled with a soft, mint-infused lemon cream. The meringue shells can be baked one day before serving the dessert.

Makes 8 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• meringues
• 4large egg whites
• 1/4teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1cup sugarfilling
• 1cup chilled whipping cream
• 84-inch-long fresh mint sprigs5large egg yolks
• 6tablespoons sugar
• 1/3cup fresh lemon juice
• 1tablespoon grated lemon peeladditional fresh mint sprigs

DIRECTIONS For meringues:
Preheat oven to 225°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff and glossy, about 8 minutes.

Using generous 1/3 cup meringue for each, scoop 8 dollops of meringue onto prepared baking sheet, spacing apart. Using back of spoon, make 2 1/2-inch-wide indentation in center of each meringue, spreading meringues to form 3 1/2-inch-diameter nests.

Bake meringues until crisp, about 1 1/2 hours. Cool. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

For filling:
Bring 1/2 cup cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 8 mint sprigs; remove from heat. Cover; let steep 30 minutes. Strain mixture into bowl; discard mint.

Combine egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon peel in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk constantly over medium-low heat until mixture thickens and instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers 160°F, about 5 minutes. Transfer custard to glass bowl; whisk in mint-infused cream. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.

Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1/2 cup cream in medium bowl until peaks form. Fold into lemon mixture. (Filling can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Spoon filling into meringue shells. Garnish with additional mint sprigs.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min

Makes 6 side-dish servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1lb thin green beans such as haricots verts, trimmed
• 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4teaspoon salt
• 1teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest

DIRECTIONS Cook beans in a 5-quart pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Drain and pat dry.

Toss beans with oil, salt, and pepper to taste, then toss with lemon juice and half of zest. Serve beans sprinkled with remaining zest.