No Bake Chocolate Truffle Torte

This one is a great Friday bake!  It’s the end of the week and we’re all a bit tired.  Chocolate will help.  Specifically a No Bake Chocolate Truffle Torte!  All of the flavour, none of the faff!

It’s a biscuit based crust with a smooth and silky chocolate ganache centre.  Yum!

Look at those frills!  This makes an excellent centrepiece dessert, or even an afternoon tea… I may have had it for lunch at one point too… shh!!

It’s quick, it’s simple, its packed full of chocolate.  You should definitely make this!

Makes 1 8″ torte

300g chocolate biscuits (I actually used some of my Easy Chocolate Biscuits but you could use store bought too)
150g plain dark chocolate
150ml double cream
350g plain dark chocolate, broken into chunks
15g butter
50g white chocolate to decorate

• Crush the biscuits into crumbs.  You can leave some chunks if you like but I prefer crumbs.
• Melt the first 150g chocolate and mix with the biscuits.
• Press evenly into a fluted ring (the one I use doesn’t have a base, it rests on a baking sheet and lifts off). Use the back of a spoon for a smooth surface.
• Heat the double cream in a small pan until at a full rolling boil.
• Put the 350g chocolate and butter in a mixing bowl.
• Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter.
• Leave it for a minute or two, then mix to form a smooth ganache with no lumps.  The cream should be hot enough to melt all of the chocolate if you squish it against the side of the bowl.
• Pour the ganache into the biscuit shell.
• Melt the white chocolate and drizzle or pipe over the top of the ganache to decorate.
• Leave to set for at least 1 hour before serving.
  

Cheats flatbreads

Coming to an end of my Indian theme I wanted something quick and easy to accompany my meal, the Fritters were doing a good Yorkshire Pudding substitute but I just felt that it needed a flatbread to accompany it.  I could have made up some dough without too much hassle but with everything else going on in the kitchen I just wasn’t in the mood.  I had a can of bread roll dough in the fridge so I improvised!

They worked brilliantly!  Perfectly portioned, beautifully fluffy inside.  This is a cheat I’m sure to turn to again as it was effortless!

1 can of dough for 6 bread rolls

• Roll out each “roll” on a lightly floured worksurface.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan.
• Place the dough in the pan and fry for about 2 minutes on each side until the dough is firm and browned on both sides.
• Place the cooked flatbread on a paper towel and keep on a plate in a warm oven until the rest are done.
• Repeat with the remaining dough, topping up the oil as necessary.

Channa Masala

This recipe for Channa Masala is a brilliant one to have in your repetoir.  It makes a delicious meal in its own right or a brilliant accompaniment to a large meal.

It also makes a wonderful fast day option as it is so filling and extremely satisfying on its own!

2 tbsp sunflower oil
20g butter
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp lemon juice
2x 400g tins tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
2x 400g tins chickpeas, drained

• Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan or deep frying pan.
• Cook the onion and garlic until soft.
• Add the spices and cook for a minute longer
• Add the lemon juice, tomatoes,  puree and chickpeas and simmer on a low heat, stirring occasionally for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour.
• The sauce should be slightly reduced and nicely glossy and thick.
• Serve immediately or this also freezes really well!

Saag Aloo

I’ve never actually eaten Saag Aloo before so I don’t really know how this recipe compares to others.  What I can say is that I found it absolutely delicious and I will definitely be cooking it again!

I will especially be deploying it when my dad cooks curry.  I love spices and the breadth of flavours they bring.  I am not a fan of blowing your head of with heat!  My Dad believes that the hotter a curry is the better.  The potatoes and spinach in this Saag Aloo work to cut down on the spice level but still with a fantastic depth of flavour in its own right.

Serves 4

2 tbsp sunflower oil
20g butter
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chilli
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp coriander leaf
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp Nigella seeds
500g potatoes, cubed ~1cm
200g spinach

• Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan until bubbling.
• Add the onion and garlic and cook with the lid on for about 3 minutes until the onion is soft.
• Add the spices and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the potatoes and just enough boiling water to cover them 3/4 the way up.
• Simmer with the lid on for 20-30 minutes until a sharp knife pierces the potato softly.
• Add the spinach and give it a stir to wilt.
• Serve with whatever you wish!

Spicy Indian Roast Chicken

I decided to shake things up a bit last weekend!  Instead of the normal roast chicken and veg I decided to stretch my culinary wings and do Spicy Indian Roast Chicken with Indian side dishes.

It was a big hit and leftovers worked brilliantly in wraps and sandwiches!  I used a simple dry spice rub to get a bit of flavour in to the meat.  Easy to do, the only tricky part is getting the rub under the breast skin but that’s just because I’m squeamish about it!

1 large chicken
2 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground coriander

• Heat the oven to gas mark 5 / 190C.
• Place the chicken in a suitable roasting pan.
• Make a few scores in the skin of the legs.
• Mix all of the spices together in a small bowl.
• Rub all over the chicken.
• To get the rub under the breast gently skin pull the skin up from the opening and snip the centre join to form one large pocket.
• Carefully rub the rub inside the pocket.
• Roast for 25 minutes per pound + 25 extra.  Since you’ll likely be using kg here is the maths for a 2 kg chicken:
  2 x 2.2 = 4.4 x 25 =110 + 25 = 135 minutes   So 2 hours 15 minutes cooking time.