Cheat's Christmas Ice-cream Bombe

From Sainsbury's Magazine

Serves 8-10

For the Bombe
400g butter brioche loaf
200ml double cream
75g dried cranberries
75g ready to eat dried apricots, chopped
75g pistachios (or other nuts), chopped
75g dark chocolate, finely chopped

For the Coating (make double if you want enough to serve with sauce)
125g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
150ml double cream
1 tbsp light muscavado sugar

Cut the brioche into strips, reserving a large slice for the bottom of the bombe
Use these to line a deep pudding basin, approx 22cm diameter
Whip the cream to soft peaks, fold in the other bombe ingredients (reserve some nuts for decorating if wished)
Spoon into the brioche-lined pudding bowl
Cover with cling-film, freeze for at least 3 hours

To make the coating, put cream and sugar in a pan and bring just to boil
Pour over the chocolate to melt it and mix well
Leave sauce to cool until it starts to thicken
Take the bombe out of the freezer, and turn onto non-stick baking paper on a plate
Spread the chocolate mixture over it
Decorate with edible glitter, stars, nuts or grated chocolate
Freeze for at least 1 hour
Take out of freezer 45 mins before serving and transfer to a serving plate
Heat remaining sauce if you made double quantity and drizzle over slices of the bombe to serve

Paella style rice with chicken and olives, serves 6, Prep 10mins, Total 1hour

1/2 tsp saffron strands
1 litre chicken stock
2 skinless chicken breast fillets
300g skinless chicken fillets
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
200g skinned chopped tomatoes, fresh or a tin
400g short-grain paella rice
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 x 280g jar chargrilled artichokes in oil, drained
50g good-quality pitted black olives, halved if large

1) Shake the saffron strands around in a hot frying pan for a few seconds until dry but not coloured then tip into a mortar or cup and grind to a powder with a pestle or a wooden spoon. Add a flash of the chicken stock and set aside.
2) Cut each chicken breast into 5 chunky pieces and each chicken thigh into 3 pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large, deep nonstick frying pan (about 30cm) over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken and fry until golden brown and almost cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
3) Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and fry the onion gently until soft and lightly golden. Stir in the garlic and paprika and fry for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and fry for 2-3 minutes until softened then stir in saffron mixture and the stock, season to taste then bring to the boil.
4) Sprinkle the rice and parsley into the pan, stir lightly to evenly distribute the rice, then scatter over the chicken, artichokes and olives. Shake the pan gently so they all bed down slightly into the rice. Lower the heat and leave to simmer for 6 minutes then gently for a further 14 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender but still has a little bite. Remove from the heat, cover with a large teatowel and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Taken from SAINSBURY's magazine

Christmas Eve food

What is suitable food for Christmas Eve? We had stuffed aubergines, meat balls and baked potatoes...random but yummy.

Chocolate Ginger Cake

Cake
150g Caster Sugar
150g Butter (unsalted)
3 Large Eggs
3 Tablespoons of Golden Syrup
150g Self-raising Flour
35g Coc0a Powder
100g of finely chopped Ginger or Ginger powder
3 Tablespoons of Almond flakes (optional)
2-3 Tablespoons of White Chocolate drops

Icing (optional)
100g Crystallised Ginger
100g Dark Chocolate pieces

Cooking
Oven Temp: 180oC/gas mark 4
18 or 20cm round cake tin

Cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. In a separate bowl, slowly warm the Golden syrup over hot water (heatproof bowl over warm water in a saucepan) and add the ginger and almond flakes, mix well and pour into the mixture. Sift the flour and cocoa into the mixture and mix well. Once the mixture is well mixed gently fold the white chocolate drops into the mixture.

Pour into the cake tin and bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave it in the tin for a few minutes to cool before turning it out on to a wire rack.

To make the icing, finely chop the ginger. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Add the ginger and stir well. Once the cake has cooled pour the icing over the cake.

Based on recipe found in Green & Black's Chocolate Recipes book

Tiffin (or refrigerator cake), makes 15 portions

Makes approx 15 portions

a) 225g/8oz butter

(approx whole bar)

b) 2 tbs sugar

c) 4 tbs cocoa

d) 2 tbs golden syrup

e) 110g/4oz mixed fruit

-------------------------

f) 325g/12oz crushed biscuits (digestives or fruit shortcake)

g) 225g/8oz milk choc

(this is a min amount, double amount for more choc on top J)

1) Melt a)-e) in a saucepan over a moderate heat until all melted

2) Add f) and stir well

3) Press into a lined “swiss roll tin” (with bake well or greaseproof) approx 19cm x 30cm until mixture all flattened out

4) Leave on one side

5) Meanwhile melt chocolate in a Pyrex bowl over simmering water

6) Pour choc over mixture and spread out so all of base is covered

7) Leave for 15 mins

8) Use a small sharp knife to score into portions

9) Leave in tin and put in fridge for an hour

10) Break up into portions… if stored must be refrigerated

Rocky Road Bars, (makes 16)

225g/8oz butter
115g/4oz dark chocolate coarsely broken up
30ml/2 tbs caster sugar
30ml/2 tbs golden syrup
30ml/2 tbs cocoa powder
350g/12oz mixed digestive biscuits and ginger nuts
50g/2oz marshmallows
75g/3oz mixed white and milk choc chips

1) Line a 20cm/8in, about 2cm/1 inch deep square cake tin with baking parchment. Melt butter, chocolate, sugar, syrup and cocoa gently over a low heat until melted (or microwave, stirring every 20 seconds).

2) Put the biscuits in a large plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin. Stir into mixture with marshmallows and choc chips mixing everything well together.

3) Spoon mixture into tin but don't press down; should look like a Rocky Road! Chill for at least an hour.

4) Remove from tin and cut into 16 bars. If you like, dust with icing sugar before serving.

Chocolate Biscotti (makes 16)

Ingredients:
1 egg
100g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
125g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
50g plain chocolate, chopped roughly
50g toasted flaked almonds
50g pine nuts

• Pre-heat oven to Gas 4/180 C/ 350F
• Grease a large baking sheet
• Whisk the egg, sugar and vanilla essence into a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until it is thick and pale, ribbons of mixture should trail from the whisk as you lift it.
• Sieve the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a separate bowl, then sieve into the egg mixture and fold in gently, Stir in the chocolate, almonds and pine nuts.
• Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and shape into a flat log about 23cm/9 inches long and 1 1/2 cm or 3/4 inch high. Transfer onto a baking sheet.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes until firm.
• Transfer to a cutting board. use a serrated knife to cut into slices about 1 cm.or 1/2 inch thick and arrange onto the baking sheet. Cook for 10-15 minutes, turning half way through the cooking time.
• Leave to cool for 5 minutes on the tray, then transfer to a wire rack. 

Welcome to the first blog posting for "sharing the useful." What will be shared on this blog? Anything useful but focussing mainly on things of the cooking variety. The content of the blog is going to come from "us" rather than "me." It is being set up as a multiuser blog where, if you register, you can post your own contributions. If you are interested in doing this then please contact me. To start with, an easy recipe for a last minute Christmas present...yum!