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Odlums Christmas Chocolate Yule Log

compressed-Yule-Log

Ingredients

75g/3oz Odlums Cream Plain Flour (less 2 tablespoons)

3 Eggs (separated)

Pinch of Salt

75g/3oz Caster Sugar

2 tablespoons Cocoa

1 level teaspoon Baking Powder

Filling & Icing

Filling & Icing

125g/4oz Tubbed margarine

225g/8oz Icing Sugar (sieved)

2 tblsp cocoa (sieved)

250ml carton of Cream

To Decorate

Icing Sugar and Holly Sprigs

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Line a swiss roll tin 28cm x 18cm/11” x 7” with greaseproof paper.
  2. Put the egg whites into a large clean dry bowl, add a pinch of salt. Beat until mixture is stiff and dry looking in appearance. Add the sugar and continue beating until thick and shiny. Finally beat in egg yolks until thick and trail of beaters remain. Sieve the flour, cocoa and baking powder together and gradually add to the egg mixture folding it in with a metal spoon.
  3. Transfer to the prepared tin and spread evenly. Bake for 10 minutes. Lay a sheet of greaseproof paper dusted with caster sugar on the work surface. When the cake is baked, turn it onto the paper, remove the lining paper, and trim the edges with a sharp knife. Roll the cake up from its longest edge with the paper inside. Leave to cool.
  4. Make the icing: Beat margarine, sugar and cocoa together until smooth.
  5. Whisk the cream until stiff. Remove the paper from the cake, spread the cream and carefully roll up again into a log.
  6. Cut a thick diagonal slice from one end of the log. Lift the log onto a plate, then arrange the slice on the side with the diagonal cut against the cake to make a “branch”.
  7. Spread the icing over the “log” and the “branch” (don’t cover the ends).
  8. Use a fork to mark the icing to give the effect of tree bark. Dust with icing sugar to resemble snow and decorate with holly leaves.
  9. Note: for larger ‘log’ make 2 sponge rolls and use one as tree and the other as the branch.

http://odlums.ie/recipes/yule-log/

 

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Blackberry & Walnut Teabread

BlackberryWalnutTeabread`

Ingredients:

350g/12oz Odlums Cream Plain Flour
50g/2oz Margarine (room temperature)
150ml/¼ pt milk
2 Eggs
125g/4oz Sugar
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
50g/2oz Shamrock Chopped Walnuts
Rind of Lemon
150g/5oz Blackberries

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 190°F/375°F/Gas 5. Grease and base line a 900g/2lb Loaf tin.
  2. Put the margarine, milk, eggs and sugar into a bowl and beat well together.
  3. Stir in the flour, baking powder, walnuts and lemon rind. Finally fold in the blackberries.
  4. Transfer to prepared tin and smooth top.
  5. Bake for about 40 minutes until risen and firm to the touch. Gently insert a knife into the deepest part of the bread and it should come out clean.
  6. Turn onto a wire tray to cool.

http://odlums.ie/recipes/blackberry-walnut-teabread/

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Rachel’s panna cotta with raspberries

panna-cotta-gd

Serves 4-6.

You will need:

300ml (10fl oz) cream

25g (1oz) caster sugar

1 vanilla pod, split, see my Tip, above

1 leaf of gelatine

Fresh raspberries, to serve

Mint leaves, to serve

Put the cream, the caster sugar and the split vanilla pod in a saucepan and slowly bring up to a simmer. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse.

Meanwhile, put the gelatine leaf into a bowl with just enough water to cover it. After 4-5 minutes it will have softened completely. At that point, take the softened gelatine out of the water and put it into the saucepan with the hot cream mixture. Remove the vanilla pod. Whisk gently until the gelatine dissolves. If the cream has cooled down too much, you might need to reheat it slightly with the gelatine in it. Pour the panna cotta into ramekins or glasses, then place them in the fridge for about two hours until the panna cotta is set. Serve with fresh raspberries and mint leaves.

http://www.rachelallen.com/post/panna-cotta-raspberries

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Simple & Tasty Energy Bars

fla energy bar

We love this sports and nutrition article by The 42! Say goodbye to energy gels with thanks to their oat based Energy Bar recipe! ‪#‎EnergyForLife‬

Ingredients:

  • 250g oats
  • 200g sliced almonds
  • 100g chocolate chips
  • Peanut butter (half a cup)
  • Honey (1/4 cup)
  • Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)

Method

 

  1. Line a shallow baking tray with greaseproof baking paper.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine the oats, almonds, chocolate chips and whisk to combine. A blender is probably a better option than using a whisk.
  3. Mix the peanut butter, vanilla extract and honey separately, again using a blender if you need to.
  4. Pour the first mixture into second and use a spoon to combine the two together. You are finished when there are no remaining dry oats.
  5. The drier the mixture, the more firm the bars will be, so stir in extra oats if the mixture seems wet.
  6. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking tray.
  7. Use your spoon to arrange the mixture fairly evenly and pack the mixture down as firmly and evenly as possible.
  8. Cover it and store in the fridge overnight.
  9. Slice the bars into your desired size and voilá!

http://www.the42.ie/no-bake-energy-bars-recipe-2436885-Nov2015/

 

 

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Creamy mushroom, fennel & pea stroganoff

Creamy-Mushroom-with-Avonmore-Cooking-Cream-DSC_0263-266x266

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp olive oll
  • 3 finely sliced shallots
  • 1 finely sliced fennel
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 350g button mushrooms, quartered
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 150ml vegetable stock
  • 1 tbsp tamari
  • 1 tub Avonmore Cooking Cream
  • 70g frozen peas
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • Small handful of broccoli shoots
  • Quinoa or basmati rice to serve

Directions

Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan and soften the shallots, fennel and garlic for 5 minutes, and remember to keep stirring.

Add the mushrooms and cook on a high heat for 3 minutes, stirring regularly. Sprinkle over the paprika and mix well. Pour in the vegetable stock and tamari.

Bring to the boil and bubble for about 5 minutes, or unti the sauce reduced to a thick sauce.

Remove from the heat and stir through the Avonmore Cooking Cream, lemon juice and peas.

Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Garnish with the broccoli shoots and serve with quinoa or wholegrain basmati rice.

Tip: When cooking the quinoa add a 1/4 teaspoon of ground turmeric for an apetising colour. If you prefer you can use wholegrain basmati rice instead of the quinoa.

http://cookwithavonmore.ie/recipe/creamy-mushroom-fennel-pea-stragnoff/