Tag: fitness

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Almond Cake with Apricot Brandy Sauce

almond-cake-with-apricot-brandy-sauce-thumbnail

Serves:10

The cake owes its moist, spongy texture to the same thing that gives the sauce its luscious consistency: Kerrygold Irish Butter made with grass-fed cow’s milk. The soft, creamy butter does double duty in this dessert, and the result is a dish that’s twice as hard to forget.

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
  • 1/3 cup each: apricot preserves and sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups flour, divided
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 (7 oz) tube pure almond paste, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • Apricot Brandy Sauce:
  • 1/4 cup Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup peach brandy
  • 1/4 cup apricot preserves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly butter a 9-inch round cake pan; set aside. With a mixer, cream together the Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter and sugar until light and fluffy – about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, including yolk, beating well after each addition. Add the preserves, sour cream and extract and beat for 1 minute more. Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; lightly fold into the batter with almond paste. Spread evenly in prepared pan and sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the center of the cake is firm when the pan is lightly tapped. To prepare sauce, in a medium saucepan melt the Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter. Stir in brown sugar and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat for a few minutes more. Drizzle over cake slices.

http://kerrygoldusa.com/recipes/almond-cake-with-apricot-brandy-sauce

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Flahavans Oaty Lemon Squares

fla oaty lemon squares tw mar 16

Ingredients

  • 150g butter
  • 200g plain flour
  • 200g brown sugar
  • Zest and juice of 2 lemons
  • 150g Flahavan’s Progress Oatlets
  • 400g (1 can) condensed milk

Instructions

  • 1. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy in a mixer or food processor.
  • 2. Add the flour and oats and mix to form a dough; the texture will be crumbly.
  • 3. Line a 13” x 9” (32cm x 22cm) baking tray with parchment and firmly press out about 2/3 of the dough in the base of the tray.
  • 4. In a separate bowl combine the juice and zest of the lemons with the condensed milk.
  • 5. Spread the condensed milk and lemon mixture on top of the dough in the baking tray.
  • 6. Sprinkle the remaining dough over the top and press lightly.
  • 7. Bake in preheated oven at 180°C / 350°F / Gas mark 4 for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 150°C / 300°F / Gas mark 2 and bake for a further 20 minutes until golden in colour.
  • 8. Allow to cool and cut into small squares.

http://www.ilovecooking.ie/recipe/oaty-lemon-squares/

 

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Catherine Fulvio’s Courgette, Feta and Chive Tart

fulvio feta tart rte 8516

Health and taste come together in this delicious Courgette, Feta and Chive Tart. A wonderful pizza alternative by celebrity chef and Whirlpool ambassador, Catherine Fulvio.

INGREDIENTS

For the roasted vegetables

  • 2 medium red onions, sliced
  • 2 medium courgettes, sliced diagonally
  • 1 red pepper, sliced
  • 2 tbsp rape seed oil
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tbsp chives, chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 375g pack ready rolled puff pastry
  • 4 tbsp basil pesto
  • 180g ricotta
  • Egg wash, 1 egg and 2tbsp water
  • 60g feta, crumbled
  • Chive lengths, to garnish

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 (oC/fan) or 160 (oC/gas 4). Place the onions, courgettes and red pepper slices into a roasting pan and drizzle with oil, sprinkle over the paprika as well as the chives. Roast for about 15mins until just tender. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.
  2. Increase the temperature of the oven to 190 (oC/fan) 170 (oC/gas 3). Place the pastry on a piece of baking parchment onto a baking tray. Measure a 1 ½ cm edge around the pastry, using a sharp knife cut out the edge, carefully not to slice all the way through. Using a fork, prick the inner rectangle of the pastry and brush with egg wash. Bake for 20mins until golden. Remove from the oven and press the inner pastry rectangle down slightly.
  3. Combine the basil pesto and ricotta and spread over the pastry leave the edge.
  4. Arrange the roasted vegetable on top and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle over a little rapeseed oil. Sprinkle over the feta and bake for about 7 to 8 mins until the feta is slightly golden.
  5. Arrange the chive lengths on top and serve immediately.

Tip:
Any vegetables can be used like roasted sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes and artichokes and sprinkle over chopped rosemary.

Recipe courtesy of Whirlpool. http://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/food/recipes

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Chocolate Hazelnut Eclairs

Chocolate_Eclairs-5_hi_res

Ingredients:

  • For the choux pastry:
  • ½ stick of Kerrygold Unsalted Butter
  • ½ cup of water
  • ¾ cup of plain flour, sifted
  • 3 large free range eggs
  • For the crème patisserie:
  • 6 large free range egg yolks
  • ⅔ cup of sugar
  • ⅓ cup of cornflour
  • 2 cups of milk
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • ½ stick of Kerrygold Unsalted Butter
  • For the chocolate glaze:
  • ⅔ cup of good quality dark chocolate
  • ¼ cup of cream
  • ½ stick of Kerrygold Unsalted Butter
  • ½ cup of roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the butter and water in a saucepan and bring to a steady boil until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and add the flour, beating with a wooden spoon until a dough comes together. Place back over the heat and beat the dough in the saucepan for about 40 seconds. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  2. Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add the eggs little at a time, beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon until the egg is completely incorporated after each addition. You are looking to have a consistency that will hold its shape when piped. It should be smooth, shiny and just about fall from the spoon. You might not use all the egg.
  3. Using a spatula, scoop the dough into a large piping bag fitted with a large round piping nozzle and pipe 10cm lines on the lined baking sheets, leaving about 4cm in between each line to allow for spreading. Brush each one with a little leftover beaten egg.
  4. Place in the oven, reducing the heat to 375˚F for approximately 25 minutes until they have risen and are golden and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack and use a sharp pointed knife to pierce three holes on the underside of the buns. Allow to cool completely before filling.
  5. For the crème pâtissière, split the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds. Add this to a medium saucepan with the milk and place over a medium high heat. Bring to the boil and then turn off the heat. Scoop out the vanilla pod.
  6. While the milk is coming to the boil, place the sugar, cornflour and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and beat with a whisk until thick and pale.
  7. Pour the hot milk into the bowl, whisking quickly and continuously until it is smooth and incorporated. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place over a medium heat beating continuously until it has thickened.
  8. Transfer the crème pâtissière to a cold bowl, create a flat surface with the back of a spatula and wipe the top with little butter (this will prevent a skin forming). Cover directly with cling film and allow to cool completely.
  • 9   For the chocolate glaze, melt the dark chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of hot water. When the chocolate has melted remove the bowl from the heat and gently stir through the cream. Fold in the butter until you have a shiny, spreadable chocolate glaze.
  • 10  To assemble the eclairs, fill a piping bag, fitted with a small round nozzle, with the crème pâtissière and pipe into the holes on the underside of the choux buns. Spread the chocolate glaze over the top of each eclair and sprinkle with the roasted hazelnuts. Serve straight away or the eclairs will keep for 1 or 2 days in the fridge.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT ECLAIRS

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Apricot and Almond Cake with Oranges & Caramel

apricot-and-almond-cake-with-oranges-in-caramel

Ingredients

  • 225g butter
  • 225g sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 75g ground almonds
  • 100g plain flour
  • 100g dried apricots, chopped in the food processor
  • 3 Quality Assured large eggs, beaten

Oranges in caramel

  • 4 large oranges, peeled and sliced
  • 4 tablesp. sugar
  • 125ml water

To Cook

Set oven 180°C (350°F) Gas Mark 4.

Line a shallow 23cm cake tin with baking parchment.

Beat the butter and sugar together, until light and fluffy, add the lemon juice and ground almonds. Fold in the flour, apricots and eggs. Transfer the mixture to the lined cake tin, smooth the top and bake for approx. 35 mins., until firm to the touch.

 

Oranges in Caramel

Place the oranges in a flat dish, heat the sugar in a heavy pan, allow the sugar to brown add the water and boil until you have a caramel sauce. Pour it over the oranges. Serve with the cake.

 http://www.bordbia.ie/consumer/recipes/desserts/pages/apricotandalmondcakewithorangescarmel.aspx