Basics: Lazy Chili Sauce

Lazy Chili Sauce

When I make this, I make 5 - 8 times the recipe given. I would make at least double, as you will only produce about one or two jars (which is definitely not enough as this sauce is amazing!).

I am lazy and can't be bothered coring and cutting fresh tomatos into small pieces. If you want to use up ripe tomatoes just weigh how many you have and adjust the recipe to suit.

Ingredients:
400 g Tomatos (1 Can of Plum Tomatoes Whole or Crushed)
1 Medium Whole Chili, With Green Top Removed
2 Tablespoons Thai Fish Sauce
3/4 Cup Malt Vinegar
1 1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Thumb Size Piece of Ginger

1. Place 1/4 can of tomatoes, chilis, fish sauce, vinegar, garlic and ginger into the food processor and liquidise.

2. Place rest of tomato into a large saucepan. If you are using whole canned tomato's, run a knife around the saucepan to break the tomato's into smaller pieces.

3. Add sugar, and liquidised tomato mixture into saucepan and simmer for at least 20 minutes. The sauce mixture volume should reduce by approximately a fifth and it should look nice and syrupy. If you are making multiple quantities, this process of simmering could take up to an hour depending on the volume.

4. Pour mixture into sterilised jars. Cover with jam covers and when cool jar lids (this is the same process that is followed with jam and described in the link following http://ppbluecuisine.blogspot.com/2011/02/basics-plum-jam.html).

Dessert: Mums Pavlova

Mums Pavlova

Pav is a kiwi favourite, however in our family this is our favourite recipe.

Ingredients:
3 Eggs Whites
1 ¼ Sugar
1 Teaspoon Malt Vinegar
3 Teaspoon Cornflour
Pinch Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste 
3 Tablespoon Water (cold)

1.Preheat oven to 150C.

2. Beat egg whites very stiff, add water and beat.

3. Add sugar gradually beating well.

4. Lastly mix in the cornflour, salt, vinegar and vanilla.

5. Wet lunch paper (double) and put on cold oven tray – put mixture on wet side (Baking paper could be used instead of lunch paper and would not require wetting).

6. Turn oven down to 130C and cook for about one hour.

7. Allow to cool for five minutes before turnning onto plate (I prefer not to turn mine upside down, but this requires using a fish flip to loose the bottom of thr pav from the paper and gentley sliding off. 

8. Serve, when cool, with cream, berries, vanilla pears or however desired.

 

Baking: Vanilla Bean Meringues

Vanilla Bean Meringues

These are used every Christmas to make a meringue mountain with cream and berries

(off course minus the blue food colouring!)

At the bottom you can see a blue meringue topping a White Chocolate, Raspberry and Gingernut Cheesecake laced with Butterscotch. This recipe will be shared in a later post.

Ingredients:
6 Egg Whites
2 Cups Castor Sugar
1 Teaspoon Natural Vanilla Essence
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste (optional– don’t panic if you don’t have it)
1 Teaspoon Malt Vinegar
2 Teaspoons Cornflour

1 Teaspoon Blue Food Colouring (if you feel so inclined)

Preheat oven to 115C.

In a large metal bowl beat egg whites until soft peaks form using an electric beater.

Gradually add caster sugar (teaspoon at a time), Beat in vanilla paste, essence, vinegar and cornflour.

Spoon mixture onto baking tray, and bake in an oven for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes turn off oven and leave meringues in there to cool down and dry out.

Below is a Jaffa Mouse as well as a White Chocolate, Raspberry and Ginngernut  Cheescake laced with Butterscotch  topped with a blue Vanilla Bean Meringue ( I will share the mouse and cheesecake recipes with you later)