Tasty Tuesday

Some more recipes from my culled cookbooks. I've been surprised at how easy they were. A lot of the recipes I pin are quite complicated and have a tonne of ingredients, but these are simple and mostly use the things I already have in my cupboard or fridge.

I thought I'd do a couple of sweets to start off...

Hazelnut Caramel Slice
200g butter, chopped
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1t vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 1/2 cups plain flour
200g dark eating chocolate, melted, cooled

Caramel Filling
180g butter, chopped
1/2 cup caster sugar
2T golden syrup
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 cups whole hazelnuts, roasted

Preheat oven to moderately slow. Grease 20x30cm pan, line base with two long sides.

Combine butter and cocoa powder in medium saucepan; stir over a low heat until smooth. Add sugar; stir until dissolved. Remove from heat; add vanilla, egg and sifted flour, mix well. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Bake in oven for 20 minutes, cool.

Quickly spread caramel filling (see below) evenly over base; refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until firm. Combine chocolate and oil in small bowl, spread over caramel filling; refrigerate until set.

Caramel Filling
Combine butter, sugar, syrup and condensed milk in medium saucepan; stir over low heat until butter is melted. Increase heat to medium and simmer, stirring about 10 minutes or until mixture is a dark caramel colour. Remove from heat and stir in hazelnuts.

I whacked this next yummy slice together in a morning with two whingy girls hanging off me and it was still yummy. Gotta love anything lemon.

Tangy Lemon Squares
125g butter
1/4 cup icing sugar mixture
1 1/4 cups plain flour
3 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
2t grated lemon rind
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to moderate. Grease a 23cm square pan, line base and two opposite sides of pan with baking paper.

Beat butter and icing sugar in a small bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of flour. Press mixture over base of prepared pan. Bake in moderate oven about 15 minutes or until browned lightly.

Place eggs, caster sugar, remaining flour, rind and juice in medium bowl, whisk until combined. Pour egg mixture over hot base. Bake in moderate oven about 20 minutes or until firm. Cool in pan.

Lift slice from pan and cut into pieces. Dust with sifted icing sugar.

Grilled chicken, brie and avocado on ciabatta
2 chicken breast fillets
4 thick slices ciabatta
1/3 cup sweet chilli sauce
50g baby rocket leavevs
100g brie, cut into 4 slices
1 small avocado, sliced thinly

Halve chicken pieces diagonally and slice through each piece horizontally (to make 8 pieces). Cook in heated, oiled grill pan until chicken is browned both sides and cooked through.

Toast bread, both sides in the same grill pan.

Spread half the sauce over toast slices; top with rocket, chicken, cheese then avocado. Drizzle with remaining sauce.

Grilled pork chops with apple and onion plum sauce
2 medium apples
1T olive oil
1 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges
4 pork loin chops
1/2 cup plum sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock

Cut each unpeeled, uncored apple horizontally into four slices. Heat oil in grill pan; cook apple and onion, turning until softened.

Cook chops in heated oiled grill pan until cooked.
Stir sauce, juice and stock into apple mixture, simmer 1 minute.
Serve Pork chops with sauce.