YaDa Chef Private and Personal Chefs

Ingredients For the crackling crust: 6 ounces ground almonds 1 egg white 2 ounces caster sugar (superfine) For the topping: 8 ounces plain chocolate, grated 1 pint plus 4 ounces (2 1/2 cups) double cream (or heavy cream) To decorate: Toasted almonds Yellow rose petals Directions Work the ground almonds, egg white, and sugar into a paste and knead into a ball. On a sugared surface, roll out to a round large enough to line an 8-inch nonstick flan tin, 1/4-inch thick and leave to dry for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the rested pastry in the tin and decorate the edges with the finger and thumb technique. Line with foil (but no baking beans) and bake blind for 20 to 25 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid scorching. Leave to cool. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over hot water, then mix in the cream, stirring all the time to prevent splitting. Remove from the heat and, as the chocolate starts to set, beat the mixture to a light

This brownie recipe is an adaption of a mid-to-late-19th century brownie or fudge square recipe (it all depends on who you ask). This recipe was written before the invention of baking powder, so no leavening agents are used.. 1/2 cup/115g unsalted butter 1 cup/192g raw granulated sugar 2 large eggs, room temperature 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon/2ml pure Madagascar vanilla extract 6 tablespoons/42g dark chocolate baking (unsweetened) cocoa 2 tablespoons/30ml grapeseed oil 1/2 cup/63g all purpose flour Preheat oven to 350F/176C/Gas 4 Cream butter and sugar well. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well. Add remaining ingredients in order listed, mixing well after adding each. Pour into a generously greased 8 inch by 8 inch/20cm x 20cm glass pan, in a moderate oven, 350 degree fahrenheit, for 20-30 minutes. Cut into squares when cooled. ** You can substitute the raw sugar for regular granulated sugar, regular baking cocoa for the dark chocolate, and vegetable oil for

3 cups/750ml chopped summer fruit, such as peeled and pitted peaches or nectarines, strawberries or pitted cherries 5 tablespoons sugar 1 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 2 tablespoons/30ml heavy cream 2 rolled out 9-inch pie dough Preheat the oven to 375F/190C/Gas 5 On a floured surface, roll out dough until about 1/8-in thick. Cut into twelve (5-inch) circles, rerolling dough as needed.  In a medium bowl, toss together fruit, sugar and flour. (Do this just before filling the pies; if done too far in advance, the mixture can get too juicy. Use less or more sugar, as desired, depending on fruit’s natural sweetness.)  Working one at a time, spoon some filling into the center of a circle of dough; brush edges with water.  Fold over into a half moon and crimp edges to seal, then cut a small slit in the middle as an air vent. Brush top with heavy cream. Bake on a large, parchment-paper-lined baking sheet until golden brown, about 35 minutes. pers

Sometimes  “old” classic recipes are the best.  This recipe has to be from  at least  the 1950’s.  It was found whilst cleaning out my Nanna’s (Nonna’s) kitchen.   No need to have McIntosh apples any good baking apple will do.  Since the bottom is the top you can arrange  a couple of apples before pouring in the first amount of batter.   5 apples, peeled, sliced, cored 1/2 cup/85g granulated sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons/7ml ground cinnamon Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over apples in a medium sized bowl.  Toss to coat all the apple pieces and let sit while making the batter. 3 cups/298g all purpose flour 2 cups/383g granulated sugar 1 teaspoon/5ml baking soda 2 teaspoons/10ml baking powder 1 cup/250ml vegetable oil 4 large eggs 1/3 cup/80ml orange juice (we used triple sec) 2 teaspoons/10ml pure vanilla extract Greased bundt/tube pan Pre-heat oven to 350F/176C/Gas Mark 4 In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, baking soda,

A staple in most Greek and Middle Eastern restaurants and bakeries.  There is no mention of it until  after 1299, which is the beginning of the Ottoman Empire.  Filo/a dough originated in what is now Turkey, but it is the Greeks that refined it into the paper thin dough we know today.  In Greece, baklava is supposed to be made with 33 dough layers, referring to the years of Christ's life. Any recipe we have ever found used no more than 24 (which is what is found in the pre-made 1 pound/450g packages. This recipe is a combination of two of our favourites.  The one from Greece adds in cinnamon which the one from Turkey did not have.  You choose.   1/2 pound/225g about 12 sheets thawed filo dough, covered with a damp towel 1 1/2 cups/174g chopped walnuts, pistachios or almonds 2 1/2 tablespoons/30g granulated sugar (you don’t need much the syrup is sweet) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional) 1 stick/1/4 pound/8 tablespoons/113g melted butter For the syrup: 2/3 cup/1

With the beach season quickly approaching, could this HEALTHY dessert be ice cream?  Frozen yogurt? NO, NO, NO! You guessed it, it is a blended banana! That's right. Eat a heaping bowl of frozen, blended banana. It tastes like the freshest, creamiest ice cream you have ever had in your life. This is a great idea for those overripe bananas which many will not eat.  Or, there are times your local grocery store will have a sale on over ripe bananas at a fraction of the cost of the just ripe ones. So, the how-to. Slice up a bunch of bananas. Place them in the freezer. When they are frozen and you have a need for a sweet frozen treat.  Pull them out. Let them sit a few minutes. Blend/Food Process/Puree.  Need a little protein too?  Add a little bit of peanut butter when blending or mix in when the banana mixture is in the bowl. Add some fresh (or frozen) fruit.  Be creative and make this healthy dessert your own! NOW EAT! private chefs and event cat

Today is Cherry Dessert Day. In celebration we are going classic with Cherries Jubilee. Cherries jubilee is a dessert dish made with cherries and liqueur (typi cally Kirschwasser), which is subsequently flambéed, and commonly served as a sauce over vanilla ice cream. The recipe is generally credited to Auguste Escoffier, who prepared the dish for one of   Queen Victoria's Jubilee celebrations, widely thought to be the Diamond Jubilee in 1897 Wash and pit four handfuls (about one pound/450g pitted) the cherries. Put the cherries and 1/2 cup/96g sugar in a large skillet. Peel 2 strips of zest from the lemon in wide strips with a peeler and add to the cherries. Squeeze the juice of half the lemon over the top. Stir to combine evenly. Cover and cook the cherries over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Uncover and cook over medium-high until cherries get juicy, about 5 minutes more. To f lambé  the rum: If cooking over a gas flame, pull the pan off