Hi guys,
I know it's been a very, very, very long time since I last posted anything, but I have decided that instead of Cooking With Kam, the blog will now focus on baking! Unfortunately I couldn't change the URL name due to a few technical difficulties, but I just wanted to give you a heads up that from now on I will just be focusing on all things baked! As I am currently on my year abroad, the next few months might be a bit slow, but will definitely pick up when I return to England next year. I am really excited about this re-vamp, as I am an avid baker, and think it's actually time that I start to properly document my bakes, rather than just Instagramming them (of which I am extremely guilty!).
Hopefully you guys can embrace the change as much as I have, and I look forward to the exciting times there are lying ahead!
Look out for my first official 'Baking With Kam' post which will be up fairly soon.
Tuesday, 18 November 2014
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Goat's Cheese and Red Onion Tart
As 'Tart Week' approaches this evening on The Great British Bake Off (which I am extremely excited/apprehensive about - praying for no soggy bottoms!), it reminded me of the goat's cheese and balsamic onion tarts I made a few weeks ago. I was at the shops and saw some ready rolled shortcrust pastry which was reduced and thought I'd give it a go as I'd never made tarts before. I opted for goat's cheese and red onion tart as I know they're classic flavour combinations and the family needed to be fed! I have caramalised onions before so I googled a recipe just for some guidance and ended up on BBC Good Food. I'll post the link to the original recipe, but I altered it quite a bit and they ended up tasting incredible so feel free to try either!
This is the original recipe: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5753/goats-cheese-and-red-onion-tarts
However, this is the way I decided to it... I didn't really measure anything out, so posting an exact recipe will be difficult but I'll try my best.
INGREDIENTS
500g block shortcrust pastry
2 red onions
balsamic vinegar
dark brown soft sugar
bunch thyme
olive oil
salt and pepper
pack goats cheese
METHOD
1. Heat oven to 200C fan/180C gas. Line 6 tart tins or 1 large tin with pastry and prick bottoms. Line with parchment and baking beans and bake for 10 mins. Lift out parchment and bake for a further 5 mins. The pastry should be crisp, dried and cooked.
2. Meanwhile, slice the red onion. Heat some olive oil in a pan and fry the onion until they start to soften. Throw in a few lugs of balsamic vinegar, half the bunch of thyme and bubble. Add dark brown soft sugar and season to taste - for me this took away some of the sharpness of the balsamic vinegar and added a different dimension to the flavour of the onions.
3. Place the onions in the tart case(s) and crumble some goats cheese on top. The reason I crumbled rather than actually slicing 6 round slices was because it was physically impossible to cut neat rounds!
4. Bake until the goats cheese starts to brown and bubble - then enjoy!
Okay, so I know it isn't the most pretty thing in the world - presentation isn't my strong point. Butttt, when I'm feeding my family it's the last thing I think about! Anyway, they enjoyed it so much that my mum actually treated me to some tartlet baking cases and the very next week I made some mini ones instead. I even made my own pastry! Here are the results...
These are actually a lot easier to make than you may think. Making my own pastry was stressful, as I didn't know what it was actually supposed to be like. However it came out crisp, short and how it was supposed to be so if I can do it, it can't be that hard!
I've been quite experimental recently and the next post is going to be about my battle with macaroons!
This is the original recipe: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5753/goats-cheese-and-red-onion-tarts
However, this is the way I decided to it... I didn't really measure anything out, so posting an exact recipe will be difficult but I'll try my best.
INGREDIENTS500g block shortcrust pastry
2 red onions
balsamic vinegar
dark brown soft sugar
bunch thyme
olive oil
salt and pepper
pack goats cheese
METHOD
1. Heat oven to 200C fan/180C gas. Line 6 tart tins or 1 large tin with pastry and prick bottoms. Line with parchment and baking beans and bake for 10 mins. Lift out parchment and bake for a further 5 mins. The pastry should be crisp, dried and cooked.
2. Meanwhile, slice the red onion. Heat some olive oil in a pan and fry the onion until they start to soften. Throw in a few lugs of balsamic vinegar, half the bunch of thyme and bubble. Add dark brown soft sugar and season to taste - for me this took away some of the sharpness of the balsamic vinegar and added a different dimension to the flavour of the onions.
3. Place the onions in the tart case(s) and crumble some goats cheese on top. The reason I crumbled rather than actually slicing 6 round slices was because it was physically impossible to cut neat rounds!
4. Bake until the goats cheese starts to brown and bubble - then enjoy!
Okay, so I know it isn't the most pretty thing in the world - presentation isn't my strong point. Butttt, when I'm feeding my family it's the last thing I think about! Anyway, they enjoyed it so much that my mum actually treated me to some tartlet baking cases and the very next week I made some mini ones instead. I even made my own pastry! Here are the results...
These are actually a lot easier to make than you may think. Making my own pastry was stressful, as I didn't know what it was actually supposed to be like. However it came out crisp, short and how it was supposed to be so if I can do it, it can't be that hard!
I've been quite experimental recently and the next post is going to be about my battle with macaroons!
Thursday, 15 August 2013
Hangover Cure: Part 1
On Monday night, I experienced my first work social with the guys from the pub as my manager is leaving. It was really fun, however it's safe to say I paid a price for that the next morning! After having had about 4 hours sleep and passing through the 'I don't want to go anywhere near food' stage of the day, manic hunger took over my whole body and I decided to make a quesadilla. I first encountered these when my mum bought a Nigella Lawson cookbook about 5 years ago and they've been a favourite for lunch ever since. For anyone who doesn't know, a quesadilla is a tortilla wrap filled with cheese as the main ingredient and then anything else that you fancy. It originated in Mexico and there are many different variations as people have experimented over the years. Once the wrap has been filled with ingredients, it is then folded in half to form a crescent shape and then fried or toasted.
Seeing as there was some left over chilli con carne from the night before, I saw it fitting (even in my hungover state) to keep the Mexican theme going and make a chilli and cheese quesadilla. I cannot express how INCREDIBLE the end result was. I would completely recommend it to anyone who isn't feeling 100% after a night out. I will definitely be making these in my student house in Nottingham this year! As you may remember, the facilities in my halls of residence were rubbish and therefore I am excited about the prospect of having an oven and a hob in our new house.
All you need is: 1 tortilla wrap, 4-5 slices of cheddar and 2-3 tablespoons of chilli con carne. Lay the cheese and chilli on one half of the wrap, fold in half and then fry or toast! The outcome is a deliciously cheesy, meaty, flavoursome toasted wrap that is guaranteed to cure any hangover. If you can't be bothered with the effort of the quesadilla, try some chilli with grated cheese on top - guaranteed to do the trick!
Seeing as there was some left over chilli con carne from the night before, I saw it fitting (even in my hungover state) to keep the Mexican theme going and make a chilli and cheese quesadilla. I cannot express how INCREDIBLE the end result was. I would completely recommend it to anyone who isn't feeling 100% after a night out. I will definitely be making these in my student house in Nottingham this year! As you may remember, the facilities in my halls of residence were rubbish and therefore I am excited about the prospect of having an oven and a hob in our new house.
All you need is: 1 tortilla wrap, 4-5 slices of cheddar and 2-3 tablespoons of chilli con carne. Lay the cheese and chilli on one half of the wrap, fold in half and then fry or toast! The outcome is a deliciously cheesy, meaty, flavoursome toasted wrap that is guaranteed to cure any hangover. If you can't be bothered with the effort of the quesadilla, try some chilli with grated cheese on top - guaranteed to do the trick!
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| I know this picture isn't the best - I got a bit excited and started eating before I remembered to take a photo... Oops! |
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| Trusty bowl of chilli |
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