Double chocolate chip cookies

Recipes

Ingredients:
1¼ cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons or 150 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3cup (120 grams) (packed) light brown sugar
¼ cup (50 grams) sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces (150 grams) dark/milk chocolate, chopped into chips

Steps:
1. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

2. Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour. Drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

3. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1½ inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’ve frozen the dough, you needn’t defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

4. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

5. Working with a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them — don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about one inch between them.

6. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

Siew Bao

Ingredients:
Pastry:
Water Dough:
1. 200 g all-purposed flour, sifted
2. 100 g water
3. 50 g shortening or lard
4. 50 g icing sugar

Oil Dough:
1. 200g plain flour
2. 100g lard

Filling:
1. 300 g BBQ pork (Char Siew), diced
2. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
3. 1/3 cup of green peas
4. 1 tbsp oyster sauce
5. 1 tbsp soy sauce
6. 1 tbsp water
7. 1/2 tbsp corn flour
8. 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
sesame seeds

Methods:
Char siu filling
1. Add oyster sauce, soy sauce, water, corn flour and sugar in a small bowl and stir to mix well.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan. Stir fry BBQ pork, onion and green peas until fragrant. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, water, corn flour and sugar mixture and stir well.

Skin
1. Put all the ingredients of water dough in a food processor and pulse until it forms a soft dough. Cover it in a bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
2. Repeat the same with oil dough.
3. Divide the water dough and oil dough into 18 equal portions.
4. Roll out a piece of the water dough into a flat circle.
5. Place a piece of the rounded oil dough in the centre of the flat circle.
6. Gather the outer edges of the water dough circle and wrap up the oil dough ball.
7. Pinch and seal the edges.
8. With the heel of your palm, gently press the dough down to flatten it lightly.
9. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into rectangle shape.
10. Roll up the dough Swiss-roll style.
11. Turn the rolled dough 90 degrees.
12. Repeat steps 9 and 10.
13. The pastry is now ready for filling and shaping.

Assemble
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree C.
1. With the heel of your palm, gently press the pastry down to flatten it lightly.
2. Roll out the pastry into a flat circle.
3. Place 1 tbsp of filling in the centre.
4. Gather the outer edges of the dough circle and pleat and pinch to seal.
5. Brush egg wash on the surface and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
6. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Thai Seafood Noodle Soup

Ingredients

1. 2 cm fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2. 1-2 red chillies, seeds removed (optional), roughly chopped
3. 1-2 stalks lemongrass, tough outer layers removed, roughly chopped
4. 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
5. 1 handful fresh coriander, a few sprigs reserved and chopped
6. 1 tbsp coriander seeds
7. 1-2 pinches ground turmeric
8. small jug vegetable stock
9. a couple of handfuls rice noodles
10. 400ml oz can coconut milk
11. 1 large handful raw peeled tiger prawns (the shells and heads can be reserved for making stock in another recipe)
12. a few splashes Thai fish sauce, to taste


Steps:

1. Blend the ginger, chilli, lemongrass, garlic and coriander in a food processor until quite finely chopped.

2. Add the paste to a large shallow pan and cook for a few minutes to release the aromas, stirring frequently. Roughly crush some coriander seeds with a pestle and mortar and add to the paste with a pinch or two of turmeric and the vegetable stock and simmer for a few minutes.

3. Meanwhile, pour some boiling water over the rice noodles in a bowl and let them sit until they have softened, about 4-5 minutes, then drain and set aside.

4. To soften the heat of the sauce, add the coconut milk to the pan and bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes while you devein the prawns by cutting along the back of the prawn with a small sharp knife and removing the black 'thread' using the point of the knife. Add the prawns to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until pink and tender, finishing off with splashes of Thai fish sauce, to taste, and more chopped fresh coriander, to your taste.

Spiced Salmon Stir Fry

Lovely salmon with potatoes and green beans

Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:

1. 4 salmon steaks
2. 4 whole star anise
3. 2 lemon grass stalks, sliced
4. 3 limes juice
5. rind of limes, finely grated
6. 30 ml/ 2tbsp clear honey
7. 30ml/ 2tbsp oil
8. salt and ground black pepper

Steps:

1. Remove the middle bone from each salmon steak, to make two strips from each steak.
2. Remove the skin. Slice into pieces, cutting diagonally.
3. Roughly crush the star anise in a mortar with a pestle. Place the salmon in a non-metallic dish and add the star anise, lemon grass, lime juice and rind and honey. Sesaon well with salt and pepper. Turn the salmon strips to coat. Cover and leave in the refrigerator to marinate overnight.
4. Carefully drain the salmon from the marinade, pat dry on kitchen paper and reserve the marinade.
5. Heat a wok, then add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the salmon and stir fry, stirring constantly until cooked. Increase the heat, pour over the marinade and bring to the boil. Garnish with lime wedges and serve.

Blueberry Muffins

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
50g vegetable oil
250 g all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
100g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
100g blueberries (more if you want)
125ml milk


Steps:
1. Heat the oven to 190C.
2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl, add caster sugar and stir through.
3.With a fork, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, oil and milk in a second bowl.
4.Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture, fold in with a biggest spatula (don't over mix) until it is a lumpy paste.
5. Set paper cases into the moulds, or grease the moulds well with a little extra oil or butter and using an icecream scoop, spoon in the mixture until almost full.
6.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins come away from the side of the pan when touched. Rest the muffin tray on a wire rack for five minutes then remove the muffins and leave on the rack for another five minutes before serving.

Cheese and Potato Bread Twists

Ingredients:
1. 225g potatoes, diced
2. 225g strong white bread flour
3. 1 tsp dried yeast
4. 150ml lukewarm water
5. 175g grated cheese
6. 2 tsp olive oil, for greasing
7. salt

Methods:
1. Cook the potatoes in a large pan in plenty of lightly salted boiling water for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain through a colander and return to the pan. Mash the potato until smooth and set aside to cool.

2. Meanwhile, sift the flour into a large bowl and add the yeast and a good pinch of salt. Stir in the mashed potatoes and rub with your fingers to form a crumb consistency.

3. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and pour in the lukewarm water. Start by bringing the mixture together with your hands. turn out on to a well-floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Return the dough to the bowl. Cover with a damp dishtowel and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

4. Turn the dough out and knock back the air bubbles. Knead again for a few seconds.

5. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces and shape into rounds.

6. Sprinkle the cheese over a baking sheet. take each ball of dough and roll it in the cheese.

7. Roll each cheese-covered on a dry surface to form a long sausage shape. Fold the two ends together and twist the bread. Lay the bread twists on an oiled baking sheet.

8. Cover with a damp cloth and leave the bread to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Preheat the overn to 220 C. Bake the bread for 10-15 minutes.

Seafood Paella

Ingredients

• 1 red pepper, finely diced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 400g paella rice
• 125ml dry white wine
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Generous pinch of saffron threads
• 1l hot vegetable stock
• 4 large prawns
• 4 prepared squid, approx 170g in total, sliced into rings
• Handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 lemon cut into wedges
• Olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

1. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large paella pan or frying pan. Add the onion and cook out briefly.

2. Add the chopped pepper and crush in the garlic. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook until softened.

3. Sprinkle the smoked paprika and saffron into the pan. Follow with the rice and stir well so that each grain of rice is well coated in oil.

4. Add the wine and allow to evaporate before pouring in the hot stock.

5. Cover with a lid and leave to simmer gently for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking.

6. Five minutes before the end of cooking add the prawns and squid to the pan. Stir, and replace the lid to finish cooking.

7. Just before serving, mix through the chopped parsley and garnish with lemon wedges.

Add other seafood if you prefer