Curiosities: Staffa: The Pillar Island

Curiosities: Staffa: The Pillar Island

Blini

 

 

Makes about 24 Blini

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast (not rapid-rise)
• 1 cup warm milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 egg, separated
• Toppings of choice

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, mix flours, salt and instant yeast, and make a well in the centre.
2. Pour in milk, mixing until smooth. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Stir cooled melted butter and egg yolk into batter. In a separate bowl, whisk egg white until stiff but not dry. Fold into batter. Cover and let stand 20 minutes.
4. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Drop quarter-size dollops of dough into pan without crowding. Cook for about 1 minute or until bubbles form and break. Turn and cook for about 30 seconds. Cover blini and keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.
5. Serve with toppings of choice: red or black caviar, smoked salmon or other fish, chopped hard-cooked eggs, minced red or white onion, sour cream or creme fraiche, chopped dill and lemon wedges.

Seviche

Ceviche

2 pounds any whitefish, shrimp or prawns, juice of 6 limes, 3 lemons, 3 oranges, or enough to make 2 cups juice
4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoons black pepper
1/4 cup vinegar
2 medium red onions sliced very thin
2 or 3 red or yellow hot peppers, slivered

Cut fish into bite size pieces and place in a bowl. Pour juice over it. Add salt and pepper and vinegar. Let stand about 6 hours in refrigerator. Pour boiling water over the onions and drain. Add to the fish. Add slivered hot peppers ( and skinned diced tomatoes if preferred) and let set overnight.

Serve with crips or tortilla chips.

Amazing Foodscapes Art : Landscapes Created with Eatables by Carl Warner (19 pics)

Amazing Foodscapes Art : Landscapes Created with Eatables by Carl Warner (19 pics)

Chocolate Bake

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 7 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder, Divided
• 1-¼ cup Sugar, Divided
• ½ cups Milk
• ⅓ cups Melted Butter
• 1-½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ½ cups Light Brown Sugar, Packed
• 1-½ cup Hot Tap Water

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

First stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, 3 tablespoons of the cocoa, and 3/4 cup of the white sugar. Reserve the remaining cocoa and sugar.

Stir in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Pour the mixture into an ungreased 8-inch baking dish.

In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining white sugar (it should be 1/2 cup), the brown sugar, and remaining 4 tablespoons of cocoa. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter.

Pour the hot tap water over all. DO NOT STIR!

Bake for about 40 minutes or until the centre is set.

Serve with lashings of vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate Pots

 

INGREDIENTS

1  14 ounce can of full fat coconut milk
5 ounces dark chocolate

2 Tbsp agave nectar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

 

METHOD

- Break the chocolate up into pieces, put it into a food processor along with the agave nectar, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon .

- Bring the coconut milk up to a simmer on the stove, and then pour it over the ingredients in the food processor

- Blend everything together until smooth and creamy, pour into ramekins and chill for about 5 hours until firm and creamy.

Decorate with fresh raspberries.

Pasta with Sardines

INGREDIENTS

1/2 tsp saffron strands (approx)
2 oz (50 g) fennel bulb
400 g fresh sardines (approx)
100 g onion
2 tbsp olive oil or sunflower oil
3 tbsp concentrated tomato puree (paste)
100 g pine kernels
1/3 cup (70 g) seedless raisins
450 g spaghetti, tagliatelli or fettuccini
salt and pepper
2 tbsp Marsala

METHOD

1. Soak the saffron in 1 tsp of water.
2. Blanch the fennel, drain, and separate the fleshy layers. Chop them finely.
3. Cut the fish into 2cm pieces.
4. Skin and chop the onion.
5. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and sauté the onion gently for 2-3 minutes until tender.
6. Add the fish, tomato puree, pine kernels, raisins, the saffron water, and fennel. Mix well and draw off the heat.
7. Cook the pasta in fast boiling salted water until just soft. Drain and keep hot.
8. Return the pan of fish to the heat, and simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring gently. Season well.
9. Add the stock if the mixture seems too dry to coat the pasta, then add the Marsala. Simmer for a further 2-3 minutes.
10. Place the pasta on a heated serving dish, pour the sardine mixture over it, and toss well.