Garlic Oil

Just a quick and simple garlic oil recipe. This oil can be used to give a great flavour to anything really. My favourite is of course for making home made garlic bread (recipe coming soon inshaAllah)!

Ingeditnets

Half a cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6-8 Garlic Cloves
Hand full of flat-leaf parsley

1. Peel garlic cloves, add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
If you think you oil is a little too thick add some extra oil until you get the a smooth but purée like consistency
And that's all folk! Enjoy :)

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Chocolate Truffles

Love chocolate truffles but hate how expensive they are? You'll never need to buy them again with this recipe and they make greats gifts too! :)

Ingredients

For the truffles
300g of dark chocolate
300ml of double cream

For the topping/coating
Cocoa Powder
Icing Sugar
Crushed nuts
Edible Glitter
Melted Chocolate
Sugar Strands
anything that works and tickles your fancy :)

Heat the double cream in a sauce pan until almost boiling (DO NOT BOIL).
Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate

Keep stirring until chocolate has melted and you have a nice chocolate ganache
Pour into a glass bowl and pop into the fridge for about 3 hours to allow it to set.

3 hours later and you have something that could almost pass as chocolate spread!

Take a small portion and roll between your hands to make a ball.
Make them as big or small as you like.

Once you have rolled the whole mixture into balls, roll the balls in you desired topping/ coating.

I attempted to cover them in melted chocolate, with the idea that when it cooled they would have a crisp hard chocolate shell and a soft truffle centre. Nice idea, right? Didn't work out the best so I wont show you how I made them, but here is a peek at one of the very few that did turn out ok :)

Enjoy!

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Caramel Shortbread

Just a Scottish treat here that is loved by my whole family and pretty much everyone I meet!

Most people think Caramel (or Millionaires) Shortbread is difficult to make but in reality it is very simple. However it does take a few hours to make, due to the cooling periods, and that is probably why so many view it as complex.

The cooling periods are essential if you want this to turn out right - do not, I repeat, do not be tempted to skip them or continue with the next step if your shortbread or caramel is still warm!

The Ingredients

For the Shortbread
250g of plain flour
175g of butter or margarine
75g of caster sugar

For the Caramel
150g of butter or margarine
150g of white or brown sugar
1 tin (400g) of condensed milk

For the topping
200g of your preferred chocolate

Mix caster sugar with the flour

Add the butter (175g) and rub in using your fingers

After a while a dough-like paste will form like this

Spread it out into you tin with your finger or the back of a spoon and prick the top with a fork
Cook at 180C for 20min or until golden brown on top

After 20min, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.


Making the Caramel

Gently melt the butter (150g) over a low heat

Add the brown (or white) sugar

Mix well until you have a nice golden liquid

Add in the tin of condensed milk and mix well, bring to a very gentle boil (continually stirring) 

Simmer gently for 10 minutes, continually stirring, until the caramel thickens

Once thickened, pour onto your cooled shortbread

Spread out evenly and leave to cool completely

Topping with Chocolate

Melt chocolate in a bowl over and pan of gently simmering water

Pour on top of the cooled caramel and pop onto the fridge for a about and hour to chill

Nice and solid!

And I've yet to figure out how people actually cut this stuff neatly, but mess aside, look at that caramel!
Tuck in with a nice cuppa and enjoy! :)

PS - this was actually my first time making this. That's how easy it is ;)

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