Thai Red Curry Foam - YOKO Design Cream Whipper Video

 Cream Whippers are not all about Cream!
There are so many more amazing things you can do with them once you've mastered using it.  That said, they are not at all difficult to use, it's just about getting your recipe right.  

 At first my Thai red curry foam either set too much or didn't set enough.  But I wasn't going to let a cream whipper get the better of me, so I now have the recipe perfected.  I'm still learning new things but in my video I'll show you how to use one and just a couple of things you can create with a cream whipper.

My video shows how to make a cold Thai Red Curry Foam that's great for serving as a starter by adding a few Prawns and there's Fizzy Fruit!
I've also mastered edible coffee but I'll show you that later on in this blog.

Soft Touch Cream Whipper 500ml:

Now, there are many cream whippers out there to choose from, but it has to be said very few are as stylish as this one by YOKO Design.

This good-looking Soft Touch Cream Whipper is available in bright green, bright orange or black.

 Smooth and soft to the touch, perfect for vegetable or fruit mousses, sauces, and hot or cold creams.  The cream whipper comes with three innovative nozzles, so you can be as creative as you like.  Everything is easy to clean with the bottle brush provided.
Requires nitrous oxide gas cartridges (not included in the box) but sold separately.  It is made from aluminium and is rubber coated.

Apologies in advance for my not too professional video! 

*If the video doesn't show on your device it can be found here.

My recipe for Thai Red Curry Foam can be printed by clicking on the icon below.

A short while ago I reviewed the YOKO Design Silicone Cooking Bag, Popcorn Maker and Omelette Cooker - you can find my post and video here.  

YOKO Design products can be purchased from Emporium Direct over at Amazon.

Many thanks to Sergio at YOKO Design for sending me this amazing cream whipper.

All opinions and thoughts are my own.  I was not required to write a positive review.  I only ever post reviews on products I like the look of, and therefore would buy myself.

Fruit Gift Basket from First4Hampers - Review

Having been very kindly sent this 'Detox and Relax' Fruit Gift basket from First4Hampers to review, I have to say I'm totally impressed. 

 The fruit basket was perfectly packaged and I know it was only ordered for me on Thursday afternoon (just before 1pm) and it arrived the next morning.

Apple and Boozy Sultana Filo Pastry Pie

Apples with nice fat Rum soaked sultanas encased in crispy filo pastry is not only yummy but looks good and more to the point it's nice and easy to make too.
Now, British Pie week is about to be upon us (4th to 10th March) so whatever pie you like best, you must be making one!  From traditional Steak or Steak and Kidney, Chicken and Mushroom,  Chicken and Ham though to savoury pies such as the much loved by almost everyone, the Apple Pie.

  Readers of this blog will know by now I don't really do baking. 
Why? Because I can't do it - I have no patience for measuring flour and stuff. So for me, the easiest and 'cheats' option to buy ready made pastry.  Filo pastry is marvelous stuff and makes everything so much easier - there's no need to fuss about trying to make it look good - just wrap your pie in filo and throw some extra sheets on top and the jobs a good'un!

Pork and Date Stuffing Recipe - Great for Christmas

Perfect with Sunday roast chicken, but this stuffing is especially nice at Christmas and is so very easy to make too.  

If you use pork that hasn't been previously frozen you can make these now, freeze them and that's another job done for Christmas day! 

Of course you don't have to make the stuffing into balls, you can just put it in a tray and cook.

Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Dates and Honey

 You may remember a while back I went to a Masterclass with Marco Pierre White and Knorr.  We all loved his idea of using something other than water to dissolve the Knorr stock pot.

    Recently I was kindly sent another Seasonal box from Knorr which included two baby chickens and given the challenge to either cook Marco Pierre White's recipe of Spatchcocked Chicken with Chipolatas and Rosemary, or come up with a recipe of my own.....
Inspired by Marco's idea with the Knorr stock pot, I used tomato juice in this 'make it up as I go along recipe'.  Even if I do say so myself, the result was something truly delicious, chicken in a lightly spiced and slightly jammy rich and thick sauce.

Sunvil Supper Club - Karlaby Kro's Berry Pie

For me a big part of the fun of going abroad for a holiday is trying the different food from that country.  I enjoy strolling along and stopping to read the menus that seem to be outside all the restaurants and then deciding what to have.  I love to try different things and go to different places.  I've never been to Sweden but someday I'd really like to go, in fact if I was rich I'd go everywhere!

 Berries are a big part of the Swedish diet - from berries that are familiar to the UK, such as blueberries and raspberries to the more exotic cloudberries and lingonberries. 

The Best Guacamole Recipe

Simply the best guacamole ever - once you make this you will never buy it ready made from a supermarket again.  This recipe by Thomasina Miers from her book 'Mexican Food Made Simple' takes minutes to make and tastes amazing.

 Flavours of lime and chilli with tomato, red onion are perfectly balanced.

Picadillo - Mexican Fruity Chilli

Okay I know this sounds a bit odd, regular chilli made with the usual minced meat, but with the addition of banana, apples and raisins?..... 

 However, if you saw Thomasina Miers cooking this on her TV series 'Mexican Food made Simple' on Channel 5 then I'm pretty sure you'd want to make it too.  It was totally delicious, very hot but the heat is nicely balanced with the sweetness from the raisins.  Yes I will make this again and again.

Baked Chicken with Cheese Bacon and Pineapple

Easy tray baked chicken topped melted cheese, pineapple and crispy smokey bacon.  Sort of pub grub food - what's not to like?   

 I use those disposable foil baking trays (which can actually be washed and re-used) to make life easier.  You can also prepare this a few hours or so in advance - just cover with cling film, pop in the fridge ready to bake later on.

No Bake - White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake

Easy no bake mini cheesecakes.  After the success of my Tiny Toblerone Cheesecakes, I had a go at white chocolate and raspberry as I love the combo and besides, raspberries always look nice in any dessert. 

Of course this recipe can be adapted to make one big cheesecake - see the different print options below.

You can use fresh or defrosted frozen raspberries for this.

I love the swirly pattern the raspberries make.

Weight Watchers Cinnamon and Cider Baked Apples - Video Recipe

With the Weight Watchers ProPoints system you can have this delicious Cinnamon and Cider Baked Apple dessert and even have a scoop of light vanilla ice cream with it too!  

Read on to win a great prize with the new Weight Watchers Supper Club.

 The new Weight Watchers book 'Complete Kitchen' is easy to follow and there are no tricky cooking instructions or strange ingredients.  Just a book packed full of seriously nice looking dishes and is the ultimate guide to cooking food the Weight Watchers way.  

With 145 simple-to-follow recipes within nine chapters - ranging from basic stocks & dressings to Sunday roasts, leftovers & sides, to the more budget conscious ‘Everyday Value.’  

Recipes include roast fillet of beef with red wine sauce, garlic mushroom and rustic bean bruschetta and chocolate cherry cupcakes and these lovely cinnamon and cider baked apples.

 Watch Me Cook Cinnamon and Cider Baked Apples!

Win a Great Prize with Weight Watchers Supper Club:

As you may have already seen, they have just launched the new Weight Watchers Supper Club app on Facebook:
The idea behind the Weight Watchers Supper Club is that it lets you enjoy your food, while losing weight in the process.  There are a variety of healthy and delicious recipes in the app which are all easy to cook and these are perfect for
hosting a family dinner or a Weight Watchers Supper Club.

 To Start a Supper Club:

All you need to do is create an event and invite friends to enjoy all of
the tasty culinary creations.  We are also looking to encourage people to also shake the recipes up a bit by adding their own special ingredients and then
take a photo, sharing their creation with others.  Hosting your own Supper club will also mean that users of the app can also enjoy the pleasures of cooking
and hosting a dinner party and by uploading your photos you could also be in the running to win a fantastic prize!

Join in the fun at Play Weight Watchers 

Like them on FaceBook

Follow them on Twitter

Leftover Christmas Turkey Curry - MPW Recipe for Knorr

Marco Pierre White has come up with a lovely mild curry recipe using up any leftover Turkey you might have this Christmas.  This exclusive new recipe by Marco won't be available on the Knorr website until December, but I can share it with you now!

 Don't forget Marco has a great range of other recipes over at the Knorr Recipe page on their site. 

 Personally, I'm not a huge fan of fruity curries, but this one was actually really very nice indeed and all the fruit in it has to be good for you!  It's really easy to make and of course you can use leftover chicken if you wish.

Print Marco's Recipe courtesy of Marco Pierre White for Knorr

As of 1st December you will be able to watch Marco making this recipe and get top tips on cooking over at the Knorr website.

I was very kindly sent a truly amazing Seasonal Box from Forman and Field courtesy of Knorr.  Containing not only a Free Range Kelly Bronze Turkey but loads more Fantastic Christmas food!

A BIG thank you to Knorr, Jen and Neil for the fantastic seasonal boxes I've been sent over the past months and the great day we spent with Marco Pierre White.  And of course to Forman and Field for supplying such great food! 

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Apple Strudel - Marks and Spencer Copycat Recipe

Almost everyone in the UK will have seen the Marks and Spencer advert for their apple strudel on television and I think nearly everyone has tried one!

 Although I'm not one for desserts (I'd rather have two dinners personally) I had a go at making it myself.  

Now I'm so not into pastry or baking but the result (although it didn't quite look like the M&S one) tasted GOOD said Paul the husband!

Vanilla Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce - Tesco Real Food Challenge

Just in case you haven't heard - Tesco are running a competition to find the best Real Food Cook out there in a competition called the Tesco Real Food Challenge!

   There are eight mood categories in the competition, each of which is backed by a Celebrity and a Food Blogger.  

 Do you have a recipe that could be a winner?   

If you do, then pop over to Tesco Real Food and enter it now.  There are some fantastic prizes to be won and you could even appear on TV in a show if your recipe gets though.

 

I'm teamed up with TV celebrity Tim Lovejoy in the category 

'Date Night Dinners'.

Tim's recipe for a date night dinner is Vanilla Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce - and so of course, I had to make it myself - just to make sure it tasted good of course!

Tim's recipe can be found over at the Tesco Real Food Challenge website. 

As they say you've got to be in it to win it, so, what food best matches your mood?

  My 'Date Night Dinner' recipe for Prawn and Chorizo with Linguine and Chilli can also be found there, although of course, I'm not entered into the competition, it's just my suggestion for a Date Night Dinner.

Nicely Spiced Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Preserved Lemons

A nicely spiced, easy to make, very tasty Moroccan chicken dish.  Just the right amount of sweetness and great for a dinner party.
I think a Tagine looks impressive taken straight to the table and dinner served from the Tagine.

Don't you just love the combination of fruit and nuts used in Moroccan cooking?

 So - here's my much titivated 'made up as I went along' recipe that turned out very nice indeed!

Ice Cream Recipe - Strawberry and Clotted Cream

Okay I've been going on about my new ice cream maker that was kindly sent to me by the Fairy Hobmother from Appliances Online.  

Just take a look at this please!  Strawberries and Clotted Cream - ice cream!!

 The Strawberriest ice cream ever!

Parma Ham Pizza with Two Cheeses, Pear and Honey Caramelised Onions

Discover the Origin is a campaign promoted by the European Union, Italy, France and Portugal and achieved by the office representative of five key European products: Burgundy wines, Port and Douro Valley Wines, Parma Ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese. 

This scrummy Pizza was total yum on a plate!

Recipe taken from the book - Discover the Origin which sadly, isn't available to buy, I was very kindly sent a Promotional copy.

The aim of all of them is to enhance knowledge of the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) among consumers, distributors and food professionals and to educate on the benefits of the provenance indicator schemes, the relevant checks, controls and traceability systems that are put in place to ensure ongoing quality, and to differentiate the products and raise their profiles.

All five of these products carry a guarantee of their provenance and quality: the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for Parma Ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, AOC for Burgundy wines and DOC for Port and Douro Valley wines.  If you see these labels on any food or drinks, you can rest assured that you will be rewarded with excellent quality.

Over at the Discover the Origin website you can learn more about the campaign and also watch a video of chef Lesley Waters making rather yummy looking 'Parmigiano-Reggiano and Parma Ham Polenta Muffins'

Thank you to Louise for sending me the book.

If you would like the recipe for the Parma Ham Pizza click continue reading:

Apple Crumble - Everyone Loves a Fruit Crumble

So easy to make - apple crumble is at it's best freshly made and still bubbling from the oven. 

Try adding a sprinkling of soft brown sugar over the top - it will go slightly crunchy but will be a bit chewy at the same time.

 Of course it doesn't have to be made with apples, you can use whatever fruit you fancy.

Organic Food Delivery from Box Fresh Organics

You can buy organic food online from Box Fresh Organics.

They have a fantastic range and their home delivery service is FREE!

   I found the fruit and veg box to be of high quality and at a surprisingly low price.

The cardboard box that your order arrives in can be left out when you're expecting your next deliver as they use it again to helps keep packaging down to a minimum and unnecessary costs down.

 Of course the carrots and potatoes will have to be scrubbed because they are straight from the farm, they are dirty - just like they should be!  

Much better than them being messed about with and shoved into a plastic bag only to sit on a supermarket shelf for (sometimes) days on end.

The box was packed full and contained cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, onions, corn on the cob, a red pepper, apples, pears and bananas.

As I said before, everything was of high quality and I love the fact that if, for example you don't like carrots - you just let them know your dislikes and they will leave them out and you'll get replacement varieties instead.

 What else besides fruit and veg can you order from Box Fresh Organics? 

Just about anything - just veg, just fruit, or a mixture of both, top quality meat - the beef is Aberdeen Angus. Poultry, pork, bacon lamb and sausages can are all be ordered.   

And it doesn't stop there, you can even have eggs and dairy produce, store cupboard items and cleaning products delivered too!

 Pop over to Box Fresh and take a look for yourself.

Thank you to Des at Box Fresh Organics.

Baked Figs with Goat's Cheese Balsamic and Pistachios

Sweet and Jammie Turkish Black Bursa figs.  Warm from the oven having been baked with pistachios and chives, drizzled with Balsamic vinegar.

The figs were from M&S - they sell them ready to eat and they are totally Delicious.