Easy 'Eton Mess' Style Dessert

When we go all out for Sunday dinner or cook up something special for a mid-week supper we like to have dessert, well, really we just like dessert and will use any excuse at all to have some haha ;)

One of our favourites is an easy variation on 'Eton Mess' which normally consists of meringue, double cream and strawberries. We make our version with sour cream, crème fraiche and a ton of chocolate!

There are a lot of different ways of making something that resembles Eton Mess, my mother in law makes her version with greek yoghurt instead of cream and it's awesome because the yoghurt is silky and creamy without being as heavy as the double cream. 

For us however no dessert is complete without the addition of chocolate and we find that the tart flavour and silky smoothness of sour cream and crème fraiche mixed together is the perfect partner for crunchy meringue and sweet chocolate. We use low fat creams because there so much chocolate and meringue you can't taste the difference and I like to try and limit the amount of damage to my waistline where I can! You can also add less chocolate if you feel its too much but we are chocoholics in this house so we just throw it all in.

Its super easy to make (you literally just have to stir it together!) and is great to throw together at the last minute so its fab for parties or just as a treat after Sunday dinner.

The recipe below will yield enough for four generous portions so you can multiply as needed to feed more.

Ingredients:

6 ready made meringue nests

300ml Creme Fraiche/Low fat Creme Fraiche 

300ml Sour Cream/ Low fat Sour Cream

A handful of strawberries or other berry fruit.

2 Crunchie Bars

2 40g bags of Malteasers

2 Flakes

60ml of Berry Fruit Coulis (optional)

1. Crumble two of the meringue nests into the bottom of a large bowl or jug. If you add all the nests they will start to dissolve pretty quick so I add one into each individual bowl instead of adding them all now, adding two at this stage will sweeten the sour cream just enough to make it delicious. 

2. Add the creams to the jug or bowl and stir well to mix in the meringue. 

3. Use a rolling pin to smash up all the chocolate.

4. Add the chocolate the cream and meringue mixture and stir. 

5.Try not to eat it yet.

(I always fail at this part)

6. Dice up the fruit and add to the mixture. (*bad blogger alert* I totally forgot to take pictures of this stage, to be fair I was more interested in eating it once I saw all the chocolate so its amazing there are any pics at all!)

7. Add one crushed meringue to the bottom of each bowl and spoon the mixture on top.

*optional* 8. Add a tablespoonful of fruit coulis on top of each bowl and swirl to give a pretty effect. You could even add a little jug of this to the table so everyone can add more if they wish, it really does just finish this dessert off beautifully and it tastes delicious. 

Ta Dah!!!! Doesn't it look gorgeous? It tastes even better believe me!

So that is my easy peasy dessert, totally foolproof and everyone always loves it. 

You can adjust it in so many ways, less chocolate more strawberries, 

maybe raspberries and blackberries instead 

or even add little bits of chopped nuts or fudge for some pizazz.

The possibilities are endless and delicious!

Hope you enjoyed this recipe, any questions just comment below and Ill get back to you asap. 

I'm in the mood for a little dessert now, anyone care to join me?

Jamie Oliver's Easy Roast Chicken

I have a confession to make...I am a terrible cook. Well, it's not like I burn everything I make, its just that everything I make comes out of a packet..or a jar...or a box. Basically, I can't cook anything from scratch. 

Until now. 

I promised myself (and my poor husband) that I would learn to cook a few things from scratch this year, nothing fancy, just good tasty home cooked food. I now know how to make (among other things) carrot and lentil soup, cottage pie, steak and chips and, as of Sunday, a roast chicken dinner!

Ta Dah!!! Doesn't it look delicious. (It totally was!)

I ever so slightly adapted this recipe from Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food book. When I say adapted what I really mean is that I couldn't find fresh Thyme at the supermarket so I had to make do with dried and I didn't add any garlic as my husband hates it. 

I also used this recipe for the gravy and this one for the roast veg and potatoes, both again from the Ministry of Food book. I added a little honey to the veg and some good old fashioned Bisto gravy powder to the gravy and they were both delicious. 

Jamie uses a vegetable trivet underneath the chicken which you can then use to make the gravy. I have to say it really was surprising quick to prepare it all as the veg only needed very roughly chopped. 

I parboiled some potatoes, carrots and parsnips before tossing them in a little oil, a little honey and some salt and pepper before putting them in the oven to roast in the bottom of the oven. I made some mashed potatoes too (because you can't have Sunday dinner without mashed potatoes) and I used a potato ricer to get them nice and fluffy.

I basted the chicken with juices in the bottom of the oven every now and then and the skin came out really crispy but not at all dry. The meat literally just fell off the bones it was so tender. I was so impressed that I not only managed to not mess the whole thing up, I actually loved the end result! This chicken is foolproof and gorgeous. 

I was so excited about using our lovely wedding china that I may have left the roast veg in the oven a few minutes longer than I should have so the veg was definitely crispy! It was still gorgeously sticky and sweet though so I didn't mind too much.

. *note to self - stop taking pictures of the pretty table setting next time and remember you are supposed to be cooking!*

I think it actually went really well for a first time. I'm so excited to learn more recipes and I love the idea of being able to cook a Sunday roast for my wee family, especially if we have kids in the future. I think I would like to learn how to cook roast beef next. 

I have a ton of cookbooks but I have to say I really enjoy Jamie Oliver's books. He seems to cater to people like me who are complete beginners and doesn't assume that everyone on the planet knows how to do simple things (like make gravy) and I find his recipes easy to follow. 

Does anyone have any good cookbook recommendations? Or any really great, can't live without, recipes they want to share?

I would really love to add a few more to my repertoire.

Lavender & Vanilla Homemade Sugar Scrub

I'm having a pamper night this evening, I always like to start off with a good body scrub.  It helps to exfoliate and leaves your skin glowing.  

They are so easy to make at home and they are so cheap.  

Ingredients

1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cupOlive Oil
4 drops Lavender Essential Oil
2 drops Vanilla Extract

Mix all together in a bowl until you are happy with the consistency and smell

Let me know if you give it a try! 

Cajun Chicken Pasta

I am a real pasta addict, 

I am always looking for new recipes and ideas for how to cook it.

My brother in law is a wonderful chef and he showed me

 how to make this wonderful creamy cajun pasta.  

He made this for our wedding rehearsal and everyone raved about it, he even converted one of my friends who refuses to eat pasta.  

So I tried making it again at the weekend for my hubby and myself.

I served with Mediterranean bread and dipping sauces of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

Ingredients

Chicken Fillets  x 2 

Pasta (I used bow ties but any will do)

Spinach

Onion

Cherry tomatoes

Peppers

Double Cream 

Philadelphia Cheese (1 tbs)

Cajun Spices

Recipe

1. Cut up chicken and cook for a few minutes until lightly browned.  

2. Cook pasta for 10 minutes in a pan of boiling water

3. Add cherry tomatoes, spinach, peppers, and onion, cook for a few minutes until tomatoes are soft

4. Add Cream, and Philadelphia cheese

(The soft cheese will help to thicken the sauce)

5. Add as much spices as required to suit your tastes.  

This is so easy to make and will only take about 20 minutes, perfect for a mid week dinner.

Pineapple Delight Cocktail

My treat on this lovely Friday night...  its some pineapple yumminess, Im not sure that's a word but Im sire you understand.  I thought Id show you how to make it for yourselves.

Pineapple Delight (makes one)
Ingredients
250 ml of pineapple and coconut juice
1 shot of vodka
1 shot of Cointreau
and a glass of ice

After that its as easy as blending it altogether

 and serving in a pretty glass.

Then enjoy!

Have a great weekend

Easy Caramel Sauce

Do you love caramel sauce?  You have to try making your own.  I made this tonight and could not believe how easy this was to make.

Caramel sauce includes only three basic ingredients, sugar, water and cream. Then you can add any flavouring that you want to try.  Suggestions include vanilla essence, bourbon, salt.

Although I wish someone had told me that this will look like a grey mess for the first 5 minutes.  It's suppose to so don't worry.  All of a sudden it will turn deep amber and its time to add the cream.

Serve with ice cream, as I did for a sweet treat, use to make a hot caramel sundae, add to your coffee, try dipping apple slices into it or just eat with a spoon! It tastes delicious.

Ingredients

1 cup of water
I cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of butter
3/4 cup of cream

Recipe

1.  Mix the water and sugar together i na saucepan and bring to the boil,
2.  Let this simmer..... do not take your eyes of it!!
3.  When it has turned a deep amber, remove from heat
4.  Add butter and cream, keep stirring until smooth
5.  You can return to the heat to melt any lumps

Once cooled you can store the sauce in the fridge and enjoy any time.


Let me know if you try it