Oriental Noodle Soup

Ingredients

1.8 litres/3pt beef stock

1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon grass

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

175g/6oz vermicelli, broken into small pieces

Ways of Working

1. Bring the stock to the boil with the lemon grass and soy sauce.

2. Add the vermicelli and simmer for 6 minutes or until the noodles are just tender. Serve hot.

Serves 5

Tiramisu

Ingredients

500ml/18fl oz strong espresso coffee, cooled

50ml/2fl oz Marsala wine

2 eggs, separated

50g/2oz caster sugar

225g/oz mascarpone cheese

225ml/8fl oz double cream

16 large savoiardi (sponge finger biscuits)

2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder

Ways of Working

1. Combine the coffee and Marsala in a bowl, and set aside. Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer for 3 minutes or until thick and pale. Add the mascarpone and mix. Transfer to a large bowl. Whisk the cream in a separate bowl until soft peaks form, then fold into the mascarpone mixture.

2. Whisk the egg whites in a small clean dry bowl until soft peaks form. Fold quickly and lightly into the cream mixture.

3. Dip half of the biscuits into the coffee mixture, drain off any excess and arrange in a large glass serving dish. Spread half of the mascarpone cream mixture over the biscuits.

4. Dip the remaining biscuits into the remaining coffee mixture, and repeat layering. Smooth the surface, and dust liberally with the cocoa powder. Chill in the refrigerator overnight before serving. cold desserts

Serves 6

Poppy seed custard

Ingredients

600ml/1pt skimmed milk

2 eggs

1 tablespoon caster sugar

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

100g/4oz strawberries

100g/4oz raspberries

100g/4oz blackberries

1 tablespoon Demerara sugar

60ml/21/2fl oz red grape juice

Ways of Working

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas mark 2. Grease a soufflé dish very lightly with low-fat spread.

2. Heat the milk until just below boiling point, but do not boil.

3. Beat the eggs in a bowl with the caster sugar and poppy seeds until creamy. Whisk the milk into the egg mixture until very well mixed.

4. Stand the prepared soufflé dish in a shallow roasting tin. Pour in enough hot water from the kettle to come halfway up the sides of the dish.

5. Pour the custard into the soufflé dish, and bake in the oven for 50–60 minutes until the custard is just set and golden on top.

6. While the custard is baking, mix the fruit with the sugar and fruit juice. Chill until ready to serve with the warm baked custard.

Serves 6

Spinach, feta & pear salad

Ingredients

2 dessert pears such as Comice, peeled, cored and sliced

4 tablespoons walnut oil

100g/4oz baby spinach leaves

175g/6oz feta cheese, diced

75g/3oz walnut pieces

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

freshly ground black pepper

Ways of Working

1. Toss the pears in a little of the oil.

2. In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, feta cheese and walnut pieces. Gently stir in the pears.

3. Whisk together the lemon juice and remaining oil, and season with pepper. Drizzle over the salad.

4. Refrigerate, covered, until required.

Serves 4

Oyako Donburi

Ingredients
1/2 lb raw chicken cut from bone (1 large breast)
5 eggs
flour
1 cc water
3 dried mushrooms
1/4 c sugar
1/3 c Japanese-type soy sauce
2 scallions, cut diagonally or one onion, sliced
2 c chopped fresh spinach



Ways of Working

Cut chicken into small pieces. Beat in a bowl the eggs. Dust chicken pieces with flour, dip in eaten egg (reserve extra), and fry on both sides in hot oil until brown. Combine in saucepan the water and mushrooms. Simmer 10 minutes, remove mushrooms, and cut fine.

Drain any excess oil from skillet. Add to skillet the mushrooms and liquid, sugar and soy. Simmer 15 minutes. Add scallions. Simmer 10 more minutes.

Add spinach. While spinach is still bright green, add reserved beaten eggs to skillet and cover.

Cook briefly, just until set. Ladle over individual rice servings in bowls and top with chopped parsley.

Shumai

Ingredients

24 wonton skins
300 g lean ground beef
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger root
2 tbsp finely chopped green onion
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp sugar
1½ tbsp sesame oil
2½ tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp green peas


Ways of Working :

Mix ginger root, onion, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and corn starch and add the mix to the lean ground beef. Stir and mix well until the mixture becomes sticky. Divide into 22- 24 fillings and place on the center of the wonton skins. Forn the wonton skins into "bowls" with flat bottoms.

Place a geen pea on the center of the filling. Steam 12-14 minutes over high heat. The skins may also be seald in shaped into "half moons". Deep-fry in oil (180°C) until golden.

Chocolate Chip Brownies

Ingredients
115g Butter
115g Plain chocolate, broken
300g Caster sugar
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon
Vanilla essence
115g Plain flour
2 tablespoons Cocoa powder
Pinch Salt
100g White chocolate chips



Ways of Serving
Preheat oven to 180C, 350F, gas mark 4. Grease 7 inch square cake tin with butter and line with baking paper. Place the chocolate and butter in a small heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of gentle simmering water until melted. Stir until smooth. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Stir in the sugar, salt and vanilla essence. Add the eggs one at a time, stiring until blended. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into tin and bake for 35-40 minutes. Leave to cool before serving the chocolate chip brownies.