Mac & Cheese Waffles

Two ingredients and you get crisp on the outside, and soft cheesy Mac and cheese on the inside of these divine waffles!

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Cuisine: American Course: Appetizer / Snack

Skill Level: Novice

Prep: 10 mins Cook: 15 mins

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

  • 5 cups milk(1 ¼ L)
  • 1 lb elbow macaroni(455g), dry
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese(200g)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a large pot, bring the milk to a boil.
  2. Add the pasta and stir constantly until the pasta is cooked, about 10 minutes.
  3. Turn off the heat, then add the cheddar. Stir until the cheese is melted and the pasta is evenly coated.
  4. Preheat the waffle iron
  5. Spray with cooking spay
  6. Scoop ½ cup of max & cheese into the center of the grate
  7. Close the iron and cook until golden and crispy, about 5 minutes
  8. Use forks to carefully remove the waffles from the iron
  9. Serve warm and enjoy!

Crème Brülée Easter Egg

Get Cracking! Make Easter Sunday extra special with these yummy Crème Brülée Easter Eggs. A cute festive treat for kids with a fun surprise inside!

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Cuisine: French Course: Dessert

Skill Level: Novice

Prep: 30 mins Cook: 45 mins

Chilling: 2hrs  Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 Cups Heavy Cream
  • 6 Egg Yolks
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1/3 Cup Sugar
  • Sugar for finishing

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 300°C.
  2. In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream and half of the sugar. Cook over medium heat, until it begins to simmer.
  3. Whisk & mix the other half of the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla bean syrup into a mixing bowl.
  4. Slowly add the heavy cream mixture into the yolks.
  5. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a mixing bowl.
  6. Pour the mixture into eggshells, filling to top.
  7. Place in a hot water bath and bake for 30 minutes at 180°C till the custard is set.
  8. Chill in fridge for 2 hours.
  9. Sprinkle sugar over the top of creme brulee in the eggling.
  10. Caramelize sugar with a blowtorch to give the dessert its signature crunchy top.

Bak Kwa Gougères

Originating in Burgundy, these delicate gougères will wow any guest. These little French cheese puffs are made with Gruyère or Parmesan cheese and can be served before dinner, with wine, or set out at a party. We made a little local twist here by adding bits of Bak Kwa, the savoury sweet taste of BBQ pork will elevate these treats to the next level!

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Cuisine: French Course: Appetiser

Skill Level: Novice

Prep: 20 mins Cook: 20 mins

Ready in: 40mins  Serves: 30pcs

INGREDIENTS

  • 60g Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature)
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 eggs (room temperature)
  • 6 ounces Gruyere cheese (grated)
  • 2-3 pcs Bak Kwa (BBQ Pork Jerky)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
  2. Place the butter, milk, water, salt, and pepper in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add all of the flour at once, reduce heat to medium-low and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball and appears to dry out (a film or “crust” will develop on the sides and bottom of the pan), another 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Immediately place the dough into a mixing bowl and beat on low until it stops steaming and is just warm to the touch, approximately 1 minute.
  4. Increase mixer speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each until fully incorporated and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the cheese and bak kwa and mix until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. The final dough will appear smooth, creamy, and shiny.
  5. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large round piping, and pipe 1-2 tablespoons of dough onto the prepared sheets. Alternately, use a medium cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between them. You can wet your hands and gently smooth out the scoops, if you’d like.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 200°C, and continue to bake until puffed and golden brown, an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature.

Crispy Prawn Toast

Top slices of bread with a simple whizzed up prawn mixture and fry to golden perfection. You can have these ready in less than 15 minutes!

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Cuisine: Chinese Course: Appetiser/Snack

Skill Level: Novice

Prep: 15 mins Cook: 15mins

Ready in: 30 mins Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 slices white bread
  • 250g shrimp (peeled)
  • 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp chicken powder
  • 2-3 tbsp potato starch
  • 1 tbps butter (room temp)
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 egg white
  • Parsley for garnishing
  • Thai sweet chilli sauce for dipping

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Cut the edge of white breads, divide them into 4 small pieces.
  2. Pulse shrimp in food processor until smooth.
  3. In a mixing bowl, mix shrimp with lemon, egg white, pepper, butter, chicken bouillon powder, potato starch, ½ egg white.
  4. Scoop the shrimp mixture onto the bread with a spoon. Place another bread on top.
  5. Heat up frying oil to 140C/280F then add in the shrimp toast. Cook until both side are golden brown.
  6. Serve with sweet Thai chili sauce for dipping.

Linzer Cookies

Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies filled with pecans and rolled in powdered sugar. Serve them with coffee, tea, hot chocolate or homemade eggnog for a perfect pairing! A perfect easy dessert for the holidays!

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Cuisine: Austria Course: Dessert/Snack

Skill Level: Novice

Prep: 30 mins Cook: 20mins

Ready in: 40 mins Serves: 16pcs

INGREDIENTS

  • 60g Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature)
  • 40g Powdered Sugar
  • 1 Egg Yolk
  • ¼ Vanilla Extract
  • 100g Cake Flour
  • 20g Ground Almond
  • 1g Salt
  • 1g Cinnamon Powder (optional)
  • Powdered Sugar for Rolling and Dusting
  • Strawberry Jam
  • 200g fresh or frozen strawberries
  • 50g sugar
  • ½ tbsp water
  • ½ tbsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a medium bowl combine flour with baking powder, ground almonds and salt.
  2. In a large bowl mix butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light and creamy. Add eggs, and beat until smooth. Beat in vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and stir to incorporate.
  3. Separate dough in half and pound into 6 inch disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 350F (180C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  5. On a well floured surface roll the first disk 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Cut the dough for the bottoms with a 2 inch (5 cm) linzer cutter. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll scraps and repeat.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes until the cookies are lightly browned on the edges. Remove and let them cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes; remove from sheet and cool completely on wire rack.
  7. Invert the bottom cookies and add strawberry jam. Lightly dust with powdered sugar the top cookies.
  8. Gently sandwich cookies together and let stand for several hours before serving.For the Strawberry Jam
  1. Add strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and water into a small saucepan.
  2. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer until the mixture is thick, for about 25-30 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and let cool completely before using.

Snowball Cookies

Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies filled with pecans and rolled in powdered sugar. Serve them with coffee, tea, hot chocolate or homemade eggnog for a perfect pairing! A perfect easy dessert for the holidays!

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Cuisine: American Course: Dessert

Skill Level: Novice

Prep: 20 mins Cook: 20mins

Ready in: 40 mins Serves: 16-18pcs

INGREDIENTS

  • 50g Unsalted Butter
  • 60g Cake Flour
  • 25g Almond Flour
  • 15g Powered Sugar
  • 15g Walnut
  • Powdered Sugar for Rolling and Dusting

DIRECTIONS:

  • Place walnuts on the cutting board, then finely chopped.
  • Heat a pan over medium low heat, add chopped walnuts and stir frequently for 1 minute. Transfer to bowl.
  • In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until creamy.
  • Add cake flour and almond flour, mix until well blended.
  • Pour chopped walnuts into the bowl with the dough, mix to incorporate.
  • Scrape the dough onto a plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
  • Cut the dough into 16~18 pieces, each weights 8~9g, roll the dough into a ball-sized.
  • Preheat the oven to 160˚C, bake for 16-18 minutes, until the bottom of the cookies is slightly brown.
  • When they’re still warm but cool enough to touch, roll cookies in powdered sugar.
  • Set aside on a rack to cool completely. When cool, dust again in powdered sugar.
  • Store cookies in an airtight container.

Halloween Chicken Pot Pie

Be creative this Halloween by baking this homemade chicken pot pie with flaky pie crust and creamy chicken pot pie filling.  These mini chicken pot pies have strips of puff pastry on top to look like mummy wrappings and a few stuffed green olives slices make the perfect “eyes.”

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Cuisine: American Course: Main

Skill Level: Novice

Prep: 20 mins Cook: 50mins

Ready in: 1 Hour Serves: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breast(680 g), cubed
  • salt, to taste
  • pepper, to taste
  • ½ white onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup potatoes (225 g), cubed
  • 2 cups frozen pea and carrot(300 g)
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth(480 mL)
  • 1 frozen puff pastry, thawed
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Sliced black olives

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C)
  • Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet or saucepan. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the meat is golden brown on the outside. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
  • Sauté the onion and garlic until translucent. Add the potato cubes and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the peas and carrots and stir. Add the butter and allow it to melt. Sprinkle the flour on top, covering the vegetables, and quickly stir to avoid lumps.
  • Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil to thicken the sauce. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
  • Spoon the stew into ramekin.
  • Uncover pastry and cut it in half, then slice the pastry into 1/2-inch strips and place them on top of the filling.
  •  Press the strips to the edges of the baking dish so they stick. Brush the pastry with the egg.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Put the olives on the pastry for the eyes and serve.

Pan Grilled Chicken Skewers

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PAN GRILLED CHICKEN SKEWERS

by ToTT

Delicious grilled skewers you can simply cook using a stove and a pan! Paired with fresh Bell Peppers, Onions and seasoned with a bit of soy sauce, salt and garlic powder. This savoury delight is sure to pack a savoury punch with every bite!

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Cuisine: Western Course: Appetiser Skill Level: Novice

Prep: 15 mins Cook: 10 mins

Ready in: 25 min Serves: 2 serving


INGREDIENTS:

  • 500g Chicken
  • 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 Tbsp Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
  • ½ Cup Onion
  • ½ Cup Bell Peppers

DIRECTIONS:

  • Cut Chicken into even cubes.
  • Slice the Onion & Bell Peppers into rectangular pieces.
  • Add Soy Sauce, Black Pepper, Salt, Garlic Powder along with Onions & Bell Peppers into a mixing bowl with the chicken and mix thoroughly.
  • Skewer the bell peppers, onions and chickens (alternating between the three).
  • Oil and heat up the pan.
  • Once the pan is hot, put the skewers onto the pans, turn every 3 minutes to ensure each side is cook evenly.
  • Remove and serve once the Chicken Skewers are sufficiently tanned with charred streaks.
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Roasted Turkey With Truffle Mushroom Stuffing

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Roasted Turkey With Truffle Mushroom Stuffing

by Sawarto John Widjaja

A Christmas feast is never complete without a scrumptious roast turkey on the table! This recipe from Chef Sawarto will teach you how to cook a mouth-watering turkey, with a special stuffing of nutmeg infused cranberry sauce and truffle mushroom gravy.

Cuisine : Western Course : Main Skill Level : Novice

Prep : 30 mins Cook : 120 mins Ready in : 180 mins  Serves : 4 servings


INGREDIENTS             

  • 1 Whole turkey, fresh chilled or fully defrosted
  • salt, pepper, truffle oil and olive oil for rubbing
  • 300g stuffing ingredients (thyme, breadcrumbs, minced chicken, salt and pepper)
  • 1 lemon, sliced
  • 1tbsp butter
  • 300g mix mushrooms
  • 1tbsp truffle paste or truffle oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • cream as needed
  • reserved liquid from roasted turkey

    Nutmeg Cranberry Sauce
  • 100-150g dried cranberry
  • pinch of brown sugar
  • 1/2tsp nutmeg
  • 8tbsp water

Directions:

  1. Rub the turkey with truffle oil, olive oil salt and pepper.
  2. Stuff the turkey cavity with stuffing and leave to roast at 200DC for about 1.5hours to 2hours.
  3. You can also use a thermometer probe to check. It should read 80degrees Celsius.
  4. Rest the turkey for at least 20mins before carving.
  5. For the cranberry sauce, boil the mixture together about 10mins until cranberry is soft, season to taste and blitz in a blender.
  6. Pass through a sieve to get a smooth sauce.
  7. Meanwhile, sauté mushroom with butter, salt and pepper.
  8. Mix the mushroom, truffle, cream and reserved turkey juices.
  9. All to cook and simmer gently for about 10mins. Season to taste and serve with turkey and cranberry sauce.
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Christmas Cookies with Icing

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Christmas Cookie with Icing

by Susanne Despature

Make the perfect cookies this festive season, where you can decorate it however you like with delicious icing, pearls and ornaments.

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Cuisine : Western Course : Dessert Skill Level : Novice

Prep : 30 mins Cook : 20 mins Ready in : 50 mins  Serves : 4 servings


INGREDIENTS             

Dough for cookies

  • 125 g unsalted butter
  • 50 g caster sugar
  • 1 lemon, zest finely grated
  • 40 g white almond powder
  • 1 small egg, 50 g
  • 250 g plain flour
  • 1 pinch of salt

Icing & decoration

  • 30 g egg white
  • 300 g icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • edible sugar pearls

Directions:

Dough for cookies

  1. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix butter and caster sugar until creamy.
  2. Add lemon zest, salt, almonds and mix again, than add egg and mix well.
  3. Sift flour into the butter/egg cream, then mix just until dough comes together.
  4. Remove the dough from mixing bowl, pat into a rectangle and cover in cling wrap. Refrigerate for at least one night before using.
  5. Roll out dough on floured surface, 5 mm thick.
  6. Cut out different cookies and put on a baking tray, lined with baking paper – try to put cookies of same size on a tray, so the baking time will be the same.
  7. Bake in preheated oven at 175 degrees C. for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
  8. Let cool out, then decorate with icing & sugar pearls.

Icing & decoration

  1. Beat egg white and lemon juice with a hand or stand mixer until white and fluffy, not firm.
  2. Stop beating and add icing sugar – mix first on slow speed, then on high speed, until very glossy, thick and smooth. Add more icing sugar if too runny!
  3. Divide icing into bowls and colour with food colouring of your choice.
  4. Divide the colours in small piping bags and decorate the cookies.
  5. Add sugar pearls & small decorations.
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