BOTH of this week’s recipes are food which kids, ours in particular, love to eat and are easy enough for them to make at home with us. I think it is so important to engage the next generation as early as possible with food.
This can be by making them aware of the provenance of the ingredients in the meal they are eating or the amazing local produce available from farmers and producers across Northern Ireland or by instilling in them a joy of cooking. Then they'll be able to look at a plate of food and think “I made that!”.
Both of these recipes are from Cast and Crew in the Titanic Quarter and are the sort of thing a lot of kids would order when in a restaurant, so are always so proud of the finished product when they help at home.
FISH FINGERS
4 firm fillets of plaice/whiting
100g self-raising flour for dusting
250g self-raising flour
3 egg yolks
100ml water (50 per cent still water 50 per cent sparkling water)
1 litre oil
Salt and pepper
Dry the fillets on a clean cloth and season the dusting flour with salt and pepper. Dredge the fillets in the dusting flour. To make the batter, whisk together the yolks, water and the remaining flour until the mix is smooth. The sparkling water will add a lightness to the batter, which is why beer also works so well (That can be for the grown ups’ version!).
Drop the fish fillets into the batter and coat them thoroughly. Place the oil in a pot and bring up to a high heat – be careful as this can spark. Fry until the batter turns golden brown. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon and leave to dry on kitchen roll. Serve with a tartare sauce or peas, chips and a wedge of lemon.
CHOCOLATE BROWNIE SUNDAE
Vanilla Ice Cream
Chocolate Brownie
Chocolate Sauce
Chocolate Brownie
125g unsalted butter
250g dark chocolate 70 per cent cocoa
200g light brown sugar
4 large eggs
150g plain flour, sieved
50g Chilean raisins
50g dates, stoned and chopped.
Preheat your oven to 180C. Place chocolate in a bowl and place over a pot of water and simmer until the chocolate is melted. Remove bowl from the heat. In a separate bowl, beat in the butter and sugar until smooth and add one egg at a time and mix until all eggs are in. The mix may look slightly split but when you add in the flour now the mix will come together. Add in the chocolate, raisins and dates and mix thoroughly.
Grease a baking tray or line with grease proof paper in a one-inch-deep tray. Cover with the mix and place in oven and cook for about 10 minutes. This will make quite a gooey brownie so if you prefer them slightly firmer, cook for a further five minutes.
Remove from oven and let it cool, once cooled slice and place in an airtight container. These will keep for two days.
Chocolate Sauce
250g dark chocolate
50g white chocolate
2 tbsp honey
300ml cream)
25g flaked almonds
Start by melting the chocolate, until soft, in a bain marie (bowl over a boiling pot of water). Once soft add in the honey and the cream mixing thoroughly to a smooth consistency. Once mixed keep warm until used.
To plate up, break up a piece of brownie in a sundae glass, add in a scoop of ice cream, continue to layer these until you get to the top of the glass. Cover with chocolate sauce and drizzle over some of the flaked almonds.
