How To Make Perfect Soft Boiled Eggs Every Time!

As a young boy my grandmother would make me the perfect soft boiled eggs, every single time! I loved to dip my toast soldiers ( thin strips of hot buttered toast) in the yolk.  As I got older and began to cook for myself I would try to make the perfect soft boiled eggs for myself but I could never get it quite right. It was only a few years ago that I found out the perfect cooking method to make those perfect soft boiled eggs that my Grandmother used to make me. This works every single time without fail.



 How To Make The Perfect Soft Boiled Eggs

First of all, if you keep your eggs in the fridge then take them out about 20 - 30 minutes before cooking. This will prevent the cold shells cracking when they are in the hot water.

So, your eggs are now at room temperature. Fill your pot around 2/3 full with water and bring to the boil. Once the water is boiling, using a spoon, gently place the eggs in the boiling water and keep on a high heat for exactly one minute. After one minute remove the pot from the heat and put a lid on the pot. leave the eggs in the pot of hot water with the lid on for exactly five minutes. Quickly remove from the heat, place in an egg cup and slice the top of the eggs off, this will prevent them from cooking any more.serve with hot toast for the perfect breakfast. Enjoy.

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More to Come Soon...

As regular visitors will have noticed, I have not been posting on this blog for a while. I have been really busy in the real world but I will be posting some great new recipes here in the next week or too so please keep visiting and enjoying the blog and recipes. Remember to leave your comments and I will get back to you as soon as I can,

Cheers

Kenny

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Picnic leek, sausage and pickle pie By Phil Vickery

ITV's This Morning show had Phil Vickery with some great picnic food. One of the recipes was  Picnic leek, sausage and pickle pie. A delightful alternative to pork pie for picnic's and so easy to make yet really delicious. Next time your heading of on a picnic with the kids why not make this leek, sausage and pickle pie the day before, your kids will love it.

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Picnic leek, sausage and pickle pie  By Phil Vickery

Serves 6-8 
 Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients

500g short crust pastry
3-4 medium sized leeks, split (but still attached at the base) and washed very well
750-800g good quality sausage meat
4 tbsp chopped parsley
1 medium egg
6 tbsp sweet pickle or mango chutney
Salt
Ground pepper
A little beaten egg
Sesame seeds, to sprinkle on the pastry

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190C/ Gas 5.
2. Line a 22cm x 4cm deep loose-bottomed flan tin with half the pastry. Dock well and chill.
3. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add a little salt and plunge the leeks in. Cook for 3 minutes to soften then refresh under cold water, drain well and lay on kitchen paper - try to keep them as green as possible.
4. Place the sausage meat in a bowl, add the pepper, parsley and a little salt and pepper and mix well.
5. Add the whole egg and mix well.
6. Place half the sausage meat into the pre prepared pastry ring. Lay the leeks on top and season well. Top with the sweet pickle or mango chutney, and spread out nice and evenly. Top with the other half of the sausage meat and pack down well.
7. Moisten the edge of the pastry with a little beaten egg, lay over the other half of rolled out pastry and seal well.  Trim off any excess, then crimp the edges.
8. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle over some sesame seeds.
9. Make 3 incisions in the lid and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until light golden in colour.
10. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Chill well before attempting to cut and eat.

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Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

This chicken pot pie recipe is perfect if you are squeezed for time but want to put down a tasty home made meal for your family then you can not go far wrong with this. Simple yet delicious and full of vegetables too but the trick is in the ingredients you use.
Frozen vegetables are just as good and nutritious as fresh vegetables and this chicken pot pie recipe uses those frozen vegetables to save time and preparation. You also use a supermarket rotisserie chicken to save more time but if you do not season as shop bought cooked chickens are already well seasoned.
This chicken pot pie recipe has been in my well used recipes for years and the kids love it too which is always a blessing!
So if your stuck for time but do not want frozen ready meal or take away food then fling this easy chicken pot pie recipe together and keep the recipe handy because once you have made this you will use it again and again.....

Ingredients

1 cooked rotisserie chicken

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup frozen chopped onions

1 cup frozen peas and diced carrots

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups ready made chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

1 store bought pie crust, unbaked and thawed if frozen

1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

Special equipment: 10-inch cast-iron pan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove all the chicken from the carcase. Sprinkle the chicken with paprika, sage, oregano, salt and pepper. Heat the cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil begins to swirl, chicken and stir for a few minutes until heated through. Remove the chicken to a plate, leaving the oil in the pan. Rest the chicken for a few minutes.



To the same pan, add the onions and peas and carrots and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir and cook until the onions become tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute longer. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until the flour dissolves into the vegetables and juices. Add the chicken stock and raise to a simmer, stirring until thickened. Once the liquid has thickened, stir in the heavy cream. Season with salt, if needed.



Return the chicken to the pan. Unfold the pie crust and place over the top of the filling, tucking the excess edges inside the pan. Brush the crust evenly with the egg wash. Using a knife, gently cut 3 vents in the top of the crust. Place in the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Take me from Chicken Pot Pie Recipe to Homepage

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Creamy Cheese & Onion Quiche

I love pastry and a good cheese and onion quiche is just a perfect light snack or serve with a salad and baked potato as your main meal. Now, some quiches can be a let down, especially those supermarket pre-made ones. They are soggy, stodgy and just don't taste very fresh or nice. This cheesy and really creamy cheese and onion quiche is worth the little effort it takes to make it. Once you have made this quiche you will never buy another supermarket one again! Go on, it's east and delicious so give it a go.

Ingredients:

1 ready made shortcrust pastry
knob of  butter
1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced
3 eggs
280ml double cream
140g mature cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a round about 5cm larger than a 25cm tin. Use your rolling pin to lift it up, then drape over the tart case so there is an overhang of pastry on the sides.
2. Gently push the pastry into the corners of the tin. Chill in the fridge or freezer for 20 mins.
3. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. While the pastry is chilling, heat the butter in a pan and cook the onions for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, until they soften. Remove from the heat.
4. Lightly prick the base of the tart with a fork, line the tart case with a large circle of greaseproof paper or foil, then fill with baking beans or do what I do and use coins, they distribute the heat fantastically. Blind-bake the tart for 20 mins, remove the paper and beans, then continue to cook for 5-10 mins until biscuit brown.
5. Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl, then gradually add the cream. Stir in the onions and half the cheese, then season with salt and pepper. Carefully tip the filling into the case, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese, then bake for 20-25 mins until set and golden. Leave to cool in the case, trim the edges of the pastry, then remove and serve.

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The Fabulous Baker Brothers Recipe For Sticky Sticks With Chocolate Sauce

Hot, sticky doughnut fingers with hot chocolate sauce fresh from The Fabulous Baker Brothers' kitchen          Makes 10

I love food programmes and I have a new favourite. Channel 4 have two new cooking stars with the new programme called The Fabulous Baker Brothers. 

The Fabulous Baker Brothers stars brothers Tom, a baker, and Henry, a chef who runs the local butcher's shop next door. With five generations of baking tradition behind them, Tom and Henry take viewers into the heat of the artisan kitchen and unlock the trade secrets of baking, which have been honed through years of practice and passion.
The series is packed with hearty recipes and interesting twists as each episode the boys roll up their sleeves and take viewers through their delicious recipes. But it's not just about bread and pastry, as each dish has hearty fillings, tempting toppings and tasty accompaniments that bring in stacks of delicious flavours.

Here is the recipe for Sticky Sticks With Chocolate Sauce  from the very first episode which can be watched on 4od. Click HERE to view it ( opens in a new window)

Now for the recipe which is so simple and so delicious that your kids (and the rest of your family and friends) will love and ask for again and again.

Ingredients

• 400g water
• 2 tbsp oil
• 130g self-raising flour
• 130g plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• 20g granulated sugar
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• Zest of 1 orange
• Plenty of caster sugar, for rolling

For the chocolate and stout dunking sauce

• 100g dark chocolate
• 2 tsp sugar
• 50ml double cream
• 50ml stout
• Small knob butter
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. In a pan, bring the water and oil to the boil. Mix the flours, salt and 20g sugar in a bowl, then slowly pour in the hot water mixture. Using a fork quickly mix the water in. You should have a stiff sticky dough, but don't overwork it.
   
2. Heat the vegetable oil to 170°C in a fryer or heavy-based saucepan. Quickly with light hands roll the dough into longish sticks. Place a few at a time into the fryer. They should take about 3-5 minutes to cook until they are golden and crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle.
   
3. Lift out of the oil, drain on kitchen paper. In a tray mix the orange zest with a good amount of caster sugar, then toss with the hot doughnuts to coat.
   
4. For the sauce, place the ingredients in a small pan and heat gently. Stir until the butter and chocolate has melted and the sauce is smooth and glossy. Don't heat too much as the chocolate and cream will split. If you don't fancy stout then milk is an acceptable alternative.
   
5. While the sauce is still warm dip the sticky sticks and devour.
   

Cook's tip: CAUTION – Resist the temptation to eat the sticky sticks right away as the they will burn your mouth. Wait at least 30 seconds after they've been cooked and rolled in the sugar.

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