Fay's Christmas pine cones

Fay's Christmas pine cones 4 packets of assorted Tim Tam chocolate buscuts 1 packet of hazel wafer biscuits 200g of unsalted melted butter A jar of Nutella (the small one) 150 gr unsalted butter Two teaspoons of cocoa, few Milo cereal pieces for making the cones Powdered sugar for dusting Method Place the biscuits through the blender until they chopped fine In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients and mix well until it becomes a thick paste! With an ice cream scoop make oblong shapes and place in a tray lined with baking paper and then take the milo serial and one by one stick it on the oblong shape balls making it look like a pine cone when all done sprinkle with icing sugar and refrigerate for 30 '

Fay’s pumpkin soup

Ingredients 

• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 onion, finely chopped 
• 1 leek, white part only, finely sliced 
• 1 garlic clove, crushed 
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander 
• 1 tsp ground cumin 
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 
• 1kg peeled pumpkin, diced 
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled, diced 
• 1L chicken style liquid stock or vegetable liquid stock 
• 1/2 cup (125ml )sour cream 
• Salt and pepper 
• Select all ingredients
• Method 

Heat oil in a large saucepan over low heat, add onion and leek and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened but not coloured. Add garlic and spices and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add pumpkin, potato and stock and bring to the boil. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then blend in batches.

Return soup to pan, stir through cream and reheat gently. Season and add a little more nutmeg if desired.

Fay’s Greek Paximadia Sweet rusks

 

 Ingredients 

250g unsalted butter 

3 whole Eggs

 2 1/2 cups sugar 

2 teaspoons Vanilla Sugar

Ouzo 1 shot glass 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking

 2 teaspoons Aniseed

 1 1/2 cup milk 

 1 1/2 kg self raising flour  or there about

Sesame seeds 

poppy seeds 

To roll them in black seed and sesame seed

How to Bake Paximadia 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add everything but the flour to the bowl and mix. Slowly add the flour to the mixture until the dough has a soft, but not sticky, consistency. You may not use all the flour or use a bit more

Make long rounded rolls of dough and press them on to a pan to flatten the top and sides. Score them every few inches (depending on how big you want the paximadia to come out.)

Bake at 350 degrees until they are slightly browned, approximately 20 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and lower the oven to 250 degrees.

Remove the paximadia strips from the pan and cut them where they were scored. Place the cookies back on the baking sheet on their sides (so all sides of the paximadia can properly be cooked

Fay’s Kataifi Cream Rolls

Ingredients

Base ingredients

• 1 pkt of kataifi dough
• 200g butter, melted (7 ounces)

For the custard

• 950g/ 33.5 ounces milk, divided in 700g/ 24 ounces and 250g/9.5 ounces
• 300g sugar (10.5 ounces)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3–4 egg yolks, depending on the size of the eggs
• 250g all-purpose flour (8.8 ounces)
• 50g butter, at room temperature (1.8 ounces)
• 1/3 of a cup heavy whipping cream (cold)
• 1 tbsp icing sugar

For the syrup

• 500g sugar (17.6 ounces)
• 400g water (14.1 ounces)

To prepare these amazing kataifi  pastries , start by making the syrup. In a pan add the sugar and water and bring to the boil; the syrup is ready, as soon as the sugar dissolves. Leave aside to cool down for a while.

1. Unroll the kataifi from the plastic sleeve and place on a working surface and shred it to make sure all is fluffy and loose take a hand full of kataifi and wrap it around a well buttered cone and with cooking brush drizzle with melted butter.
2. Fold one corner to form a triangle and continue folding the triangle upon itself, until the entire piece of karaifi is used.
3. Continue with the rest of the kataifi in batches until all of the cones a filled and buttered well.
4. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper, place the kataifi  trolls  on top and brush them with melted butter. Bake in preheated oven at 160C for about 30 minutes, until nicely coloured.
5. As soon as you turn them out of the oven, dip them in the cold syrup, turning them sides; remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool down.
6. Prepare the custard for the pastries. In a pan add 700g/ 24 ounces milk, the sugar and vanilla extract to bring to the boil.
7. In a bowl add 250g/ 9.5 ounces milk and the egg yolks; whisk to combine. Add the flour in the bowl and whisk to combine. As soon as the milk comes to the boil, remove from the heat and ladle slowly 1/3 of the milk into the flour mixture and whisk.
8. Place the pan with the milk again on the stove and turn the heat down to medium. Add the flour mixture into the pan with the remaining warm milk; whisk continuously, until the mixture has thickened and is smooth and creamy. Remove the pan from the stove, add the butter and stir.
9. Pour the custard in a large tray, cover with some plastic wrap (the plastic wrarp should be touching the custard, so that it doesn’t form a crust) and place in the fridge to cool.
10. Put the cold heavy cream into a mixer’s bowl, add the sugar and beat into whipped cream.
11. Remove the custard from the fridge, add the whipped cream and fold gently to combine.
12. Using a pastry bag, fill the kataifi rolls with custard and garnish chopped nuts. Enjoy!

Fay's GLUTEN FREE Kourabiedes

 

Ingredients 

500g unsalted butter, at room temperature 

100g icing sugar

2 egg yolks 

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1tsp of baking powder

230g almond meal

100g of chopped roasted blanched almonds 

1kg self rising GLUTEN flour

60g of brandy 

For dusting 

Vanilla sugar 

Extra confectioners´ sugar, for coating

 Some rose water 

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Add the egg yolks slowly one at a time and add the egg mix well then add almond meal and beat well. Add the vanilla extract the brandy and baking powder.

Slowly add the GLUTEN flower, 1 cup at a time and then the chopped  almonds. Mix just until it becomes a soft dough 

Gather into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least half hour.

Preheat oven to 25 0*

 Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Roll portions of cold dough between your palms to form balls. Or use a cookie cuter Place 1-inch apart on lined baking tray.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until they are a bit golden and cracked. Using a spray bottle spray the kourabiedes with rose water and while got roll in some extra confectioners´sugar mixed with the vanilla sugar to coat.

These cookies freeze well unbaked. When you need them, just line them up on a parchment-lined or greased baking tray, thaw, and bake.

Yields 3 to 4 dozens, depending on the size

Fay’s Lamb with Green beans and potato stew

 Green beans with lamb and potato’s in red sauce❤️

Ingredients 

1 large onion.               

 1 kg meat (pork lamb or beef), cut in portions

1 kg green beans, cleaned (with the string removed)

1kg of cut potatoes 

1 can of diced tomato

2tbs of tomato paste

1 medium onion, chopped

2 Gloves of garlic

2 tbls of powder Chicken Stock

1/2 bunch of chopped parsley

Cup of flour 

Salt

Pepper

METHOD

Put flour in a bowl add salt and pepper then dip the cut up pieces of meat and  Sauté then add the potato’s to lightly brown then the chopped onion and garlic in the oil until it’s is transparent then add  the tomato paste and chicken stock.  When all has been sauté add little water and cook in low temperature in slow cooker for 4-hours on high. When it is half cooked add the beans,tin tomatoes, salt and pepper and let it simmer. Beef should be tender and remaining sauce thick. To tenderise the meat you might need 2 - 3 hours. Serve hot.

Coconut Macaroons

Coconut Macaroons

INGREDIENTS

• 1 14-oz bag sweetened flaked coconut, Angel Flakes
• 7/8 cup sweetened condensed milk (see note below on measurement)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs whites
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Set two oven racks near the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the coconut, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form. Use a large rubber spatula to fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.
• Using a mini ice cream scoop or two spoons, form heaping tablespoons of the mixture into mounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back, until the tops and edges are golden. Let cool on the pans for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Note: 7/8 cup = 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
• Note: Make sure to use parchment paper (NOT wax paper) on the baking sheets. The macaroons will stick to wax paper.