Testing - Chocolate Cloud Cookies (Dark Chocolate Brookies)

http://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/masterchef/recipes/dark-chocolate-brookies

I removed the Chantilly cream bit from the recipe - I want cookies, not fussy! Can you tell I'm hungry? I'll use a scale to measure quantities for most of this, which is why I've kept the metric measurements.
1 - good but not amazing. Something missing, and it isn't the Chantilly cream. Next time, I will try nuts. This time, I did half with chocolate chips, and half without. With the chips it definitely makes it chewy like a browny, and without is like a light meringue (I though of calling them chocolate clouds because I really don't like the name 'brooky'. Just me!) I like the light ones, but there's a texture missing, I think a soft and oily nut, like walnut or pine nut.
Also, I find them too sweet, but I'm nervous about reducing the sugar since it adds bulk. Maybe balance it out with the flour?
Oh, and I changed from cornflour to arrowroot powder. Er, and I only used 300g of chocolate... Ok, maybe I changed quite a lot!

350g 70% dark chocolate
45g butter
225 200g caster sugar
80 100g cornflour arrowroot flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
100g dark chocolate chips
100g pine nuts (or walnuts)

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Place 70% chocolate and butter in a bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir to melt and combine. Remove from heat and set aside to cool until needed.
3. Combine remaining ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until light and fluffy. Add cooled chocolate butter mixture and mix until well combined.
4. Wrap and put in the refrigerator to rest for one hour and up to 72 hours.
5. Spoon tablespoons of mixture onto baking trays lined with baking paper. Dot the top of the cookies with the dark chocolate chips, pressing gently into the dough. Bake for 12-13 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Brown Rice Mujadara Bowl with a Fried Egg - PUBLISHED

http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-brown-rice-bowl-with-lentils-caramelized-onions-fried-egg-223112

I was going to try this with white rice because we're almost out of brown rice, then stopped myself when I thought about it, and realized that the firmness of the brown rice makes the dish, while white rice would just make everything sticky and weird. To try when I have the correct ingredients!

1 - I made this earlier in the summer with the last of my home-made harissa paste but did not update my notes. I remember that it was good... I'll save it as Test-ing until I can make it again, which will require that I make more harissa paste! I was hoping to be able to use my own home-grown hot peppers, but sadly that didn't work out this year.
2 - 2018-04-01 Successful, with a fresh batch of harissa paste to boot. There are some bits I've changed which have been updated in the recipe.

3 - It's been a while (we are now in May of 2022) and this proves to continue to be a good recipe. I did not have enough parsley leaves, and while the dish is good without it, the parsley definitely makes a difference. I had a little bit, so could tell that more would be better.

Serves 4
For the mujadara:
1 cup brown basmati rice
1 cup French lentils
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 + 1 Tbsps olive oil
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
Salt

For the bowl:
Olive oil
4 large eggs
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Paprika
2 1/2 Tbsps harissa (spicy or mild)
(optional) 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1. In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Add the brown rice, lentils, and a hefty pinch of salt. Reduce the flame to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes, uncovered, or until the rice and lentils are cooked through (add more liquid as needed). Once the rice and lentils are fully cooked, turn off the heat, put the lid on and set aside. Let sit for another 10 minutes.
2. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsps of olive oil over medium heat. Cook the sliced onions until deeply browned and beginning to caramelize, about 20 minutes (TIP: add small amounts of water when you feel the need, to prevent the onions from burning; you can also continue cooking the onions for as long as the rice and lentils cook for a deeper caramelization). When the onions are nicely browned and almost finished, add in the minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. When the rice and lentils have finished cooking, gently mix in the cumin, parsley, half of the onion mixture and the remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Reserve the rest of the onions for serving.
4. Wipe clean the skillet used to cook the onions, lightly grease with olive oil, and return to medium heat. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook to your desired doneness. Sprinkle the tops of the eggs with salt, pepper, and a dash of paprika.
5. Divide the mujadara equally between 4 bowls and place a fried egg into each bowl. Garnish with the remaining caramelized onions, harissa, and toasted pine nuts.

Untested - Fried egg and rice recipes

http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-brown-rice-bowl-with-lentils-caramelized-onions-fried-egg-223112

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/stir-fried-black-rice-with-fried-egg

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/rice-beans-fried-eggs.aspx

http://www.chowhound.com/recipes/lemony-fried-egg-brown-rice-19743

Deviled Eggs - Published

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/6866-classic-deviled-eggs

6 large eggs
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 to 2 dashes Tabasco sauce, to taste
Salt, to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
Paprika, for garnish
Whole fresh chives, for garnish

1. Rinse eggs with warm water, and place in a small saucepan. Cover with cold water, place the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover and let sit for 10-12 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and peel. Cool in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for 15 minutes.
2. Halve eggs lengthwise, and carefully scoop out yolks. Place yolks in a bowl, and mash with a fork. Add mustard, Tabasco, salt, pepper and snipped chives. Stir in mayonnaise.
3. Fill each egg white with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the egg-yolk mixture and dust the top with paprika. Arrange in a spoke design on a platter; garnish with whole chives.

Testing - Slow Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/leg-of-lamb-in-the-slow-cooker-with-garlic-and-rosemary/

2 - A good and simple meal. I didn't add any lemon, which made it good but not sparkly. Lemon would likely elevate it. Remains on the Testing phase.

olive or canola vegetable oil, for cooking
1 half bone-in boneless leg of lamb
4-5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, thick sliced into rounds chopped into chunks, or about the same quantity of small new potatoes
1 1/2 head garlic peeled
salt
a few sprigs of rosemary
about a wineglass full of 1 cup red wine (or stock)
Lemon juice

1. Rub the oil all over the lamb and brown in a hot pan. 
2. Meanwhile, toss all the potatoes and about half the garlic cloves into the bottom of your slow cooker.
3. Put the lamb on top of the potatoes, press the other half of the cloves of garlic and rub this all over the surface, then sprinkle with salt. 
4. Toss in a few sprigs of rosemary and pour the wine in around the potatoes.
5. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. 
6. Carve the lamb and serve with the potatoes, finished with a squeeze of lemon, if you like. 

Blackberry Slumpie - PUBLISHED

This sounds too much like a dessert from Ankh-Morpork to pass up. Turns out to be pretty tasty, too. I made it once, and it was very much liked, but I'd like to see if I can reduce the sugar a bit and maybe add some optional liqueur.

1 - I thought I'd make this for breakfast by reducing the quantity of sugar, and it turns out even better. I may try to reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup to see if it retains enough sweetness.

Stewing Liquid
3 cup blackberries
1/2 1/3 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup water
1 tsp finely grated lemon peel
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Dumplings
1 cup flour
2 Tbsps sugar
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cold butter
1/2 cup cream (I used light %18 cream)

Cream or Whipped Cream to serve

In a large saucepan, combine all of the stewing liquid ingredients and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With your fingers, mash the butter into the flour until it resembles a coarse meal. Add the milk and only stir in until it's combined, and no more, or you'll have tough dumplings!
Divide the dough into 6 even portions and drop into the simmering berries.
Cover and cook for 10 minutes and do not lift the lid until they're done. The dumplings cook by steam and won't cook as well if you let the steam out by lifting the lid.
To serve, spoon out into bowls and serve warm with cream or whipped cream on top

Test 3 - Poulet Chasseur

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/9100/onepot-chicken-chasseur

1-3 Cooking is about frame of mind. I like to connect to real or imagined origins of a dish. For this one, I imagine a hunter, with what he has in his pack and what he's found in the woods cooking over a fire. Simple, flavorful, ok, so I don't know where he got the chicken!
2 - tried boiling down some tomatoes to make a paste, but it didn't create the same kind of rich flavour canned tomato paste does. I think this just means that, when there is a glut of tomatoes next summer, I will try to make some tomato paste of my own! Because of the variation and the result, I will keep this at Test 2.

3 - No changes recommended. Just more of the same, please!

Poulet Chasseur

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp (½ oz/14gr) butter
4 chicken leg
1 chicken, cup up into pieces
1 onion (6oz/170g), chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
7-8 oz mushrooms, thick slice
3/4 cup red wine (be generous)
2 Tbsps tomato paste
2 springs of thyme
2 cups chicken stock

1. Heat the oil and the butter in a large lidded casserole. Season the chicken, then fry for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
2. Add the onion to the pan and fry for about 5 minutes, until soft. 
3. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, then add the mushrooms, cook for 2 minutes or until the mushrooms 'sweat', then add the wine. 
4. Stir in the tomato paste. Let the sauce simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes, then stir in the thyme and pour over the stock. 
5. Slip the chicken back into the pan, then cover and simmer on a low heat for about 1 hour, whereupon the chicken will be very tender. The chicken will be ready when the internal temperature of the breasts reaches 165°F. 
6. Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm. Rapidly boil down the sauce until it's syrupy and the flavour has concentrated, about 10 minutes. Put the chicken legs back into the sauce and serve.

Tamale Pie - Published

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/tamale-pie.html

1 - I was looking for ways of using up leftover chilli. How lovely to have found something that combines chilli and cornbread!
2 - I'm not sure about the amount of baking powder or, rather, I would like for the cornbread to puff up more. Maybe. I've changed the amount from 1 1/2 tsps to 1 whole Tbsp.

3 - I've now altered the cornbread topping recipe and it created a lovely light and crumbly crumb that's easy to fork through, without being dry. Here's hoping I can reproduce the effect next time!

4 - Success, all the way through EXCEPT that the topping was much thicker and therefore difficult to spread over the chilli. I will graduate it to Test 2 nonetheless, but with a suggestion to try and remedy this.

5 - Adding more liquid to get the right consistency to more easily spread the topping seemed to work just fine. I am keeping it at Test 2 until I make it again with these new instructions.

Start by either making a recipe of chilli, regular or vegetarian, or using up leftovers, at least 4 cups-worth. Put in a deep pan (I use a deep-dish pie pan).

4 cups of prepared chilli, pre-heated 

1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal

6 Tbsps unsalted butter, melted

1 cup buttermilk (plain milk also works but is less flavorful)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp 1/2 tsps baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
Kosher salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups (about 6 oz) grated sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

1. Make a recipe of chilli (or use leftovers and re-heat until piping hot).
2. Pre-heat the oven to 375F.
3. For the topping, melt the butter and add the cornmeal and the milk. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a slow boil, then reduce to a slow simmer, continuing to constantly stir, for about 5 minutes, then set aside for about 10 minutes. let it cool a bit (the time it takes to combine the dry ingredients is enough cooling time)
4. Whisk Mix together the cornmeal flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk and eggs. Mix the dry into the wet, stirring thoroughly until the cornmeal crumbles into a fine crumb.
6. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until incorporated; Crack in the eggs and beat to combine (then stir in the optional cheese). The mixture should be relatively liquid (or at least, it was last time); if it is too thick, add a bit of milk until it is just a little runny; this will make it easier to spread evenly.
7. Dollop the cornbread mixture over the piping hot chilli and smooth it into an even layer with the back of a spoon. 
8. Bake until the topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Test 2 - Curried Pumpkin Soup with Cream

1 - The flavours are good, but the soup is thin. Adding another 14 oz of pumpkin purée to see what happens - I suspect I'll have to adjust to spicing by 1/3 since I'm adding 1/3 the volume of pumpkin.
1.1 - I think I'm thinking about this all wrong. It isn't about increasing the amount of pumpkin, but about decreasing the amount of broth. So I'm cutting the broth by half and returning the quantity of pumpkin back to 28 oz, and converting that into cups (or approximation).
2 - It looks too thick, but once blendered and with the cream added, it's just right.
3 - I'm using pumpkins that were harvested too soon due to frost, which, I suspect, may be why I feel like the pumpkin flavour is not pronounced enough. I will put this on hold until I get properly grown pumpkin again.

4 - It worked quite nicely. I doubled the recipe, so the amount of cayenne was a slightly rounded tsp, and that was the right amount of heat.

1 Tbsp butter
1 leek, sliced (can substitute with 1 small onion)
2 tsps curry powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
28 40 oz 3 1/2 cups 1lb steamed pumpkin
4 2 cups chicken broth
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
1" knob of ginger, grated
1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 cup cream
1 Tbsp honey or maple syrup

1. In a soup pot, cook leek in butter until it starts to soften.
2. Add the curry, coriander and cumin powders and mix, until the spices become fragrant.
3. Add the pumpkin purée, chicken broth, salt, ginger and cayenne.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
5. Run through a blender until smooth.
6. Take the soup off your heat source and mix in the cream and honey. Mix until dissolved and serve.