Culinary Hotline - Chef Chad January

Good food feeds the body. Great flair feeds the soul!

Ingredients:

  • 500g store-bought bread dough
  • 1 ½ cup (375ml) basil pesto
  • 1 packet (200g) bacon bits, fried until crispy
  • 2 sachets sundried tomatoes in oil (Woolworths brand if possible), chopped and left in oil
  • 1 cup finely grated Parmesan
  • Salt and milled pepper
  • 1 large wheel camembert
  • Melted butter, for brushing

For serving:

  • Fresh basil
  • Honey, for drizzling

How To Make Sundried Tomato and Basil Pesto Bread Wreath With baked Camembert

  1. Preheat oven to 160C.
  2. Knock down dough and roll out into a large rectangle of about 5mm thick, onto a lightly floured surface.
  3. Spread basil pesto evenly onto the dough, making sure to spread all the way to the ends.
  4. Scatter with bacon bits and sundried tomatoes.
  5. Sprinkle generously with cheese and season well.
  6. Roll dough up into a log (like a Swiss roll).
  7. Using a sharp knife, cut the log vertically down the middle to expose to filling, leaving you with two “strands”.
  8. Plait the two strands together to resemble a braided bread, then join the two ends together to create a wreath shape, making sure to allow enough space in the centre.
  9. Place onto a greased baking tray and bake for about 25-35 minutes or until golden and cooked through. (Cover with foil if the bread is browning too quickly before it is cooked through).
  10. Bake camembert on a separate tray for about 12-15 minutes until soft and gooey.
  11. Place cooked wreath onto a serving platter, with the camembert in the centre. Scatter with fresh basil leaves and drizzle with honey just before serving.

Ingredients:

Pickled onions:

  • 4 baby red onions, sliced into petals
  • 1 cup red wine vinegar
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 bay leave

For the yoghurt sauce:

  • 1 cup (250ml) plain yoghurt
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
  • 1 tsp (5ml) ground cumin
  • ½ tsp (3ml) garlic powder
  • ¼ cup (60ml) chopped coriander

For the butter chicken marinade:

  • ½ cup (125ml) plain yoghurt
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tsp (10ml) grated fresh ginger
  • 1 Tbsp (15ml) Garam Masala
  • 1 tsp (5ml) ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp (5ml) ground cumin
  • 1 tsp (5ml) ground coriander
  • 1 tsp (5ml) smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp (3ml) salt

Butter chicken filling:

  • 500g chicken breasts, cut into medium-sized chunks
  • Glug canola oil
  • ¼ cup (60ml) butter
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tsp (10ml) grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp (5ml) grated fresh turmeric
  • 1 Tbsp (15ml) Garam masala
  • 1 Tbsp (15ml) medium curry powder
  • 2 tsp (10ml) smoked paprika
  • 50g tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp (15ml) sugar
  • 1 can (410g) chopped tomatoes
  • 1 can (410g) tomato puree
  • 1 can (410g) coconut cream
  • Large handful, freshly chopped coriander
  • Salt and milled pepper
  • ½ cup softened butter
  • 12-15 sheets phyllo pastry, defrosted
  • Onion seeds, for garnish
  • Fresh coriander, for garnish

How To Make Butter Chicken Pie With Pickled Red Onions And Yoghurt Sauce

  1. For the pickled onions, place the vinegar, water, sugar, star anise and bay leave into a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and then remove from heat.
  2. Add red onions to a bowl, pour over pickling liquid, cover with a lid and set aside to pickle for at least 20-30 minutes.
  3. For the yoghurt sauce: combine all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste. Set aside.
  4. For the butter chicken filling: combine marinade ingredients and chicken in a bowl, toss to coat evenly and leave to marinate for 1 hour.
  5. Fry chicken in a large pot or skillet for about 3-4 minutes. Do not cook all the way through. Remove chicken and excess marinade and set aside.
  6. Heat oil and butter in the same skillet and saute onions for about 5 minutes.
  7. Add garlic, ginger and fresh turmeric and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  8. Stir through spices and cook for 2 minutes. Add a splash of water if needed.
  9. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir through sugar and cook for another minute.
  10. Pour in chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and coconut cream, lower the heat slightly and cook for about 5-10 minutes.
  11. Add chicken to the sauce and simmer gently for another 5 minutes.
  12. Stir through coriander and season well.
  13. Transfer butter chicken into a large skillet or oven dish.
  14. For the pastry topping: brush each sheet with softened butter and lie them flat on top of one another.
  15. Cut into large squares and using your hands, scrunch up pastry to create little nests.
  16. Arrange pastry nests on top of filling and brush with any remaining butter.
  17. Bake at 170C for about 15-20 minutes or until golden.
  18. Garnish with fresh coriander, onion seeds, pickled onions and drizzle with yoghurt sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 1 litre cream
  • 1 can (410g) condensed milk
  • 1 can (410g) caramel treat, whisked smooth
  • 3 large slabs peppermint crisp chocolate, grated
  • 2 packets tennis biscuits
  • ½ cup (125ml) Biscoff crumbs

How To Make Peppermint Crisp Ice-cream Sandwiches With Biscoff Crumb

  1. Whip cream to stiff peaks.
  2. Fold cream into condensed milk.
  3. Fold caramel into whipped cream mixture and stir through ½ the grated peppermint crisp chocolate.
  4. Arrange tennis biscuits (branding facing outwards) at the bottom of a square or rectangular freezer safe container.
  5. Pour over filling and scatter with ½ of the remining peppermint crisp chocolate,
  6. Arrange tennis biscuits (branding facing outwards) on top, matching where you placed the initial bottom layer. This created the ice cream sandwich.
  7. Freeze overnight, until solid.
  8. Slice into portions and set aside.
  9. Combine Biscoff crumbs and remaining peppermint crisp chocolate and dip each ice cream sandwich into mixture just before serving.

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