My ice-cream obsession now plagues my every waking hour, so I thought it was about high time I made my own. Pralines & Cream is my absolute favourite flavour of Haagen Dazs and it’s impossible to get in Korea. So it seemed as good as place as any to start. The ice-cream itself its stupidly easy to make, whipping and mixing  and that’s it. You can keep it as straight vanilla or add whatever flavours you like to jazz it up. I went for my lovely pralines mixed with a caramel sauce. It was divinity itself maybe even better than the Haagen Dazs version. I can see a Fat Girl ice-cream range in my near future!

Ingredients

600ml of cream

200g of condensed milk

2 tablespoons of vanilla extract

Pralines

200g of pecans

200g of light brown sugar

100g of butter

4 tablespoons of milk

A pinch of salt

Toffee sauce

4 tablespoons of butter

10 tablespoons of light brown sugar

200ml of full fat milk or cream

Directions

1. To make the ice cream, put your cream, condensed milk, and vanilla extract in bowl and whisk until it becomes thick. It should be very thick, stop just before it starts to turn. It’s much easier to do this if you have an electric whisk. Once it’s nice and thick put it into a seal-able container and pop it in the freezer until it sets(usually 4-8 hours). It’s so easy, right? If you only want plain vanilla you can just eat it as it is.

2. To make the pralines, melt the butter in a saucepan on a low heat, then stir in the sugar. Once the sugar has melted a little stir in the milk. Let it cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens and starts to turn golden brown. Add the pecans to the sauce and stir to make sure they are coated and cook for a further minute. Turn off the heat and spoon out the pralines onto grease-proof paper, allow to cool. Then pop them in the refrigerator to set for a few hours. Once they have set, you can bash them into pieces using something heavy.

3. To make the toffee sauce put the sugar and butter in a saucepan and heat on low. Once the butter has melted and starts to combine with the sugar, add in the milk or cream. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes, until you have a thick golden brown  toffee sauce. Allow to cool before adding to the ice cream along with your pralines. Voilà easy homemade ice cream!

I am all about garlic, and mushrooms for that matter, and this is one of those random dishes that I really miss from home. A lovely mushroom, coated in garlic butter, breaded and deep fried. Oh my they are perfection, dipped in some garlic mayo or sweet chili sauce what could be finer? I had pretty much forgotten all about my love of deep fried mushrooms until I decided to try them out myself. They were actually super easy to make, and the taste was undeniably amazing. I think mine were far superior to any I have had before, did I get lucky or am I just brilliant? Who could say for sure, either way I nailed it. The best part was that The Fat Boyfriend doesn’t even like mushrooms, so he had one and very generously let me eat the rest. It was the best day ever!

Ingredients

10 – 12 Mushrooms (but feel free to double up, you wont be sorry)

1 stick of butter

5 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon of fresh parsley

A pinch of salt and pepper

1 egg beaten

3 tablespoons of flour

8 tablespoons of panko crumbs (or bread crumbs)

1 teaspoon of paprika

500ml of soy bean oil (enough to cover your pan, at least an inch deep)

Directions 

1. To make the garlic butter, melt the butter in a saucepan and crush or grate the garlic into it. Add the parsley, salt, and pepper, and let it cook for a minute before removing from the heat. Add the mushrooms to the melted butter and give it a good stir to make sure they are coated. Let the mushrooms sit in and soak up the butter while you do the next step. Take a plate or tray and put a piece of grease proof paper on it. Then put the mushrooms on the paper and put them in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. The butter will freeze and keep them coated.

2. When the mushrooms have set, sprinkle on the flour and toss them in it a little and then pop them back in the freezer while you prepare the egg and bread crumbs. Put the beaten egg in one bowl and the breadcrumbs and paprika in another. I usually make a nice breadcrumb mix using panko crumbs, nutritional yeast, some oats, and some quinoa. I feel it gives a nice range of textures but just plain panko crumbs is fine too.

3. Put the soy bean oil in a wok or large pan and heat it to about 180 degrees (if you don’t have a thermometer this is about medium on a gas range). Dip the mushrooms into the egg, making sure they are completely coated. Then gently toss them in the bread crumbs. I usually find it’s easier to coat them all first and set them on a tray before frying so you aren’t trying to do three things at once. Fry them in small batches for a couple of minutes on each side until golden brown. Then remove and drain on a piece of kitchen roll before serving with your favourite dip. Voilà breaded mushrooms.

I do love sweet chili sauce, we always have a bottle or two in the cupboard and it’s my secret ingredient to all things savory. There isn’t much that I make that can’t be jazzed up with a little sweet chili sauce, from coleslaw, potato salad, or dips, to bolognese. It’s a wondrous ingredient that’s forever in my heart. However last Costco run I sadly neglected to pick up any and was not relishing living without it. I knew that it’s pretty much sugar, vinegar, and chilies so it really couldn’t be all that hard to make. I had a load of chilies in the fridge which were in desperate need of use. So I thought I would whip up a batch. It was a resounding success and it was cheaper to make than buying  it at Costco.

Ingredients 

2 cups of white sugar

1 cup of water

1 cup of apple vinegar (You can buy this in any Korean Mart)

2-6 red chilies (keep the seeds if you like it hot, take them out if you want it mild)

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 an inch of ginger (or less)

4 tablespoons of cornflour

4 tablespoons of cold water

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions 

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender, except the cornflour and cold water, and blend until smooth.

2. Pour everything into a saucepan and put on a low heat. Meanwhile mix together the cornflour and cold water in a cup to make a paste, then add it to saucepan and stir together.

3. As the sweet chili sauce heats up it will thicken. When it begins to boil you can turn it off. Taste and add more salt, sugar, or vinegar to suit your own tastes. When it cools you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container. It should keep for a few weeks at least.

I have been dreaming about a fish finger sandwich for weeks now, and I only just got around to making it. However it was more than worth the wait and lived up to all my expectations. Served in a nice fresh baguette, I used some gourmet beer batter pieces of cod that I bought at High Street Market. I smothered the whole thing in tartar sauce and served it up with some home-made mushy peas. Fresh peas are in season a the moment and I picked some up from my local roadside ajumma, she even threw in 3 free chillies (score). I served up this glorious sandwich with my home-made chickpea fries, because I just can’t get enough of them right now.

Ingredients

2-3 fish fingers per sandwich

1/2 a baguette

Tartar sauce

A few pieces of lettuce

2 cups of fresh peas

A knob of butter

A splash of milk

A small handful of fresh mint

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions 

1. Boil the peas for 10 to 15 minutes until soft. Then strain and put them in the blender while they are still warm and add the knob of butter so that it melts. Add the milk, mint, and salt and pepper and blend until fairly smooth. Don’t overdo it though, it’s best when it still has a bit of texture.

2. You can either deep fry your fish fingers or cook them in the oven. My oven was on the fritz so I deep fried them. Plus I was making the chickpea fries too, so it seemed churlish not to. I cooked mine at 180 degrees for about 8- 10 minutes turning them halfway through.

3. When all is ready pile up your sandwich with lots of tartar sauce, some lettuce and those lovely fish fingers. Chips are optional but always welcome.

I have been craving a chicken pie for quite some time now. This craving was increased ten fold when a friend sought out my own advice on baking a chicken pie. We had a good long debate about filling and pastry crusts. He went for a more difficult double pastry pie, I went for the more simple one layer. Now I love pastry as much as the next girl, probably more, but for one I don’t have a real pie tin, not a deep one anyway and Mary Berry has me petrified of producing baked goods with  soggy bottoms. So I figured I could make a nice deep pie in my lasagne dish covered with a pastry top. It came out perfectly and I’m glad I went with this decision. It was quick and easy and who can be bothered with a lot of fuss on a Monday night? The Fat Boyfriend also made the shortcrust pastry making it even easier. Since he’s begun baking I love him even more than I used to. I would advise all girls get their boyfriends the Paul Hollywood bread book as a present as it’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Ingredients

Pastry

250g plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting

Pinch of salt

125g chilled unsalted butter

2 medium egg yolks

About 50ml cold water

Filling

2-3 chicken breasts (I used 3 as I had a few that needed using up)

1 onion

3 cloves of garlic

4 potatoes (small-medium)

1 green pepper

1 carrot

3 mushrooms

1 small bunch of spinach

1 small bunch of parsley

1 tablespoon of rosemary

1 tablespoon of sage

3 + 1 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons of flour

1 litre of of chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg beaten (for washing)

Directions 

1. To make the pastry, first put the flour and salt in a bowl and mix together. Add the butter. You can either cube the butter or grate it with a cheese grater. I find the second method makes the next step easier. Rub the ingredients together with your fingers until you get a texture that resembles breadcrumbs, making sure that all of the butter has been evenly incorporated. Next add the egg yolks and mix using your hands. Finally slowly add the water and keep mixing until everything has come together and the sides of the bowl are clean. You may not need all of the water. Form the pastry into a ball and then gently flatten it into a disk shape with your fingers. Take care to handle it as little as you possibly can at this stage. Wrap it in cling-film and then leave it in the refrigerator to rest for at least 30 minutes.

2. In a saucpan, bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the chicken breasts and poach for about 20 minutes. Peel the potatoes and chop the carrots then after 10 minutes add the potatoes and carrots to the stock. When everything if done remove the chicken carrots and potatoes from the stock and set aside. When the chicken has cool shred into pieces. then chop the potatoes.

3. In a separate frying pan, heat a little oil and chop the onions and garlic and fry for a few minutes until translucent. Meanwhile chop the green pepper, mushrooms, and spinach then add to the pan along with a knob of butter. Cook for a few more minutes until the vegetables are cooked and the spinach has wilted then turn off the heat.

4. To make your sauce melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a pan then stir in the flour to make a roux and cook for a minute or so then add back in the chicken stock that you saved from earlier. Keep stirring and let the sauce come together, be sure not to let it catch on the bottom. After a few minutes the sauce will have thickened, add the herbs and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Add the coked vegetables, chicken, and potatoes back into the sauce and make sure it has combined. Pour the filling into your pie dish and allow to cool while you roll out the pastry.

6.Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Then on a lightly floured surface roll your pastry until it’s 2-3mm thick and bigger than the size of your dish. Carefully take your pastry and lay it across your dish and seal the edges of the pastry on to your dish by pressing them together. Cut a cross in the middle to let any stream escape then use any leftover pastry to cut some shapes and make a pretty pattern. Brush the whole thing with your egg wash and cook in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until your pastry is golden brown and cooked through all the way. Serve, enjoy and give yourself a pat on the back, cause you just made a pie!

Ever since I cracked the triple cooked chips I have been gunning to make this British classic. However I had quite a time of it trying to find some fish fillets. Finally, after weeks of searching, The Fat Boyfriend found some pollack at Costco. It was only 10,000 for 1kg of frozen fillets. However, when we opened them up the pieces were very small. I think they are meant to be used for sashimi or a Korean dish, but we made them work all the same. You get a much bigger batter to fish ratio, which I don’t find particularly upsetting but if you could find some chunkier fish it would be better.  I believe they have some tapia fillets which would probably work well. This batter recipe is also absolute perfection, making that lovely thick batter that has the white coating inside, while still being crispy on the outside. 

Ingredients

Fish

225g of flour

330ml of beer (I just used Cass)

3 teaspoons of baking powder

Salt and pepper

100g of seasoned flour

400g of Fish fillets

Tartar Sauce

200ml of mayonnaise

1-2 little packets of pizza pickles

1 tablespoon of capers

1/2 lemon (juiced)

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Prepare the triple cooked chips. They will take the longest. Click here for full instructions.

2. Weigh out the 225g of flour and put it in a bowl and pop it in the freezer. Heat the oil to 180-190 degrees. How hot you need it depends on the size of your fish, the thicker the fish the lower the temperature or the fish wont cook.

3. Once your oil is almost heated, take the flour out of the freezer. Whisk in the salt and baking powder, then the beer.

4. Coat the fish in the seasoned flour, shaking off an excess then dip them into the batter and pop them in the oil. They should take about 2 minutes on one side and a minute or so on the other. The batter should be a nice golden brown. If you have a thicker piece of fish, be careful to make sure it’s cooked through. When it’s done remove and allow to drain on kitchen paper whilst you cook the remaining pieces.

5. To make the accompanying tartar sauce, finely chop the pickles and capers then mix into the mayonnaise. Stir in the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Voilà fish and chips.

I am a very lucky girl as I have such lovely friends. One of my loveliest friends Susan took me to Deli Heinzburg to celebrate my birthday. She clearly knows the way to my heart is through sandwiches. Located in the tres chic Sinsa, tucked away in a back street is Deli Heinzburg ready to offer up all of its delights. This deli/cafe had room for plenty in the main restaurant as well as a sunny conservatory on the side. The perfect place to grab a quick bite or while away a sunny afternoon in the sun.

After working my way through their mammoth menu, I ordered the Boiling Cheese and Steamy Beef (13,200). Hand rubbed roast beef, deep cheddar cheese, macaroni, and sautéed onions inside a steaming sandwich. When it arrived it was encased in foil to keep the heat in from the steaming plate. I had to rip it open to delve into my sandwich. The pillow soft ciabatta bread was amazing, I actually prefer it to some of chewier style ciabatta I ate in Italy. Generous slices of roast beef and cheesy macaroni. It was just the comforting calorie laden sandwich I was hoping for. It came with home-made whole grain mustard which complimented it perfectly.

My lovely friend Susan ordered the Toscana (12,200). Prosciutto topped with slices of honeydew melon. I am not usually a fan of all things ham but this one was so tempting I decided to have a bite. Fresh and tasty, it beats those limp old plastic ham sandwiches they sell every where in Korea any day of the week.. The melon was the perfect accompaniment. Being a local to the area Susan told me that she had tried various sandwiches on the menu, yet this one still remained her favourite.

Since it was my birthday I figured we needed a side order of frites (4,300). Although I was expecting french fries, these chunks of breaded and fried potato did not disappoint in the slightest. My only complaint is that we didn’t order two portions. As there may have been a little bit of a tussle over who was going to eat the last one.

As well as serving all manner of delicious sandwiches in store they also have lots of things to take home and enjoy. Bread, deli meats, sauces and  sweet delights can all be found in abundance. Obvious a glutton like myself could not resist the opportunity to pick up a few more tasty treats despite already being full.  A fully fledged fatty like myself would never let a thing like a full belly put me off buying more food.. I picked up a trio of ciabattas (5,500), 200g of turkey from the deli and a jar of their delicious lemon mayo (7,000). I used some of the rocket (arugula)  which has been flourishing in my herb garden and some cheese to make myself another fabulous sandwich at home.  The bread was once again perfect despite the lateness of the day. I will be sure to buy more next time I’m passing by.

Deli Heinzberg is located in Sinsa at 534-1 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Sinsa station (line 3). Come out of exit 8 and walk straight until you get to Tous Le Jours and make a left. Keep walking straight along that road until you reach the Fossil store. Take a left just after and you should see Gentle Lady Cupcake on your right. Keep walking to the end of the block and Deli Heinzberg will be on your left. You can also call them on 02-541-8780.

I can’t believe I’m actually posting this as it’s such an easy thing to make, however I totally forgot how awesome it can be. I used to make it loads when I was a teenager but haven’t had it in years. I always see the boxes  in the foreign food mart but never end up buying one. I usually have a bag of macaroni in my cupboard that I rarely use for anything other than pasta salad. Macaroni is so easy to find in Korea. They sell it in every supermarket so I though it was about time I made use of it.

It was actually my lovely friends over at Pumpkinface that turned me back on to wanting it. They recently put up some pictures of their vegan Mac and Cheese that looked so good I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Then it dawned on me I could just make some when I got home. So quick and easy but incredibly comforting this was just what I needed on a day I felt a bit down in the dumps. Comfort food at its finest! I also threw in a bit of spinach, just because I love it and it to give it a meager amount of nutrition.

Ingredients

250g of macaroni (no need to precook)

1 litre of milk

1/2 stick of butter

50g of flour

A teaspoon of mustard

200g of  cheddar cheese (grated)

100g of breadcrumbs (빵가루)

200g of spinach

1/2 a chicken stock cube (dissolved in a small amount of hot water)

A pinch of Salt and pepper

Directions

Melt the butter in a sauce pan, turn down the heat then stir in the flour to make a paste. Add the milk to the saucepan and keep whisking. After a while the mixture should thicken and become a lovely white sauce. If it’s too thick add a little more milk. Add half of the cheese and the mustard and stir until the cheese has melted. Add the dissolved stock cube to the mixture and keep on stirring.   Roughly chop the spinach and add to the cheese sauce. You can remove it from the heat at this point. The sauce will still be warm enough to wilt the spinach. Put your uncooked macaroni in your oven proof dish, pour in the sauce and and mix it all together. Top with the other half of the grated cheese and then the breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven at 170 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes until golden and brown and the macaroni has cooked though. Voilà an easy dinner that will always put a smile on your face.

I first fell in love with empanadas when I backpacked my way around South America. I started in Venezuela and ended in Brazil, and there was hardly a day that went by that I didn’t partake of these delicious delights. Empanadas vary from country to county whether the pastry is baked or fried, but they are constantly delicious. Some of my favourites were the fried chicken variety from Venezuela. They came with this amazing avocado sauce. I could have eaten them until my belly popped. Even to this day I still long for that delicious delicious sauce and thought it was about time I got around to making some. Mine aren’t 100% authentic but they were  very very tasty.

Ingredients

Filling

2 chicken breasts

3 red peppers

4 cloves of garlic

1 onion

2-3 tablespoons of taco seasoning

5-6 tablespoons of salsa

Avocado dipping sauce

2 avocados

A bunch of coriander

1 lemon

5 tablespoons of sour cream

1 tablespoon of olive oil

3 cloves of garlic

Empanada dough

400g of  all purpose flour (I use the one for noodles and dumplings)

A pinch of salt

6 oz unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), cold and cut into 12 pieces

1 egg

4-5 tablespoons of  water

2 eggs beaten with a drop of milk for brushing

Directions

Sift together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the butter until it resembles fine bread crumbs. In a separate bowl just beat together the egg and water, then add to the butter and flour mixture and bring together to form a dough. Once the dough forms, wrap in clingfilm and store in the fridge for an hour.

To make the filling, boil your two chicken breasts until they have cooked through and leave to cool. Finely chop the onion, garlic, and red peppers and fry off in a little oil for a few minutes until they have softened. Shred your chicken breasts using two forks and add to the frying pan along with the taco seasoning and fry for a few more minutes. Add the salsa and cook for a further minute making sure everything has combined. Leave the mixture to cool while you make the dipping sauce.

To make the amazing avocado dipping sauce put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. You may wish to add more sour cream if you think it’s too thick. Also make sure your avocados are very ripe, as they will difficult to blend if they are too hard.

After the dough has chilled roll it out flat until it’s about 1mm-2mm thick. Cut  out your circles using something circular. I used a lid of a plastic container that was about 4 inches in diameter. The larger your circle the bigger the empanadas will be. I managed to make 16.

Put two spoonfuls of filling into the empanada

Brush beaten egg around the outside then fold over to make a half moon shape. Then seal by pressing a fork all the way around the edge.

Brush the empanadas with more egg wash and bake in an oven at 200 degrees celcius for about 12-20 minutes or until they are golden brown.  Serve with your delicious avocado dip and enjoy. Voilà a taste of South America.

As you may have read a few times now, I have a lovely new pasta maker. Sorry to keep banging on about it but I do. I decided to use it to whip up another batch of tortellini. The last ones I made were completely handmade, which actually came out very well. It is easier with a pasta machine as its far quicker to get the dough nice and thin,  but it really isn’t essential. So if you have been humming and hawing about making fresh pasta for a while now them I would really recommend you give it a try as they taste amazeballs, far better than the ones you can buy in the supermarket.

Ingredients

Pasta

250g of flour

1 teaspoon of salt

3 eggs

Filling

2 large handfuls of spinach

300g of ricotta (see my recipe here)

A knob of butter

Directions

To make the pasta. Mix the salt with the flour then make a heap on a clean flat surface. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in your beaten eggs. I haven’t taken any pictures of these steps as I’m sure you have seen it countless times before. Stir the egg gradually incorporating the flour from the sides of the circle a bit at a time so the well keeps its shape until the last moment. When all the flour has been mixed in you should have a lump of dough. Knead this dough for 5- 10 minutes until it is elastic and has some stretch to it. Wrap in cling-film and store in the fridge for 30 minutes. While you are waiting you can make the filling and sauce.

To make the filling chop the spinach then wilt in a little butter. Mix the spinach and ricotta together and season well. If you have some fresh parmesan to hand, grate some in too.

After the dough has been chilled properly you can begin to roll it out. It’s a good idea to separate your lump of dough into 2 or 3 pieces and work with one piece at a time. Put the unused lumps back in the fridge so they don’t dry out. If you have a pasta maker rolling the dough should be quick and easy. If not roll those sleeves up and get out your rolling-pin. The pasta really does need to be wafer thin, so when you think its thin enough, keep rolling. I read online that it should be thin enough so that you can see a playing card underneath the dough. The thinner your pasta the better it will taste. Even if the pasta is a little thick it’s not the end of the world but the skinny ones were definitely far tastier than the fatties. You can use anything round to cut the tortellini shapes, I just used a regular paper cup with a diameter of about 7 centimetres. I found that this was a good size. I tried a smaller cup too but I found they were quite fiddly to make, plus you would have to make more of them too.

When your circles are all cut, put a bit of filling in the middle of the circle. About half a teaspoon.

Fold the circle over so it makes a half moon shape. Squeeze the edges of the pasta together all around the filling, so the lump is secured.  Bring the two edges together so it makes the shape below.

Put the tortellini on a floured plate to dry out for about 20 minute..

Once your tortellinis have dried out. Boil them in batches of about 12 in salted water. They will take 1-2 minutes and are done when they float to the top. Serve with your favourite pasta sauce and top with freshly grated parmesan. Voilà homemade tortellini.