Cooking with Paula McIntyre

Recipe
Biscuit base
200g chocolate oaty biscuits, crushed
65g melted butter
Mix together and press into a pie tin up the sides a bit and chill.
100g chopped dates
50ml PX sherry
Mix, cover and leave overnight.
150g chopped dark chocolate
150g chopped milk chocolate
150ml double cream
25ml banoffee toffee
25g butter
Place the chocolates in a heat proof bowl. Heat the cream, butter and toffee in a pan until bubbling, pour over the chocolate and stir until melted. Add the dates and mix well. Pour into the biscuit base and smooth off. Chill for a few hours to set but take out of fridge at least an hour before serving.
250ml double cream whipped
25g dark chocolate
Pipe the cream over the top and finely grate the chocolate all over.

Recipe
Coconut Rice Pudding
100g pudding rice
450ml coconut milk – 1 tin
150ml whipping cream
25g honey
25g castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Rinse the rice pudding for a minute in a sieve under cold running water.
Place the pudding rice in a pan with the coconut milk, cream, honey, sugar and vanilla and gently simmer for about half an hour or until rice is cooked through.
Poached and caramelized pineapple
1 pineapple
350ml pineapple juice
25g brown sugar
Peel the pineapple and remove the “eyes”. Quarter, remove the core and cut the pineapple into 3cm slices. Place in the pineapple juice and gently simmer until the pineapple is just done. Remove pineapple and add the sugar to the liquid. Boil until thick and syrupy and return the pineapple to the liquid and mix well.
Candied puffed rice
50g castor sugar
2 teaspoons water
30g rice crispies
10g desiccated coconut
Heat the sugar and water over high heat in a pan until the sugar turns to a golden caramel liquid – don’t stir. Remove from heat and mix in the crispies and coconut. Turn onto a sheet of parchment and cool.
Spoon the rice pudding into bowls, top with some pineapple ( any leftover will keep in the fridge for a week) and scatter over some of the candied puffed rice.

Recipe
Lemon Crunch Pie with blueberries
Base
200g oaty or digestive biscuits
75g butter
Crush the biscuits to a fine crumb either in a food processor or place in a bag and bash with a rolling pin. Melt the butter and mix with the crumbs. Line a 20cm springform cake tin or 6 individual tins, with parchment paper. Press the biscuit mixture into the tin and press down. Chill in the fridge.
Filling
Zest and juice 2 lemons
150ml condensed milk
300 ml double cream, whipped
Fold the condensed milk, lime zest and juice into the cream. Spoon onto the base and allow to chill in the fridge for a few hours.
Blueberry compote
250g frozen blueberries
35g honey
Mix in a pan and cook for 5 minutes. Cool.
250ml whipped cream ( optional)
Remove the tin from the pudding and spoon the blueberries on top.
Pipe the cream on top and serve.

Shepherd Pie Jackets with fennel and feta salad
Shepherd Pie Jackets
4 large baker potatoes, scrubbed
250g lamb mince
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 small tin chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato puree
250ml beef stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
50ml milk
125g finely grated cheddar
Bake the potatoes in a 180oc oven for about 45 minutes or until cooked through.
Heat a pan until smoking hot and add the lamb mince. Cook until sealed off well. Drain off the fat and add the onion, garlic and celery to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the tomato puree, tomatoes, stock and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 20 minutes. Check seasoning.
Cut the potatoes in half while warm and scoop out the flesh. Mash the flesh with the milk and season to taste. Place the shells in a baking tray and spoon the mince. Spoon or pipe the potato on top and then sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake in a 180oc oven for about 20 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
Fennel and feta salad
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
75ml olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bulb fennel
1 little gem lettuce
75g crumbled feta
Whisk the vinegar, mustard and oil together with the honey and season to taste. Cut the fennel in half and remove the core. Slice as thinly as you can and toss into the dressing. Toss in the feta. Shred the lettuce and mix in.

Pastry
225g plain flour
100g chopped cold butter
Pinch salt
1 egg
Rub the flour and butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Mix in the salt. Mix in the egg to dough, wrap in cling and chill.
Filling
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Oil for brushing
25g butter
1 large leek, split, washed and chopped
25g plain flour
150ml chicken stock
1 tablespoon cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Brush the chicken with oil and cook on a hot grill pan for about 4 minutes each side or until cooked through. Allow to rest.
Heat the butter in a pan and add the leeks. Cook until wilted down and mix in the flour well. Add the stock and mix to a stiff smooth sauce. Add the cream and mustard and check seasoning. Add any resting juices from the chicken and then cool and chill. Chop the chicken and mix into the sauce.
To assemble
1 egg yolk.
Divide the pastry in half and roll to fit a buttered pie dish. Trim off the edges and keep in cling.
Line with foil and fill with baking beans. Chill for an hour then bake in a 180oc oven for 12 minutes. Remove beans and foil and bake for another 5 minutes. Fill with the chicken mixture. Roll out the remaining pastry and cover the chicken mixture. Crimp the edges and brush with egg yolk. Roll out the ends of pastry and make leaves. Place on pie and cover with more egg yolk. Bake in a 180oc oven for 30 minutes.
Broccoli with pickled shallot
2 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
25ml white wine or cider vinegar
25ml water
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
Salt to taste
350g tenderstem broccoli
1 tablespoon oil
Place the vinegar, water, sugar, turmeric and mustard seeds in a pan and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Check seasoning and pour over the shallots. Leave for an hour to pickle.
Blanch the broccoli in salted boiling water for a minute and then drain, place on kitchen paper and top with kitchen paper.
Heat the oil in a frying pan until smoking add the broccoli. Cook for a couple of minutes then add the shallots ( not the liquid) and warm through.