Lemon Meringue Pie - I wish mine looked as perfect as this, though!

Ingredients (of doom)

300g sweet short pastry
4 eggs, separated
1 cup water
Finely grated zest and juice of 3 lemons
1 cup sugar
15g butter
1/4 cup cornflour
1/2 cup caster sugar
Icing sugar, to dust

1. Roll out pastry – always rolling away from you and turning the pastry, not battering it with the rolling pin (I am too hard up for a rolling pin, and use a wine bottle. True story – about 3mm thick. Grease a 20-25cm tart tin and stick the pastry in, up the sides and all. Prick the base with a fork and then chill for at least 30 minutes.

2. Heat the oven to 200°C. Line pastry case with baking paper or foil and fill with baking beans (I use dry pasta) to blind bake for 15 minutes, then remove paper and beans and return pastry case to the oven for a further five minutes to dry out. Remove to cool.

3. Place the egg yolks, water, lemon juice and zest, sugar, butter and cornflour into a saucepan. Cook over a gentle heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring continuously until mixture thickens like custard. Remove and let cool.

4. Spread lemon custard mixture into cooked pastry case. Place egg whites in a bowl and with an electric mixer, beat until stiff – I have to do this by hand as I am too hard up for a mixer. Use a husband with a strong arm. Slowly add caster sugar a little at a time, beating well until thick meringue is formed.

5. Spread meringue over custard to cover completely. It you want it to look all pretty you have to pipe it, but I just slather it on. Bake at 200°C for 10 to 15 minutes, just until tips of meringue are lightly browned. Dust with icing sugar and slice to serve.

You can make the pastry and filling the day before, but make the meringue right as you need it for optimum yumminess. Beat egg whites just before use, as they will separate on standing.

Anyone else care to share a pie recipe?

Sweeney Todd Sweet Apple Tart

Ingredients (of doom)

250 g very soft butter (not melted)
¾ c caster sugar
grated rind 1 orange / lemon
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 ½ c flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
either a 500 g can of sliced apples, or approx 4 large apples (I like using fresh apples)

Method (or Madness)

1. If you’re using real apples (or real testicles, or whatever you have lying around the bakery), de-core them, slice them, and cook them lightly. I do this by covering them in sugar, putting glad wrap over the top, and popping them into

2. Beat together butter, egg, castor sugar, rind and essence until thick and creamy. Add sifted flour and baking powder. Stir well.

3. You should now have a dough that’s soft and a little sticky (Sweeney likes it thus). Spread 2/3 of this dough into a well-lined and greased pie container (about 23cm round). Get in there with your hands and smush it all down and around the sides.

4. fill the centre with the apples.

5. pinch off little bits of remaining dough, and roll into little balls. Place on top of the apples.

6. Bake at 180C for 35-45 minutes.

7. To serve, sprinkle a little icing sugar over the pie and serve warm with ice cream or pouring cream.

A seriously good apple pie. I’m making this over the weekend for the first time this winter, and it shall be divine.

Name your favorite pie recipe!

So when I create a dish he really loves – a dish he requests week after week – I know I’m on a winner. This pasta is actually almost somewhat healthy, what with the capsicum and the tomato and all that.

Steff Metal’s Sausage Pasta of DOOM

Ingredients (for 2):

3 sausages of your choice (I like highly-flavoured sausages like italian tomato ones from the butcher, or choritzo)

1 capsicum or 2 half-capsicums of difering colours (I like multi-coloured meals)

ten black olives (optional)

can of diced tomatoes

1 tbsp chopped parsley (fresh, if you’ve got it)

2 heaped handfuls of penne pasta

olive oil

1 onion, chopped into teensy pieces

1-2 garlic cloves, chopped

salt & pepper, to season

1. Heat the oil in a pan. While that’s heating up, put the pasta on to boil in some salt water.

2. add the onion and stir for a minute. Chop the sausages into circles and add those, along with the garlic, capsicum and olives. Fry briskly for about 10-15 minutes till the sausages are brown and everything else is sot.

3. Add about three tablespoons of tomatoes (just enough to cover – it’s not a watery dish) and the parsley and basil. Stir for about 4 minutes.

4. Serve over pasta with a little italian bread and a salad. Yummers

Now try that and tell me it ain’t yum.

Horns Up \m/
Steff

2. Yorkshire puds cooked by my father-in-law

3. Chicken and hummus burger from Homemade Burgers, Kingsland

4. Tofu Pad Thai Gai from Nikki’s Thai Restuarant in Newmarket

5. Fish and Chips from … pretty much anywhere

6. chilli fries from Denny’s

7. Strawberry ice cream from the random farm we go to that makes the awesome strawberry ice cream

8. A sausage roll and pork and marmalade bun from the Bakers Cottage

9. Hare Krishna food (I don’t know what any of it is called, but boy howdy)

10. raw power salad and hotpot from Revive

I once put this recipe up on the “ratshit recipes” thread on NZMetal.com and had it declared the “most metal recipe ever”, so I thought I’d share with you.

Chilli Fries of Filth

Ingredients

• I packet beer batter chips (or whatever chips you prefer. The thicker, the better)
• 500 grams of mince
• 1 can chilli beans (we use Watties Mild cuz CDH hates hot food, but when I’m on my own I bring out the super chilli!)

Optional Extras

• 1 can chunky pasta sauce / diced tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 red capsicum
• cheese. Lots of cheese
• Sour cream

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and place chips in oven. Cut onion and capsicum into tiny pieces. Place onion in pan with a little oil and brown for 2 minutes.

2. Add mince to the pan. Brown mince and onion for a further 3-5 minutes.

3. Add can of chilli beans, capsicum and pasta sauce to taste. Turn heat down and simmer until chips are done.

4. Spread chips on plate, dump chilli mixture on top. Coat liberally with cheese and sour cream. Eat.