Sharon’s Stylish Meals – Season 1 Episode 7 Recipes
CHOCOLATE AND STRAWBERRY FILLED CREPES
20 CREPES – BOUGHT OR HOMEMADE (WOOLWORTHS)
PRALINUTTA OR NUTELLA
FRESH STRAWBERRIES, CUT IN HALF
Warm crepes. Spread with chocolate spread and lie strawberries down centre of crepe.
Roll crepe to enclose berries.
Dust with icing sugar just before serving.
Or
Melt 200g dark chocolate with ⅓ cup cream to make a drizzling chocolate sauce. Drizzle over crepes just before serving.
CREPES
1½ CUPS FLOUR
2 EGGS
¾ CUP WATER
½ CUP MILK OR SOYA MILK
2 TBS OIL
2 TBS SUGAR
1 TBS BRANDY
Whisk together all the above ingredients until smooth.
Mixture must be very thin for crepes to be light. Crepes can be made up to 2 days before.
Place wax paper between the crepes.
Warm in the microwave to stop them breaking.
GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH CAESAR SALAD
DRESSING
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tsps Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk
3 tbs mayonnaise
1/3 – ½ cup light olive oil
1 tsp salt
coarsely ground black pepper
Place egg yolk, mustard, lemon juice and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Whisk together. Then slowly pour in the olive oil whisking all the time, until sauce thickens. Season well with salt and pepper.
2-3 cos lettuces, broken
croutons
Parmesan (if desired)
Toss salad with dressing and croutons just before serving.
4 skinless and boneless breasts – pound them to make them flatter and more tender
2 tbs creamed honey
2 tbs Dijon or Wholegrain mustard
Season breasts with olive oil, and brush with a mixture of honey and mustard as well as coarse salt and pepper.
Grill on a very hot preheated grilling pan. Do not turn until browned on the one side.
Grill approximately 3-4 minutes each side.
Slice into thin strips and serve with the Caesar salad or serve the salad on the side with the chicken breasts whole on the plate.
NOTE: Can brush the breasts with some mustard whilst grilling for extra flavour
LEMON SPATCH-COCKED BABY CHICKENS
The combination of herbs and wine, make this a very refreshing dish. I am particularly fond of placing the herb mixture on top of and under the skin of the chicken as it keeps it very juicy. Being South African, I also love braaiing the chickens to get that smoky flavour.
PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes
COOKING TIME: 1 hour 20 minutes
4 baby chickens, spatch-cocked*
3 lemons
1 orange
125ml (½ cup) Italian parsley, chopped
60ml (¼ cup) sage, chopped
60ml (¼ cup) thyme, chopped
5ml (1 t) minced garlic
45ml (3 T) olive oil
coarse salt
black pepper
375ml (1½ cups) white wine
Preheat oven to 200ºC.
*Cut the baby chickens through the backbone and flatten them with your hand.
Grate the rind of one lemon and set aside. Peel the others, and slice all 3 thinly. Peel the orange and cut it into thin slices too.
Mix the parsley, sage, thyme and garlic together with the olive oil, coarse salt and black pepper. Gently lift the skin off the chicken and rub a little of the herb mix under the skin, along with some slices of lemon and orange. Then rub more herb mixture on the outside. Drizzle with white wine and leave chickens to marinate for a few hours.
Roast the chickens skin side down on the bottom rack for about 40 minutes. Then change oven to grill and move chickens up slightly. Grill for the remaining 30-40 minutes or until they are cooked through. Baste continuously with the marinade.
CHEF’S TIP: 2 large chickens may be used in place of the baby ones if you prefer. I remove the rind of the lemons and oranges to avoid a bitter taste.
Serves 4
THAI CHICKEN AND BASIL SPRING ROLLS
Harmony is the guiding principle in Thai dishes. And that’s exactly what you can expect from this delicious starter – the crispness of the spring roll pastry combined with the tastes and textures of the chicken and bean threads is harmony at its best. Spring roll pastry can be bought in the freezer section of most supermarkets or Asian markets.
PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10 minutes
30ml (2 T) oil
½ red onion
5ml (1 t) fresh ginger
5ml (1 t) minced garlic
500g (1 lb) chicken breasts
30ml (2 T) sweet chilli sauce
30ml (2 T) soya sauce
30ml (2 T) fresh basil
2.5ml (½ t) minced chilli
100g (3.5 oz) vermicelli noodles (bean threads)
1 medium carrot
12 sheets spring roll pastry
1 egg
10ml (2 t) water
extra oil for frying
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Chop the onion, grate the ginger and add them with the garlic to the oil. Sauté for 3 minutes or until the onion softens. Chop the chicken very finely and add to the pan. Cook through completely. Stir in the sweet chilli sauce and soya sauce and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat. Shred the basil and add with the chilli.
In the meanwhile, soak the noodles in boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain them, and then cut them with scissors into smaller threads. Grate the carrot finely and add with the noodles to the chicken mixture. Stir until well combined.
Place a spoonful of chicken mixture in a diagonal line in the centre of the sheet of spring roll pastry. Roll up the sides and ends quite tightly. Lightly beat the egg with water and brush the edges to seal. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the spring rolls on medium heat until golden brown. Drain on paper towel. Serve warm.
SWEET CHILLI MAYONNAISE
125ml (½ cup) mayonnaise
60ml (¼ cup) sweet chilli sauce
15ml (1 T) fresh lime juice
coarse salt and black pepper
Mix all the ingredients together and serve with the spring rolls.
Makes 12 spring rolls
