From: arielle@taronga.com (Stephanie da Silva)
Subject: Two RECIPES, Was: Re: Recipes For The Cooking Inept??
Organization: Taronga Park BBS
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 05:19:55 GMT

beowulf@wam.umd.edu (amealuh) writes:
> this may be wholly inappropriate of me, but does anyone actually HAVE any 
> recipes for the cooking inept, rather than just an extended discussion
> of what temperature one should cook a bird at?

No, you're right, we should have changed the subject line.

Actually, I think "inept" is the wrong word to describe a novice cook.
They just need more practice.  It's hard for me to suggest recipes
because the way I learned to cook was to pull out a cookbook and just 
start trying different things.  

Try getting a basic cookbook like the Good Housekeeping Illustrated
Cookbook and browse through it to learn about terms and techniques and
just try different recipes.  Start with something simple and something
you like.  Here are a couple of recipes from an Australian cookbook
Manda gave to me when she was here.  I haven't tried either, but both
look simple and also yummy and I'm planning on making both (as soon as
I can figure out what golden syrup is and if canned green peppercorns
are available here).

Chicken in Green Peppercorn Sauce

4 single chicken fillets -- I'm assuming they mean half a breast.  If
you don't know how to bone chicken breasts, then buy them already boned.
1 level tablespoon plain flour
30 g (1 oz) butter
1 tablespoon port
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup water
1 level tablespoon green peppercorns (1/2 small can) 
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons cream

Dust chicken fillets lightly with flour.  Melt butter in a frying pan 
and add chicken.  Fry gently until light golden on both sides.  Add
port, white wine, water, green peppercorns and a tiny pinch of salt.
Simmer gently for approximately 10 minutes or until the chicken is
tender.  Remove chicken to hot serving plates.  Boil the sauce rapidly 
to reduce it to a shiny glaze, add cream, heat through, then pour over
chicken and serve.


Golden Syrup Pudding

3 level tablespoons golden syrup
125 g (4 oz) butter
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups self rising flour
1/2 cup milk

Grease a small pudding basin well with butter.  (Don't have a pudding
basin?  Use a Pyrex bowl instead.)  Pour golden syrup in the bottom.
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla essence.  Beat in the eggs, one at a
time, fold in sifted flour, then stir in milk.  Add the pudding mixture 
to the basin on top of the golden syrup.  Cover top of basin with two
sheets of foil or gladbake (what's this?), greasing the later next to
the pudding so it does not stick.  Tie well with string and lower into
a pot of boiling water.  The water should come halfway up the sides of
basin.  (It doesn't say anything about a trivet, but I'd use one.)
Cover the pot and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours.  Remove basin and let
stand for a few minutes before turning out.  Serve with a pouring custard.
-- 
Stephanie da Silva                        Taronga Park * Houston, Texas
arielle@taronga.com                           568-0480   568-1032   
  "We are the beaters that scramble your eggmen.  We are..." 
                    "Really dumb." -- The Darkwing Squad and Steelbeak