Chocolate Tart

Ingredients

450g/1lb sweet pastry

1x20cm/8in tart ring

300g/10½oz dark chocolate

110g/4oz unsalted butter

110ml/4fl oz double cream

4 eggs

1 egg, yolk only

110g/4oz sugar

Preparation method

1. Line the tart ring with sweet pastry and bake blind.
2. Melt the chocolate, butter and cream in a bowl over boiling water.
   Technique: Melting chocolate 
3. In a mixer, whisk the eggs, yolk and sugar on full speed until thick, light and fluffy.
4. Fold the eggs through the melted chocolate mix very carefully and fill the tart mould to the top.
5. Cook in a cool oven at 150C/300F/Gas 2 for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely. 
6. Do not refrigerate. Serve with orange or passion fruit sorbet.

Vegetarian Penne Pasta with Tomato and Red Capsicum Sauce

Penne pasta

2 tsp olive oil

1 chopped onions

2 crushed cloves of garlic

2 red capsicums cut into small pieces.

1 tin crushed tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste.

Cook pasta as per instructions on the packet.

In pan heat oil and saute onions until transparent.

Add garlic and cook for further 2 minutes (without burning)

Add tinned tomatoes and capsicum pieces.

Cook until capsicum is soft and liquid has reduced.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Drain pasta and toss through tomato and capsicum sauce.

Serve with fresh salad.

Chinese Dumplings 

Ingredients

60 premade dumpling wappers

300g Pork Mince

2 spring  onions

2 cloves garlic

1 bunch Ong choy (Chinese water spinach)

2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

2 tbsp soy sauce

Small amount sesame oil

2 tbsp oyster sauce.

Finely chop spring onions and ong choy.

Mix with Pork mince.

Add sauces and mix until totally combined.

Take small amount of mixture and place in centre of dumpling wrapper.

Fold and set aside for cooking

Follow this Link for instructions on how to fold dumplings

http://www.steamykitchen.com/5849-chinese-boiled-pork-dumplings.html

Preheat electric frypan or saucepan full of water.  When boiling add dumplings.  

Dumplings will float when cooked.

Serve with Chinese red vinegar.

Ready Steady Cook!

Today
Each team had a different dish to cook, they were given a recipe and some instructions and they were off.

Group 1 - Chinese Dumplings

Group 2 - Vegetarian Penne Pasta with a tomato and red capsicum sauce

Group 3 - Chocolate Tart


The results were awesome.  Group 1 winning todays cook off, the boys were super organised, and worked well as a team.  A special well done to Luke who took leadership seriously and shared the skills he has learnt cooking at home with his mum with the group.

We thought we should include the recipes on our blog so that we can cook them another time, or at home for our friends and family.

Getting Organised

Our first cooking club session was all about getting organised.
What are we going to do? How are the sessions going to run?

Some of us obviously watch a few of the current cooking shows, and we decided that we would like to run our sessions a little bit along the lines of 'My Kitchen Rules'

We have split into groups and each group with cook a different dish each week.  We will cook and entree, a main and a dessert.  At the end of each session we will sit down and taste each others dishes and give feedback to each other.  Mrs Hanlon and her helpers will also be looking at, and tasting the food and choosing the best dish of the day.
They will be looking at group dynamics - how the group can work together and how organised the group is. The taste of the food, and where time allows, how the food is presented.

Next week we are going to be making Chinese Dumplings, Vegetarian Pasta and Chocolate Tart!

Food technology is focused on developing knowledge and skills about the use of living organisms and ingredients to process, preserve, pack and store products.

In home economics, students develop an understanding of the factors that influence the well-being of individuals and families within the home and community and of the actions people take to enhance and sustain those environments.

In the context of food and nutrition, students evaluate current issues and theories of nutrition, identify and reflect on factors that influence people’s choices and behaviours, and use this knowledge to make informed decisions.

Through the processes of selecting, preparing, cooking, and serving food, students develop their creativity and experience a sense of accomplishment. At the same time, they develop personal and interpersonal understandings and skills that contribute to well-being.

Macaroni Cheese

WOW - so many easy dishes that we can make at home!
Today it was macaroni cheese.
Boil us the macaroni and make a Roux - it's as simple as that.
While the recipe we used today didn't have any extras we discussed how you could add all sorts of other tasty bits to the dish to make it a bit different.  We decided that ham, bacon or salami would be yummy.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Edmonds plain baking flour
2 cups milk
salt n pepper
2 cups grated tasty cheese
2 cups macaroni elbows, cooked

Method

Melt butter in a saucepan.

Stir in flour and cook until frothy.

Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until sauce boils and thickens.

Remove from heat.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in half the cheese.

Add macaroni, stirring to combine.

You can stop at this point and eat, however you can follow the next steps if you want.

Pour mixture into an oven­proof dish.

Sprinkle over the remaining cheese.

Cook at 190°C for 20 minutes or until golden and heated through.

Chopped cooked bacon or ham can be added to the sauce if desired.