Joanne's Easy Bake: Easy Fruits and Custard Parfait

Joanne's Easy Bake: Easy Fruits and Custard Parfait: As the year comes to an end, many things need get done and time is always a constraint when it comes to eating at home in a nice set...

Easy Fruits and Custard Parfait

Easy Fruits and Custard Parfait

As the year comes to an end, many things need get done and time is always a constraint when it comes to eating at home in a nice setting. This is a pretty easy dessert that can be prepared 2 days ahead of time and assembled in a jiffy. It is both refreshing and light, a perfect late supper finale.

Ingredients:-

Custard Filling (A)

1-3/4 cups + 1/4 cup skim milk

1/3 cup + 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

6 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla essence

1/8 cup unsalted butter (cubed) at room temperature

8 oz or 1 cup or 227gm mascarpone cheese at room temperature

Toppings (B)

2 cups fresh strawberries (washed, hulled and halved)

2 pints fresh blue berries (rinsed and dried)

Method:-

To make custard filling (A):-

Place 1-3/4 cups milk and 1/3 cup sugar into a medium sized saucepan and heat over medium heat until milk comes to just about to boil, stirring occasionally.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks with 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup flour until there is no lump. (To make it faster, just pass the mixture through a fine sieve).

Once milk is about to boil, remove saucepan from heat and whisk in egg mixture.

Return saucepan to heat and cook over medium heat until mixture thickens and comes to boil, whisking continuously. Continue to stir for another one to two minutes until mixture thickens.

Remove from heat. 

Add vanilla and butter. Whisk to combine and until custard is smooth. 

Cover with a plastic wrap immediately (to prevent skin from forming on top of custard) and let it cool. When it is cold enough, place custard in the fridge to cool until custard is thick.

 Meanwhile, whisk mascarpone cheese until it is smooth in a separate bowl by just using a wire whisk.

 Add mascarpone cheese to cold custard and whisk until smooth. 

Set aside to chill in the fridge again until ready to use (can be refrigerated for 2 days).

Assembling:-

Chill 6 tall glasses or parfait glass. Divide the chilled custard and spoon into the glasses. Top them with (B) pre-washed fresh strawberries and blue berries. Serve them chilled. Don't forget to lick the spoon and enjoy!

**Note: You may line the inside bottom of the glass with some lady finger biscuits dipped in your favourite espresso before you spoon the custard into the glass! 

Joanne's Easy Bake: Easy Slow Roasted Ham Using Coke

Joanne's Easy Bake: Easy Slow Roasted Ham Using Coke: Easy Slow Roasted Ham Using Coke Whenever picnic shoulder ham goes on sale, I will always get one and use this very eas...

Easy Slow Roasted Ham Using Coke

Easy Slow Roasted Ham Using Coke

Whenever picnic shoulder ham goes on sale, I will always get one and use this very easy method to prepare for an entree that will last two to three meals. My uncle, Fred, taught me this when I first arrived in Toronto. If you get tired of having it for dinner, you may always use the leftovers, after your first meal, for sandwiches or salads. I will roast it on weekends since weekdays are near impossible to cook and find this to be most convenient. Please remember to save the big bone for your stock!

Utensils:-

1 large heavy stock pot that fits the ham and plenty of room for water to cover the ham

1 large stainless steel or any available roasting pan

Ingredients:-

1 whole smoked pork picnic shoulder

1 stalk of leek (both green and white parts)

1 large onion

1 carrot

1 stalk of celery

1 can of Coke

10 cloves

2-3 litres cold filtered water

Method:-

1. Remove plastic packaging and rinse the meat. 

2. Place the whole picnic shoulder into the stock pot and fill the pot with cold filtered water until ham is mostly submerged in the water. 

3. Place the filled pot over your stove and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and let it simmer for one hour. 

4. Meanwhile, wash and cut leek, large onion, carrot and celery. 

5. Evenly spread all cut vegetables in the roasting pan. 

6. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 

7. Once meat is ready, remove from stock pot and place with skin side up, on top of the bed of vegetables. 

8. Stud the ham with cloves. 

9. Pour two cups of the stock from the pot into the roasting pan and pour the can of Coke over the ham. 

10. Place in center rack of preheated oven and let it roast for 3 hours. (Do not let any part of the meat touch the heating element. If space is a concern, lower the oven rack.)

11. Set your timer and go about doing other things.You may baste the ham in between cooking time with stock from the pan, but not necessary. 

12. When ready, turn off oven, rest and tent the ham on your counter and remove cloth mesh before slicing and serving. Enjoy your dinner! Yum!

***Don't forget to save the big bone for making stock. If you cannot use it immediately, just freeze the bone.

Joanne's Easy Bake: Easy Microwave Poached Eggs

Joanne's Easy Bake: Easy Microwave Poached Eggs: I love poached eggs; but making poached eggs require such skills and patience from methods taught by the cooking gurus which make m...

Easy Microwave Poached Eggs

I love poached eggs; but making poached eggs require such skills and patience from methods taught by the cooking gurus which make me shun poached eggs for a long time. Until one day when I decided to give the microwave method a try. It was through many trials and errors and the eggs exploded in the microwave oven, giving me clean up nightmares! I am going to share what has been tried and this no fail method will make having poached eggs more enjoyable :)

Ingredients

2 large eggs from the fridge

3 cups cold filtered water

Dash of black pepper and salt.

Utensils and equipment

1200 watts microwave oven

Slotted spoon

A deep stoneware bowl

Method

**Note: Be careful when microwaving eggs - ensure that shells are always removed and that you place enough water to cover the eggs completely. To prevent eggs from exploding, do not overcook the eggs in the microwave. Cooking time may vary with the wattage of microwave ovens.

Fill the bowl with water.

Crack both eggs into the bowl filled with water. Throw away the shells. Do not pierce or break the eggs.

Place bowl in the microwave oven and cook for 4 minutes. If you wish the whites to be less runny, you may add 30 seconds to your cooking time.

Remove bowl from microwave oven carefully without scalding yourself.

Using the slotted spoon, dish out the eggs and place them on your serving plate.

Serve with a dash of freshly ground black pepper and salt.

Lay back and enjoy your breakfast!