Easy Holiday Recipes

Valentine's Day Recipes

Chicken a la King

Ingredients

100g Button mushrooms
25g Butter, margarine or oil
50g Red pimento (seeded and skinned)
400g Cooked poached Chicken
30 ml Sherry
125 ml Chicken Velouté
30 ml Cream

Method

1) Wash, peel and slice the mushrooms.
2) Cook them without colour in the butter.
3) Dice the pimento and cook with the mushrooms.
4) Cut the chicken in small, slices.
5) Add the chicken to the mushrooms and pimento.

Serves 4

Stir Fried Marinated Duck with Vegetables

Ingredients
4 Duck breasts - cut into strips
1 Red,1 green,1 yellow pepper- cut injulienne strips
1 Chopped onion
75g Bean sprouts
4 finely shredded Cabbage leaves or pak choi
4 Spring Onions - Cut on a slant
1 Carrot - cut in fine julienne strips
3 Crushed cloves of garlic
20g grated root ginger
6 Tablespoons soy sauce
6 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tin water chestnuts - sliced
1 Chicken stock cube

Method

1) Marinade the duck strips in garlic, ginger and vinegar.
2) Heat some olive oil in a frying pan, and fry the drained duck strips
3) Add the chopped onion.
4) Add peppers, cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, spring onion and water chestnuts.
5) Add soy sauce and stock cubes (dissolved in a little water prior to adding)

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

12 large, ripe, strawberries, preferably with the stems still on, washed and dried.
500gms semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate, coarsely chopped.
Toothpicks

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over hot, but not simmering, water. If you do not have a double boiler, use a heavy bottomed sauce pan over a very low flame, and stir often to avoid scalding. Remove from heat when smooth flowing.

Using a toothpick (or the stem) to hold the strawberries, dip them one at a time into the chocolate to about 3/4 up the side of the berry. Wipe off drips with the edge of the pan.

Place the other end of the toothpick into Styrofoam so that the strawberries can cool upside down. If you don't have Styrofoam, lay the strawberries gently on the waxed paper. If the melted chocolate starts to thicken while you're working, slowly reheat it.

Refrigerate the chocolate covered strawberries until ready to serve. (Best served within 24 hours)

Baked Fudge with Kahlua Cream
 

Fudge:
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
5 eggs, beaten
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Heat oven to 300 degrees F.
Combine sugar, flour, and cocoa. Add eggs. Beat in melted butter and vanilla. Stir in chopped pecans. Pour into 8 custard cups. Set in 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan and add water halfway up. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm topped with Kahlua Cream.

Kahlua Cream:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons Kahlua liqueur
1 cup whipping cream
Whip cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar and Kahlua and continue to beat until proper consistency.

 Homemade Kahlua

4 cups Sugar
5 cups Water
2 ounces instant coffee
A 5th of Vodka (entire bottle)
4 tsp Vanilla

Mix sugar and water and simmer 45 minutes. Then add 2 oz. instant coffee. Simmer 15 minutes. Let cool. Add vodka and vanilla. Rebottle and stand for at least 2 weeks.