Recipe(tried): Cooking again!!!!! Sunday Lunch - Chilled Leek and Beetroot Consomme, Chicken in Honey Sauce with Figs, Baked Leeks and Pecans, Mustard Mashed Potatoes, Lemon Cake

Hello one and all!
I have,t posted anything in ages,as I ,ve said before my adventures in the kitchen have been reduced to easy,filling and above all QUICK!recipes as I,ve returned to work after 15 years!!(quite a shock to the old system but I,m loving it)I cant believe Xmas is around the corner as I,ve done nothing towards it I have,t made an Xmas cake or a pud which I do every year,so I,m not sure when I,ll get it all done.Thank Goodness for the Crockpot(BIG pat on the back for the inventer of that wonderful Kitchen Helper!) I,ve 2 and they are being used all the time now!
As it was Sunday I thought I,de better get out the pots and pans and make a good old fashioned Sunday Dinner.Here is what we had..........
Chilled Leek and Beetroot Consomme
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Serves:8

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 leeks, sliced
4 cups water
3 large beetroot, chopped
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Heat the oil in a large pan, add leeks and saute for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour. Strain the mixture into a large bowl. Chill for several hours. Serve garnished with parsley sprigs and a few thin rings of leek.
Chicken in Honey Sauce with Figs
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Serves: 6

2 Tbsp olive oil
6 chicken portions
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp brandy
1/2 cup white wine, dry
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
4 Tbsp honey
2 1/2 ozs dried figs, chopped
4 tsp lemon juice, pure
1 bouquet garni
1 oz butter, softened
1 Tbsp flour
salt and pepper
fresh figs, to garnish

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the chicken portions and cook until browned all over. Remove from the pan. Fry the onion and the garlic until soft, stir in the brandy and the wine. Increase the heat and bring to the boil. Return the chicken pieces to the casserole, then add the stock, honey, dried figs, lemon juice and bouquet garni. Cover and simmer over a low heat for about 1 hour. Once the chicken portions are cooked remove the pan and keep hot. Strain the liquid through a strainer into a clean pan. Mash the butter and flour together and whisk into the sauce, a little at a time. Simmer gently for 5 minutes then adjust the seasoning. Add the fresh figs and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the chicken portions and serve hot.
BAKED LEEKS AND PECANS
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1 Lb leeks washed,sliced lengthwise and cut into 3 inch lengths
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 oz pecans
2 tbsp miso
splash of water

Mix leeks well with oil and bake in a hot oven for 10 mins. Chop pecans finely in a food processor and combine with the miso and a little water to make a sauce for the leeks. Cover leeks with sauce and serve.

Mustard mashed potatoes
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8 medium potatoes
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
lukewarm milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft. Drain, peel and mash. Heat half the butter and add the mustard seeds. Heat until the mustard seeds start popping and add to the mashed potatoes. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Spoon into a warmed swerving dish and keep warm.

Dessert...................

LEMON CAKE
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1 cup Greek Yoghurt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 Tbls lemon juice
1 Tbls grated lemon rind
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour, sifted
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Lemon Syrup:
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
3 Tbsp lemon juice
Rind if one lemon, cut into strips

Pre-heat oven to 180C.(375F)
Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and creamy. Add eggs and beat well. In a separate bowl, stir together yoghurt, lemon juice, rind, sifted flour and bicarb. Add to egg mixture and mix until well combined. Spoon mixture into a greased 23 cm cake tin and bake for 45 minutes or until cake is cooked when tested with a skewer.

Syrup:
Place sugar, water, lemon juice and rind into a saucepan. Cook, stirring over a low heat until sugar has dissolved. Allow syrup to simmer for 4 minutes, then immediately pour syrup over cake while it is hot and still in the tin. Allow cake to stand for 5 minutes and serve with a dollop of Greek Yoghurt.

I wish you all a wonderful week
Bye for now
Love Julie