Recipe(tried): Supper for Brother and Girlfriend!!!!!!!

I thought all my family had gone back to the U.K. so imagine my surprise to see my little brother arrive for the day with his girl friend in tow,so to put a quick dinner together was the order of the day here is what I made......

I have posted this before and its a family favourite and I just happened to have some really nice leeks to hand!!!!(thank goodness I,de done my big monthly shop on Friday and I,de also visited my green groucer)Grannys Soup
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2-3 good sized leeks,washed and sliced
i onion diced
6 cups milk(or if you want it rich half cream and half milk)
4 oz butter
4 oz flour
4 oz stilton cheese
salt and ground pepper to taste
1 Tbls fresh dill if liked

Melt butter in a large pan and saute leeks and onion.Simmer gently for 10
mins.add flour and mix well to form a thick paste.Add milk slowly stiring all
the time to prevent lumps,continue to stir whilst simmering for another 10
mins.add stilton and stir.Liquidise soup,return to pan and season to taste and
add dill.

I served it with some garlic bread I had in the freezer.

Fortunately I had a cooked chicken in the fridge (i often cook a chicken to leave cold in the fridge at weekends so its quick for sandwiches or as a filling for pita breads etc.)
so I decided to make some pancakes with a savourey filling using the chicken.Here ins what I did(I did dbl the rec so there was plenty!!!!!)

Chicken and Leek Pancakes
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Serves 4
batter
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75g plain flour
75g self-raising flour
2 large eggs
125ml reduced fat milk
125ml water
filling and topping
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3/4 lb skinned chicken breast (i used cooked chicken but inclde the rec using fresh chicken)
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tender leek, cleaned and finely sliced
canola oil
1 Tbsp cornflour
Salt and pepper to season
1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp breadcrumbs

Make up a pancake batter by mixing the two flours with the eggs, then add
the milk and water. Stir well but don't overwork the mixture or the
pancakes will be tough.
Allow to stand for half an hour to allow the starch grains to swell.
Gently poach chicken breasts in the 2 1/2cups stock until cooked (about 10
minutes).
In another pan, poach leek slices in remaining two tablespoons of stock and
a teaspoon of oil for 10 to 15 minutes to soften. If it starts to stick add
more stock.
Cook pancakes, preferably in non-stick pan with a little oil (which
provides texture and allows the pancakes to brown well).
Pile pancakes up and continue until all are cooked.
Remove chicken from stock and keep stock simmering to reduce it.
Cut chicken into small pieces.
Make sauce by mixing cornflour with a tablespoon of cold water and slowly,
a spoon at a time adding the reduced stock to it. Continue until all stock
has been added. You should have a sauce the consistency of smooth custard.
If it's too thick add a little milk. If it's too thin reduce it over medium
heat.
Divide sauce into two lots.
Mix half with the chicken and leek and season to taste.
Put a spoonful of mixture onto pancake and wrap or roll up.
Place pancakes in row on greased baking dish.
Top with remaining sauce.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs.
Brown in hot oven for 10 minutes or so.

If making the dish in advance and refrigerating, cook in moderate oven for
30 minutes before increasing temperature and browning.

Note:Use a home made cheese sauce to cover the pancakes if liked,my children like them that way.I served them with.......

Cucumber Salad
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2 cucumbers peeled and grated
sea salt
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
2tsp orange juice
2tsp caster sugar
1/4tsp ground cinnamonPlace the grated cucumber in a colander, sprinkle with the sea salt. After 20 minutes, squeeze out excess water.
Mix with the citrus juices, orange flower water and the sugar. Pour over the cucumber.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and chill for 20 minutes before serving.

Also a big mixed green salad with a light french dressing.

For dessert we had.........This is also a repost and my brothers favourite he says they don,t make it in the Uk like they do here!!!!!
MALVA PUDDING
*******************1 cup all -purpose flour flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 dessertspoon margarine
1 teaspoon bicarb
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 large dessertspoon smooth apricot jam
1 beaten egg
Mix all the ingredients as for a cake mixture. Pour into dish and bake for about 40 minutes at 180 deg C or until brown and done inside.

Sauce
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1 cup cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Boil together and when pudding is done, remove from oven and pour sauce over. If necessary, use a knife to help sauce absorb.

This I served with some vanilla ice cream I had in the freezer.

All in all it was a nice dinner which went down well.
love julie