caramel croissant pudding

This is another Nigella Lawson's genius recipe. I introduced my older sister to Nigella and she loves her even more than I do. She makes this recipe about once a month. I love this recipe as much as her, but because she makes it at home, I never felt like doing it myself. But finally, I got the chance to make it this month.

I found that making just one of the below recipe is sooooo unsatisfying! I always double the recipe, put the leftover in the fridge and reheat in the microwave when I want to get a hit.

chocolate croissants

Fact: I'm just a simple person who likes simple recipes that don't require elaborate techniques and use too many ingredients.

Ergo: I really L-O-V-E Nigella's show, Nigella Express (If I haven't made that so obvious already!). Her recipes from this show are yummy, easy to recreate and so unexpectedly creative!

I was intrigued by her mini chocolate croissants. You can have them for a quick breakfast in the morning or a snack in the afternoon, I did the latter.

But, the first time I made it, it was so burnt to the point of being inedible! Gah!! Please adjust your oven temperature to suit. I trusted Nigella's instruction to my own peril.

coq au riesling

After one crazily hectic day, I finally made it back to the house and got my hands dirty making this classic dish with a slight twist. Nigella (as in Lawson) said that her Coq Au Riesling is a twist on the classic Coq Au Vin. I was inspired to try out this dish while I was drooling profusely as I watched her show Nigella Express. Added to the fact, that she made it seems so easy on TV, which, honest-to-god, is completely correct. The hardest part of the whole process was the waiting around as I am one impatient person.

I had to sacrifice a bottle of wine from my precious wine reserve for this dish, but it's totally worth it. I bought this bottle from Pemberton in my last holiday trip, it's called Riesling Auslese from this vineyard called Bellarmine. I am no wine expert, but do pick your wine carefully for this dish as you can taste the essence of the wine in the broth. The riesling I used had a touch of mango and lime in it. 

Tips & tricks:

1. If you don't have any garlic oil, do what I did and pop in some finely minced/grated clove of garlic when you pop the chicken into the pan.
2. She specified oyster mushrooms, I used swiss brown mushroom and I think it tasted as good.
3. You have to trust her when she said, simmer it with a low heat for at least 50 minutes. It made the chicken oh-so-tender and your patience will be rewarded with that lovely pink colour.
4. She also said, if you have left-over double cream in your fridge, pop it into the pan at the last minute. I say buy a small tub anyway, and pop them in at the last minute, you won't regret it.
5. I bought some tagliatelle for this dish, but you can use any kind of pasta of your choice, really.
6. If you're eating for one, reserve a glassfull of the luscious wine to drink while eating your pasta. Bon Appétit.