Happy Easter

Easter eggs and bunnies.

Almond flake vanilla cake

So much time has passed and I didn't get to post but rest assured I haven't forgotten about you. Not that I haven't been making things (insert here anything from "cake" to "pasta") but the food that keeps me most busy these days takes on a funny shape. Rectangular to be precise. I have just been steaming some pear and turnip and it's now back in the freezer as ice cubes. Obviously not for a cocktail (though maybe the pear could work... still, alcohol is pretty rare in this house since a baby and a hangover don't mix very well...) but to make up the wee man's diet. How strange we start off like that. What have the Neanderthal man been doing before the invention of the blender? Well, they died out, didn't they...
And now for all the lovely people who have already developed their taste buds and are allowed refined sugar I have made a cake. Almond sponge and vanilla whipped cream with toasted almond flakes. Sort of to celebrate I am back on dairy. Now bring on the cheese!

ALMOND BUNDT CAKE

100ml vegetable oil
150g caster sugar
pinch of salt
2 small eggs
dash of vanilla extract
50ml almond milk
150g flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g ground almonds
100ml double cream
2-3 tbsp caster sugar
dash of vanilla extract
100g almond flakes

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. With a hand held mixer whisk the oil, sugar and salt. Add the eggs and mix until pale in colour and well aerated. With a spatula fold in vanilla extract and almond milk. In another bowl sift the flour and baking powder and add the ground almonds. With the spatula gently incorporate the flour mixture, trying not to lose too much air. Grease the baking tin and dust lightly with flour. Fill the tin and bake for about 30-40 minutes. Leave to cool on a rack. Now whisk the double cream until its light and fluffy, add the sugar and the vanilla essence. Spread over the chilled cake and layer the toasted almond flakes to create a scale pattern.

February

London weather or the different shades of grey, waiting for spring and still time for some hearty food.

Almond and rose water bundt cake

With Valentine's day coming up and in honor of Saint Valentine I have baked a cake. It's a simple almond bundt cake but the rose water icing makes it special. I have used a small cake tin but if you want to use a regular sized tin just double the measurements and bake for longer.

ALMOND AND ROSE WATER BUNDT CAKE

100ml vegetable oil
150g caster sugar
pinch of salt
2 eggs
dash of vanilla extract
50ml almond milk
150g flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g ground almonds
100g icing sugar
rose water

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. With a hand held mixer whisk the oil, sugar and salt. Add the eggs and mix until pale in colour and well aerated. With a spatula fold in vanilla extract and almond milk. In another bowl sift the flour and baking powder and add the ground almonds. With the spatula gently incorporate the flour mixture, trying not to lose too much air. Grease the baking tin and dust lightly with flour. Fill the tin and bake for about 30-40 minutes. Leave to cool on a rack. Now mix the icing sugar and slowly add some rose water. Mix well so you won't have lumps and don't make the mixture too runny. Drizzle over the cake and wait for it to set before serving.

The rose is red, the violet's blue,
The honey's sweet, and so are you.

Coconut pancake cake

Today is pancake day and I have made a cake. A pancake cake. Pancake Tuesday is the last day before Ash Wednesday when one would start the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, so last chance to live it up before going cold turkey. Well, no turkey.
Since I am off dairy for the time being I have used coconut cream instead of regular cream. You can whip it in the same fashion and it tastes brilliant. What a revelation! Just make sure you put your cans or cartons of coconut cream in the fridge overnight as it needs to be chilled so you can extract the solid cream from the liquid easily (if there is any liquid - it could be used in the batter instead of coconut milk). And it helps to freeze the bowl and the beaters for about 5 minutes before you get going.

COCONUT PANCAKE CAKE

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup almond milk
2 eggs
vegetable oil

For the filling
500ml coconut cream
3 tbs caster sugar
vanilla essence to taste
desiccated coconut
fresh fruit like mango, pineapple, kiwi, papaya

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add all the wet ingredients and mix well to get an even batter. Brush a small pan with a little oil and cook the pancakes at medium heat about 2 minutes on each side. The batter should make about 12 pancakes. Leave them on greaseproof paper to cool down before assembling the cake. To make the filling whisk the chilled coconut cream at highest speed with a handheld mixer. Add the sugar and vanilla essence and whisk some more until soft and creamy. To assemble the cake spread some of the coconut cream over the first pancake, top with another pancake and keep alternating until all pancakes are used up. Top with some more coconut cream and sprinkle with desiccated coconut. Now peel, cut and arrange your fruit and you're ready to tuck in!

January

Snow like icing on a cake, to track and me turning into a snow man.

Leek tarte tatin

I love how a coincidence can make for a creative outcome. Did you know the tarte tatin was actually an accident and should have turned out like a perfectly normal apple tart? The story goes the elderly Stéphanie Tatin, who ran a hotel in France in the 1880s with her sister, got confused and put the pastry on the top of her apples rather than the bottom. An alternate story is that she was overworked and simply forgot the apples and sugar in the pan and when realising her mistake put the pastry on top and all quickly in the oven in order to rescue the dish. Either way it makes for a pretty tasty outcome.
My recipe involves baby leeks rather than apples but you could swap them for anything that is in season and takes your fancy, sweet or savoury. Just go easy on the salt and pepper. Or maybe not, could be a great new invention too and could turn our taste buds upside down.

LEEK TARTE TATIN

1 sheet puff pastry
150g baby leeks (6-8)
50g salted butter
2 tbsp sugar
pinch of nutmeg
twig of thyme or mixed herbs
cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Wash the baby leeks and cut to 2-3cm long wheelsIn a small pan melt the butter and sugar until it starts to caramelise. Add the nutmeg and herbs and arrange the leek wheels in the pan and turn temperature down to medium so the leeks won't burn but start to cook. Cut out a circle slightly larger than your pan and place on top of the leeks. Tuck under and pierce a hole in the center so steam can escape. Bake in the oven for 15-20min or until the pastry is golden brown in colour. Flip over onto a plate but be careful with the hot pan.

Poached pears

Poaching fruit and storing in syrup is such an old-fashioned way of preserving for the colder month when fresh fruit is hard to come by. My grandma was a master in this fine art and had a cellar full of jam jar treasures. Cherries, apples, plums and of course pears from her garden on to our plate to complement pancakes or rice pudding or as a quick dessert in their own sweet juices.
This recipe is great for the firm winter pears you find these days as they will get soft throughout the cooking process but still keep their shape and won't get too mushy. You can keep the pears in the fridge for some days or freeze them in the syrup to use another day. You also don't need to strain the ginger and lemon peel as they will crystallise in the process and will taste great. The syrup would also be great with other desserts. Think panna cotta or brighten up humble yoghurt for breakfast.

POACHED PEARS WITH GINGER SYRUP

6 ripe but firm pears
3 cups dry white wine (Riesling is great)
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
knob of ginger
1 lemon (peel and juice)

In a medium pot combine the wine, sugar, salt, lemon peel and juice and julienne of ginger. Simmer over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Peel the pears and add to the liquid. Cover with a lid slightly ajar and simmer for about 15-30 minutes depending on the size of your pears. They are done when easily poked through with a knife. Transfer the pears to a plate and leave to cool. Meanwhile reduce the remaining liquid to a syrup. Boil for about 20 minutes. Serve the pears cold with warm syrup and maybe some ice cream or a dollop of crème Chantilly.

Happy New Year!

2013 – sorry, but the bar has been set pretty high. Thank you 2012 for the arrival of Milo and the chaos and love he embodies. 2012 also brought a new house and home and a new perspective on life. Wow. But my New Year's resolution is to give 2013 a fair chance and I will keep looking at the sweet side of life and hope to spend more time here, trying out recipes and posting about them. Happy New Year to you all! {New Year, new luck}

Gingerbread ice cream

This recipe is based on one I have seen in Nigella's new cook show 'Nigellissima' and couldn't resist trying it myself. It sounded far too easy to be any good as it doesn't involve churning and I could keep the ice cream machine in the back of the cupboard for some time longer. It hardly involves prep time either and is ready after 6 hours of freezing so you can whip it up right before a dinner party if needed. You don't need to remember to defrost it before serving either as the alcohol in the recipe prevents it from becoming solid.
I have given it my own spin and changed the flavour to a Christmas version with spices and rum and a different texture by adding biscuits, similar to cookie dough ice cream.

GINGERBREAD ICE CREAM
 
300ml double cream 
175g condensed milk 
4 tbsp rum or spiced rum 
1 tsp cinnamon 
1 tsp ginger 
1 tsp all spice 
pinch of nutmeg 
gingerbread biscuits
 
Mix the cream, condensed milk, rum and spices together and whisk with a blender until soft peaks form. Mix some of the ice cream with crushed biscuits. Fill your moulds or a container with the plain ice cream until 3/4 full and top up with the version with the biscuit pieces. Freeze until serving.

December

Still waiting for the first snow, frost flowers and dusting off those Christmas decorations.

Pumpkin and goats cheese tartlets

I promised more pumpkin recipes so here we go. This recipe is for 4 mini tartlets but you can easily make a larger tart by doubling the quantities and baking for longer. If you find you have some roasted pumpkin left over use it up in a pumpkin and goats cheese risotto. Drizzle some pumpkin seed oil on top and you have yourself a quick and easy dinner.

PUMPKIN AND GOATS CHEESE TARTLETS
 
short crust pastry
2 large eggs
2 tbs sour cream
100gr mild hard goats cheese
50g feta
1 shallot
100ml milk
200g pumpkin
salt and pepper
fresh thyme
 
Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas 5. Peel, deseed and cut the pumpkin into wedges, then place on a baking tray. Cover with tin foil and leave in the oven for about 30-40 minutes or until soft. Set aside to cool slightly and cut into small cubes. Roll out the pastry and blind bake the shells. Let cool for a bit. Combine the egg, sour cream, milk and goats cheese. Finely chop the shallot and add to the mixture with the thyme. Season with salt and pepper and pour into the pastry shells. Sprinkle with the pumpkin cubes and feta. Bake for 15 min or until set and golden.