What I've been cooking: Carrot muffins

You couldn't possibly make enough of these - take my advice and double the recipe. You'll have a bunch of grateful friends, if the muffins ever make it outside the house...

 

Ditch the traditional carrotcake for these jazzy muffins

Recipe for the muffins & the soft cream icing on bbcgoodfood.com. I followed the suggestion of the other readers and added to the mixture the juice of one orange too. Now I'll be on my way to the kitchen to try another batch with poppy seeds!

 

This recipe makes 12 bits of pure goodness.

Chorizo & smoked almonds cake

When people ask why I stopped posting I always tell them that we moved and we are still fixing/arranging/changing things in the new house. Though for a period it was true (the stuff you desperately need is always at the bottom of the last box - like your favorite knife) almost a month has passed since we've settled and know in which drawer most things are.

But I'm never short of new excuses: good recipes need time in the making. Sometimes they need 3 times, sometimes 7. Like this cake.

I first read about it on David Lebovitz's blog who adapted a recipe from Chocolate & Zucchini by Clotilde Dusoulier. I suspect many people already have a version of their own of this cake so here's my take on it. Instead of pistachios I used smoked almonds which add a deep, earthier flavour, and I added juicy chunks of spinach (nettles would work amazingly too). There are many variations still to be tried, like replacing sesame with poppy seeds or chorizo with prosciutto or adding cheese or olives and what not!


Chorizo & smoked almonds cake
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
100g spicy chorizo
50g dried tomatoes in oil
100g smoked almonds
2 handfuls fresh spinach or 1 cooked
2 tbsp sesame seeds

Preheat your oven at 180 degrees.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt and chili powder.

In another bowl beat the eggs, then add the yogurt and olive oil.

Fold the dry flour mixture into the eggs without overmixing.

Now dice the chorizo and tomatoes. If using fresh spinach, throw it for a minute in boiling water until it softens. Squeeze the excess water.

Gently incorporate the chorizo, tomatoes, spinach and smoked almonds into your dough.

Butter a cake tray. Scatter half of the sesame seeds in the tray, making sure you put some on the edges as well.

Pour the dough, level it and cover with the rest of sesame seeds.

Bake for 40 minutes, until golden but still moist.

You can keep the cake in a plastic bag for a few days but it won't last for so long, I'm sure.


This recipe makes 0.75kilos of pure goodness.

Grapefruit & lavender crème brûlée

I've been watching my big pot of lavender for about 3 weeks before I could decide on a great enough recipe to use the flowers in. By the time I made my decision, the buds were completely in flower which they shouldn't. I guess it has something to do with the flavour being more concentrated in bud form, but for this crème brûlée you only need a hint of flavour so flowers work just as fine. Besides they are more beautiful which is always a plus for superficial me.


Grapefruit & lavender crème brûlée for 6
1 pink grapefruit
2 cups heavy cream
7 egg yolks
3 tbsp cane sugar
6 - 10 fresh lavender buds
sugar to caramelise the tops (~3 tbsp)

Squeeze the grapefruit and place juice and any bits of pulp in a pan. Bring to a simmer and reduce liquid by half.

Add the cream and heat until bubbles begin to form at the edges. Remove from stove and drop the lavender buds inside. Let infuse for up to 30 minutes.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and discard the grapefruit pulp and lavender. They did their job in every way.

Blend the egg yolks and sugar until smooth.

Reheat the cream until very hot and add to the eggs one spoonful at the time. Stir well after each spoonful. Don't add all the quantity at the same time because the eggs will curdle and you'll end up with lavender scrambled eggs.

There are two methods of finishing your crème brûlée. One is to gently heat the custard mixture on the stove until it thickens and coats the back of a metal spoon (could take as little as 1 or 2 minutes) and then pour into ramekins. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

The other is to pour the custard directly into ramekins. Place the ramekins in a tray filled with water (lever of water should be the same as level of custard) and bake for about 40 minutes, until the edges have set and the centers are still wobbly. Keep in the fridge.

Unquestionably, the second method will yield a richer taste, but for those not lucky enough to own an oven like myself, the first method is a perfectly viable alternative.

Besides not owning an oven, I was always too lazy to invest in a torch and each time I find myself looking for peculiar ways to make the caramel tops. But the results look spectacular and the taste is the same, so why not?

Oil a big plate with lots of neutral-tasting oil. Melt the sugar on a very low heat until all crystals have disappeared. Using a spoon and some dexterity, pour a tablespoon of melted sugar on your plate in a spiral shape or whatever your favorite shape is. Be creative but remember the shape has to match the size of your ramekins. You might need to reheat the sugar a few times until you finish all the 6 tops, but the smell is nice and the activity quite enjoyable.

Keep the tops in the fridge until serving time. Mine have continued melting on a hot day and were quite hard to remove from the plate afterwards.

At serving time, place a caramel top on each ramekin and sprinkle with lavender buds. Yummy!

This recipe makes 0.15kilos/person of pure goodness.

Dark chocolate & orange cake

You don't need a special occasion to pamper yourself with this luscious cake. And if you are actually preparing for a special occasion, don't waste your time in the kitchen: making this cake takes at most 1/2 hour.

The base of the cake is a quick chocolate fondant baked in the microwave. The internet is packed with chocolate fondant recipes but in my opinion the majority ask for too vast quantities of sugar or not enough chocolate... After many trials & errors, I ended up with one foolproof recipe that literally melts in your mouth. Total prep & baking time: 11 minutes!

The fondant is as delicious plain as it is with different kinds of flavours: caramelised ginger, chili, lavender, lemon... whatever your mood (or supplies).

Dark chocolate fondant for 6 or 8
200g dark chocolate
80g butter
3 eggs
50g flour
50g sugar
(for this particular cake swap the sugar for 3 tsbp orange marmalade)

Break the chocolate in small pieces. Place it in a microwave safe bowl together with the butter. Microwave on medium-low for about 1 minute or until the butter melts. Stir until the chocolate pieces dissolve completely.

In another bowl whisk the eggs with the sugar. Add the flour and whisk again. Incorporate the melted chocolate and butter.

Butter a cake dish and pour the mixture inside. Microwave on high for 4-5 minutes, until the center is set. The cake has to look moist, so be careful not to overbake it (in a microwave the cake won't burn, but turn into a rock hard useless thingy - even worse).

Let cool.

Orange ganache
150g dark chocolate
150ml double cream
1-2 tbsp Calvados, Grand Marnier or another strong alcohol

Chop the chocolate in pieces. Bring the cream to a boil. Take away from heat and stir in the chocolate. When it's completely melted, add the alcohol, cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or until spreadable).

Orange mascarpone filling
150g mascarpone (or soft cheese)
2 tbsp orange marmalade

Mix.

Before assembling the cake, choose a nice cake stand. Cut the chocolate fondant in two horizontally using a long knife and some skill. Spread the mascarpone between the two layers. Top the cake with a generous quantity of orange ganache and sprinkle some orange zest on top.

Chill until serving or indulge directly.

This recipe makes 0.2kilos/person of pure goodness.

Black & white anchovy crackers

I like my food coloured and black must be the colour I fancy most. I've been fantasing about black pasta, black bread, even a black cake! The only ingredient missing from my cupboard was nero di seppia (squid ink).

I went through hell trying to find some in Brussels and finally brought a large supply from Italy. It would be a pity to give up baking these tasty crackers so do your best and ask in Italian restaurants or deli shops if they can provide you with some of the rare stuff.


Black & white anchovy crackers (~ 60 pieces)
120g all purpose flour

120g diced cold butter

70g grated parmesan

10 anchovy fillets in oil

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped black olives

1 teaspoon squid ink

zest from one lemon

a little flour to dust

a little oil

Using a food processor mix the flour, butter, parmesan and finely cut anchovies until you obtain a smooth dough. Though you can do this by hand, it's important for the dough to remain cold if you want fluffy crackers in the end. If people often tell you have cold hands, don't worry about this and go ahead.

It's now time to divide the dough in two. You can leave half of it in the food processor bowl. Tip in the chopped black olives and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Mix. Now form the dough into a ball, cover with cling film and rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Take the other half of dough, place it in the food processor and mix with the squid ink, lemon zest and rest of black pepper. Cover and place in the fridge.

While you wait, preheat your oven at 200˚C.

Dust your work surface with flour and roll the dough to a 1cm thickness. Using a small cookie cutter or a small glass, cut your crackers. Form the leftovers into a ball and reuse until you finish the dough.

Place your crackers on oiled baking trays and bake for 6 minutes or until golden. Obviously the black crackers will never turn golden, so the trick is to mix the crackers and observe the right color on the white ones.

This recipe makes 0.1kilos/person of pure goodness.