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.

Lemongrass panna cotta & spicy orange caramel

Yes, yes, I know, it's been a very long time. But good things come to those who wait or, better, to those who know how to make them themselves. So here's the way to make an absolutely superb dessert with no effort whatsoever.

Lemongrass panna cotta for 8

200ml double cream
200ml coconut milk
200ml milk50g palm sugar (replace with brown)
50g white sugar
2 lemongrass stalks
6g gelatin

Spicy orange caramel
200g brown sugar200ml water
1 organic orange, cut in half
2 - 3 thai chilis 

1. Mix cream, coconut milk and milk in a pan. Tip in the two types of sugar. 

2. Bruise the lemongrass stalks with the back of a knife (a heavy pestle does a great job too). Add to the pan and simmer gently until the sugars disolve. Turn off heat, cover and let infuse for 30 min.

3. Soften the gelatin in cold water and drain. Add to the cream mixture (it should be warm, not hot), mix and strain everything to get rid of any unesthetic bits.

4. Pour in 8 tiny bowls or glasses. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

5. Meanwhile, you can get busy with preparing the spicy caramel. Mix water and sugar in a pot. Add the halved orange (skin on) and simmer on low heat until the liquid reaches a syrupy consistency - about 30 min.

6. Chop the chilis in fairly large chunks. Bring some water to a boil and drop the chili chunks inside. Let boil for 2 minutes, then drain the water. Add the chilis to the caramel.

7. To serve, briefly plunge the panna cotta bowls in hot water and invert over a dessert plate. Spoon some caramel around.

Happy spring!

Recipe adapted from Cuisiner comme un chef. 

This recipe makes 0.08kilos of pure goodness.

Mojito mousse

After a birthday party where the main attraction were a few liters of mojito and after a friend's request to start cooking with tequila, the idea of a cocktail mousse came only too naturally. The base is a lime mousse in which you add the liquor of your choice: rum, cachaca, tequila or vodka and call it mojito, caipirinha, margarita or caipiroshka, respectively.

If you're not into having drinks with your dessert, you can leave out the alcohol and enjoy the mousse as it is: refreshingly delicious.


Mojito mousse for 8
1 tbsp gelatin
2/3 cup lime juice (~ 6 - 7 limes)
3/4 cup brown sugar
5 eggs, separated
2 - 3 tbsp white rum
1 cup whipping cream, chilled
2 handfuls fresh mint leaves
lime slices to decorate

Soften the gelatin in a little warm water.

In a small pan, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Add the lime juice and 1/2 cup brown sugar and stir over a low heat until the mixture becomes like heavy cream in consistency (might take between 5 - 10 minutes). The mixture might curdle at the beginning, but don't let that intimidate you - it will come nicely together.

When you reached the right consistency, take away from heat and stir in the gelatin. Add the liquor and mix. Pour the mixture into a metalic bowl and let it float in a basin of cold water to reach room temperature.

Finely chop the mint leaves and add them to the mixture once it has cooled down.

Now beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.

Whip the cream until soft, add the remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar and whip again until stiff.

Gently fold the egg whites into the cream. Add the lime mixture, one third at a time, stiring gently.

Pour the mousse into serving glasses, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. To serve, decorate with mint leaves, lime slices or lime zest.

This recipe makes 0.2kilos/person 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.

Strawberry jelly & vanilla panna cotta

Creamy panna cotta and sweet strawberries can only make a glorious summertime dessert. And they do, they do! It's been a while since something excited me this much :)

Beautiful things come indeed after a bit of effort. But big part of this effort is just keeping a close eye on quantities and proportions. Hopefully, now that I kind of settled on this recipe, your first try will surely be more successful than mine. The preparation should pose no problems, but keep in mind you'll need quite a lot of refrigeration time, so start early.


The one thing that might compromise this lovely dessert is using too less gelatin. The panna cotta won't set, you won't be able to unmould it and you'll be most certainly very upset. If you're in doubt about the quantity of gelatin you need, just use more.

Strawberry jelly
250ml water
50g white sugar
300g fresh strawberries
zest from 1 lemon 4g gelatin

Pick out the most handsome strawberries (count 2-3 per serving) and keep them safe. Mash the remaining strawberries into a paste.

In a pan, combine the water and sugar and boil until sugar is dissolved. Let cool. When the syrup has cooled down, drop the mashed strawberries inside and let infuse for 30 minutes.

Pass the liquid through a fine sieve, to get rid of all seeds and pulp. Now add the lemon zest.
Soften the gelatin in a cup of cold water for 5 minutes. Heat the strawberry syrup and add the gelatin. Stir until completely dissolved.

Chose the moulds you're going to use. I prefer flat bottomed ones, but any shape would do just fine. If you don't have moulds, use coffee cups or glasses. Oil them with a neutral oil, like sunflower.

Take the handsome strawberries and cut them in halves. Arrange the pieces at the bottom of every mould. Pour slowly the strawberry jelly on top. It should fill about a quarter of the mould.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.


Vanilla panna cotta for 6 - 8
400ml full fat liquid cream
200ml milk
50g white sugar
75g cane sugar
1 vanilla bean or 2 tbsp vanilla essence
9g gelatin
fresh strawberries to garnish

When your jelly has set (it should be very firm, not wobbly) prepare the panna cotta.

Mix the cream, milk and sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Split the vanilla bean lenghtwise and, with the back of a knife, scrap all the seeds in the cream mixture. Add the leftover bean and let stand covered for half an hour.

Fish out the vanilla bean. Soften the gelatin in cold water, reheat the cream mixture and stir in the gelatin.

Let cool to room temperature. This step is very important: if you would pour anything hot on top of the jelly, it will just dissolve and all your hard work would have been in vain.

Last step is to fill your moulds with panna cotta mixture and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. It's a good idea to cover the moulds with cling film, especially if you have garlic lying around in your fridge.

Red wine syrup
1 cup red wine
2 tbsp white sugar
black pepper

Just before serving, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until the liquid has reduced to a syrupy consistence.

Unmould the panna cotta by immersing the moulds briefly in hot water and turn upside down on a plate. Garnish with strawberries and spoonfuls of wine syrup.

Dead good.


If you don't have enough time to prepare this dessert don't just give up: make the panna cotta without the jelly. It's just as delicious.

This recipe makes 0.2kilos/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.