Strawberry almond tart

The wisteria is flowering and strawberries are delicious and plentiful. It feels like Spring!

The Weekend Australian Magazine had a very tempting recipe for a strawberry almond tart.

Resistance was futile!

Crustless strawberry almond tart

• 150g butter, at room temperature
• ²/³ cup (150g) raw caster sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 200g almond meal
• ¹/³ cup (45g) self-raising flour
• 200g strawberries, hulled and halved
• A large handful of flaked almonds

Preheat oven to 170ºC (fan); grease a 23cm spring form tin.

Beat together butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, almond meal and flour until just combined. Yes its that easy!

Spoon into tin; top with strawberries and scatter with flaked almonds.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and cooked through.

Allow to cool; remove from tin.

Serve with chopped strawberries and cream.

Serves 6-8 (or 10 if you have that many people to feed and you cut thinner slices. Some people will come back for more…)

Recipe adapted from David Herbert’s version in the 25-26 September edition of The Weekend Australia Magazine.

My next version will be made gluten free using either gluten free SR flour or more almond meal plus 1 teaspoon baking powder.

Grief control. Knitting, cakes and chicken tray bakes

Grief. It’s a strange thing. Different very time. Why did I think I’d feel the same after my dad died as I would after my mum did?

I guess it is (blessed) inexperience. But it has been so much harder.

Anyway. I’m out the other side of (most of) it now. And I have a very neglected blog.

I haven’t been sewing as much as normal. But I have been doing some cooking and knitting.

So. Let me tell you about it. Starting with the cakes first because my dad had a sweet tooth.

The cakes

Lemon and ricotta cake

Delicious on its own or with blackberry and strawberry compote and ice cream as a dessert.

• 250g unsalted butter, diced and softened
• 220g (1 cup) caster sugar
• zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 250g ricotta
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 220g almond flour
• 75g (1/2 cup) SR flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• pinch salt

1. Preheat oven to 160C (fan). Grease a 23 cm springform pan and line the base with paper
2. Cream butter and sugar with zest until pale and creamy
3. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well in between
4. Beat in ricotta, a little at a time
5. Whisk almond flour, flour, baking powder and salt separately
6. Reduce speed, add vanilla, the dry ingredients and lemon juice to the mixture, and mix until combined
7. Whisk egg whites separately until stiff peaks form and then carefully fold egg whites into cake mixture
8. Spoon into tin, smooth surface and bake 50-60 minutes

This delicious moist cake recipe is from David Herbert’s column in the 25-26 July 2020 issue of the Weekend Australian magazine.

 

Persian love cake

This is a super easy gluten free cake that is deliciously moist and with fabulous spicing. Super pretty too, especially when you fortuitously have Persian fairy floss in your pantry and use it for decoration!

Adapted from Poh Bakes 100 Greats

• 300 g (3 cups) almond flour
• 185 g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 220 g (1 cup) firmly packed soft brown sugar
• 120 g (generous 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 250 g Greek-style yoghurt
• pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 teaspoons rosewater
• 4 tablespoons flaked almonds
• 4 tablespoons pistachios, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (fan).
2. Grease a 24 cm springform pan and line the base with paper.
3. Combine the almond flour, caster sugar, brown sugar and melted butter in a food processor until you have an even, sandy consistency.
4. Divide the mixture in two and tip half into the pan. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan.
5. Add the eggs, yogurt, salt, cardamom, and rosewater to the remaining crumb mixture and whisk until there are no lumps.
6. Pour over the crumb base and sprinkle the flaked almonds and pistachios over the top.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes

Serve this cake with a dollop of Greek yoghurt – it helps balance out the sweetness

The pistachio and almond topping makes this cake very attractive. No need for pink fairy floss to make it pretty – it already is!

 

The chicken tray bakes

Moroccan chicken tray bake

This is another one of David Herbert’s recipes from the Weekend Australia Magazine – the 13-14 June 2020 issue.

• 4 tablespoons harissa paste
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 6-8 chicken pieces (David recommends skinless thighs – I’ve made this a couple of times, every time with something different – skin-on Marylands, skin-on thighs and skinless chicken chops – all good)
• 2 red onions, quartered
• 2-4 zucchini, cut into 2 cm slices
• 8 capsicum pieces from a jar
• 50g whole blanched almonds  (I used flaked)
• 3 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley (I just picked the leaves off)

Couscous

• 175g (1 cup) instant couscous
• zest  half lemon
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint
• 2 tablespoons chopped basil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• seeds from half a pomegranate
• 2 tablespoons sultanas ( I used currants)

1. Preheat oven to 180C (fan)
2. Mix harissa and vinegar in a large bowl.
3. Add chicken pieces, onion  and zucchini and gently mix to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Transfer to a large roasting pan and cook uncovered for 25 minutes, turning halfway.
5. Add capsicum and almonds and cook a further 10 minutes or until chicken is tender
6. Meanwhile, make couscous:
   • Put couscous in heat proof bowl and add 350mL boiling water, stir, then cover and leave for 5-7 minutes.
   • Stir through Zest, garlic and herbs; drizzle with oil
   • Add pomegranate seeds and sultanas and toss well
   • Season with salt and pepper
7. Scatter chicken with parsley and serve with couscous and lemon wedges (I made a space in the roasting pan, piled the couscous in, added lemon wedges and served it straight from the pan)

I highly recommend this – so simple and yet so delicious. It is almost my favourite chicken tray bake recipe.

Sheet pan chicken tikka

This queen of all tray bakes from Smitten Kitchen is still my favourite.

The version below is double the recipe (recipe serves 4) and so well and truly smothered in coriander and pickled red onion that you wouldn’t know there was chicken and potato and cauliflower underneath.

• For the chicken
  • 4 cm piece of ginger, peeled and minced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 fresh green chili seeded and minced
  • 1/2 cup yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder or cayenne
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 kg chicken thighs or drumsticks (skin-on, bone-in)
• For the vegetables
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4-6 potatoes, peeled if desired, cut into 2 cm chunks
  • 1 small cauliflower, cut into 2 cm-wide florets
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• To finish, if desired
  • A few thin slices of red onion
  • Lemon wedges
  • Salt
  • Dollops of yogurt
  • A few tablespoons roughly chopped coriander, parsley or mint

1. Combine ginger, garlic, fresh chili, yogurt, salt, and spices  in bowl. Add chicken pieces and toss to coat evenly. Let marinate for 15 minutes or up to a day, covered, in the fridge.
2. Preheat oven to 180C.
3. Add potatoes, cauliflower, salt, cumin and olive oil to the roasting pan and toss together with your hands until evenly coated.
4. Remove chicken from marinade and leave excess behind. Make spaces in the vegetables for chicken parts throughout the pan.
5. Roast in oven for 20 minutes, then toss the potato and cauliflower to ensure they’re cooking evenly, and return the pan to the oven for 10 to 20 minutes more (i.e. 30 to 40 minutes total roasting time), until chicken and vegetables are cooked through.
6. While it roasts, if you’d like to use lightly pickled onion rings on top ( it adds colour and a nice tangy fresh zip to the dish) separate the rings and toss them in a small bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Set aside until needed.
7. When chicken and vegetables are cooked, top with dollops of yogurt, herbs and scattered the above onion rings all over.
8. Serve right in the pan.

Truly delicious!

 

The knitting

This winter I finished off two long term WIPs.

A cable hat

This is from Moda Vera Mawson yarn and the pattern was on the ball band.

Memorable mostly for my daughter’s delight in the truly terrible photos of me modelling it (actually I have to admit that it was a lot of fun taking these photos).

But also memorable because I finished this off in the hospice at the bedside of my beloved father. Plus I used a cute label from KATM.

A lacy shrug

This one was started on holiday in Yorkshire – that’s Richmond castle in the background! It’s the wrap from pattern #5954 in Wendy Aran with Wool yarn, both purchased in a little shop in the middle of Leicester.

Happy holiday vibes to this one.

I don’t have any ‘good’ modeled shots of me wearing this (this is as good as it gets), but it was worn a lot WFH over winter. It is one of those great things to add for a little bit of extra warmth whilst sitting in a chilly home office.

The sewing

I know. Its time to get back to sewing…

Coming to the blog soon..

Banana bread

I know, I know, why the big deal about banana bread? There are thousands of recipes out there.

Well, that’s the reason. Thousands of them and I can’t remember which one of them was the one I used last time and really liked.

This one is adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s jacked up banana bread and it is terrific.

• 3 ripe bananas, smashed
• 75 grams melted salted butter
• 190 grams brown sugar (this much sugar makes it more cake like than bread, next time I might dial  it down a bit)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon spiced rum (apparently this is optional and Deb suggests bourbon. I used Sailor Jerry, because there was no bourbon in our house and I could not bring myself to use the single malts in banana bread)
• 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon (Deb uses only 1 teaspoon but I love cinnamon)
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg (again more than Deb )
• Pinch of ground cloves (I forgot to use this, but I will next time. I love all the spices)
• 190 grams plain flour

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
2. With a wooden spoon, mix melted butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla and rum.
4. Sift the flour with the spices, salt and bicarb soda , then  mix into the wet ingredients
5. Pour mixture into a buttered 10 x 23 cm loaf pan.
6. Bake for 50 minutes to one hour, or until a tester comes out clean.

Delicious. Not sure how long it keeps. This loaf was all gone within 2 days.

What I’ve been cooking this summer

This summer I’ve discovered a fabulous new salad, two great cakes and a new gluten free cookie recipe.

Carrot and edamame salad with soy ginger dressing

Salad:

• 1  x 450g packet of frozen shelled edamame beans
• 2 medium carrots, shredded or grated
• 2 spring onions or half a red onion, finely sliced
• a generous few handfuls of salad greens, some shredded
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the edamame for 2-3 minutes or until tender (they float to the surface). Drain well and run under cold water to stop them cooking further.

To make the dressing, put everything into  screw cap jar or small bowl and mix well to combine.

Combine all the salad ingredients in a large serving bowl. Mix well then drizzle over the dressing. There will probably be more dressing than needed, but it is delicious with whatever salad you are making the next day, or over cooked rice or noodles.

This is a slight adaptation of a recipe by Emma Galloway published in Cuisine in issue 197, Nov/Dec 2019.

Chocolate chip sour cream coffee cake

Cake

• 120 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
• 300 grams caster sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups sour cream
• 390 grams plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bicarb soda
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt

Filling and Topping

• 2 cups dark chocolate chips
• 100 grams granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 175°C.

Butter a by 23 x 33 cm baking pan and line the bottom with baking paper. This makes a big cake! I used a roasting pan because none of my cake tins are that large.

In a large bowl, cream butter and 300 grams sugar. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla.

Whisk flour, bicarb soda, baking powder and salt together into a separate bowl.

Alternately mix in sour cream and then dry ingredients into butter mixture until both are used up and the batter is smooth and very thick.

In a medium bowl with clean beaters, beat eggs whites until stiff, then fold gently into batter.

In a small dish, combine the cinnamon and remaining 100 grams caster sugar for filling and topping.

Spread half the cake batter in the bottom of prepared pan and spread smooth. Sprinkle with half of cinnamon-sugar mixture and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Dollop remaining cake batter over filling in spoonfuls. Use a spatula to gently spread it over the filling and smooth the top. Sprinkle batter with remaining cinnamon-sugar and remaining chocolate chips.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan.

This recipe is from Smitten Kitchen, published online at https://smittenkitchen.com/2006/11/chocolate-chip-sour-cream-cake/

Lemon blackberry yoghurt loaf

• 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) + 1 tablespoon (10 grams) plain flour (if you’re skipping the fruit, you can also skip the last tablespoon of flour)
• 2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (230 grams) plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups (about 255 grams) blackberries, frozen
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Grease a 22 by 11 by 7 cm loaf pan. Line the bottom with baking paper. Grease the sides of the pan.

Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Mix the berries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in (a pastry brush works great for this, as does using a toothpick to make tiny holes that draw the syrup in better). Cool.

This recipe is from Smitten Kitchen, published online at https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/lemon-yogurt-anything-cake/

 

Salted Peanut Butter Cookies (gluten free)

Makes 26 to 28 cookies with a 1 2/3 tablespoon scoop. I used a 1 1/4 tablespoon quenelle scoop loaded up generously and made 25 cookies

• 1 3/4 cups (335 grams) packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups (450 grams) smooth peanut butter
• Coarse-grained sea salt, to finish

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the light brown sugar and eggs until smooth. Whisk in vanilla extract, then the peanut butter until smoothie and completely incorporated. Yes, that’s all you need to do. So easy.

Scoop out mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.  I had an appointment to attend to I put the scooped out cookies on the baking tray into the freezer for over an hour before I baked them. This is recommended to get the tallest cookies and the striations across the top of the cookies, but I did it out of necessity and poor timing.

Sprinkle the cookies lightly with coarse-grained sea salt just before baking. Bake cookies for 14 to 15 minutes. When finished, cookies should be golden at edges.

They’ll need to set on the sheet for a minute or two before they can be lifted intact to a cooling sheet. Once they have cooled completely they are crisp outside and soft inside. Delicious!

This recipe is also from Smitten Kitchen, published online at https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/10/salted-peanut-butter-cookies/

Sophie wins: BurdaStyle 03/2018 #117

M of Nonsuch and I have just enjoyed a delightful sewing weekend. One of the daughters benefited more than either of us planned.

So. How does that work?

Something to do with everything looks good on her perhaps?

M made Tessuti’s Alice top in a delighted watermelon linen from Spotlight. It was remodeled into a cropped top and claimed by her daughter. Read all about it here.

I made BurdaStyle’s Cardigan 03/2018 #117 in a smudge-y gray oyster knit from my stash.

I know. It looks like a shapeless garment. It is. I was seduced by Meg’s version and I thought it might work as part of a corporate wardrobe.

Mmm. No.  It is really so much better on S as part of a casual outfit than it is on me as something to wear to work.

And in other news, Smitten Kitchen has the best recipes for delicious cake!

This weekend we enjoyed her Cannoli Cake

.and just in case the link doesn’t work, here’s the recipe, with the very minor changes made by He who Cooks;

Cannoli Pound Cake
1 cup caster sugar
Finely grated zest from 1 orange
Finely grated zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
250 grams ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 pinches allspice
1 1/2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
1 cup mini-chocolate chips
about 1/4 cup walnuts and the same of apricots, chopped small

Heat oven to 175°C. Coat a standard (8 1/2-x-4 1/4″) loaf pan with butter.

Place sugar in a large bowl, and add zest. Whisk in olive oil, ricotta and eggs. Sprinkle baking powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice over wet ingredients, then whisk to combine. Gently stir in flour, then chocolate, nuts and apricots until just combined.

Scrape into prepared loaf. Bake in oven for 55 to 65 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out batter free. Let cool on wire rack in pan for 15 minutes, then invert out onto rack to finish cooling. Cake is great the first day, and even more amazingly moist on the second and third. Just ask the craft ladies!

Very yummy.

Mmmm. Delicious autumn food

[is it still autumn??!]

Who knew cauliflower could be so delicious?

Twice-baked cauliflower souffles

Ingredients

• 200g cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• 350ml milk
• 80g unsalted butter
• 120g plain flour
• 4 eggs, separated
• 300ml thickened cream
• 140g gruyere, grated
• Radicchio leaves to serve

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C and grease four 1-cup (250ml) ramekins. Place the cauliflower, onion, bay leaf, thyme and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook, partially covered, for 8-10 minutes until cauliflower is tender. Strain, reserving cauliflower and milk, and discard the other solids.
• Melt butter in a clean saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, then gradually whisk in the reserved milk. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes until thickened and combined.
• Whisk in the egg yolks, 1/2 cup (125ml) cream and half the cheese until combined. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Whiz the cauliflower in a food processor until smooth, then add cheese sauce and pulse to combine. Season.
• In a large bowl, using electric beaters, whisk eggwhites to stiff peaks. Fold one-quarter of eggwhites into cauliflower mixture to loosen, then gently fold in remainder. Divide among prepared ramekins, place in a deep baking pan and fill with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of ramekins. Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden.
• Remove from pan and set aside to cool slightly before turning out onto a baking tray (they can be covered and refrigerated for 24 hours at this stage).
• Preheat oven to 180C. Pour some of remaining cream over souffles and scatter with remaining cheese. Bake for a further 10-15 minutes until souffles rise again and sauce bubbles.
• Place in radicchio ‘cups’, drizzle with remaining sauce grind some black pepper over and enjoy.

from Taste.com.au

 

Prefer something different as an appetizer?

Herb and feta bread

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 150 grams (1 1/4 cups) plain flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3 large  eggs
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
• 150 grams plain unsweetened yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon  salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 200 gramssheep’s milk feta cheese
• 1 bunch fresh herb leaves (flat-leaf parsley, basil, chervil, chives, mint, fennel preferably a mix), about 20 grams or 1 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped

Method

• Preheat the oven to 175°C.
• Butter or grease a 24-by-12-cm  loaf pan and sprinkle half the sesame seeds onto the bottom and sides, shaking the pan to coat.
• Combine the flour and baking powder in a bowl.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, yogurt, salt, and pepper. Stir in the cheese and herbs.
• Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, level the surface with a spatula, and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds.
• Put into the oven to bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the loaf is golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Allow to cool for a few minutes and run a knife around the pan to loosen. Unmold and transfer to a rack to cool.
• Cut in slices or cubes just before serving, slightly warm or at room temperature.

from Chocolate and Zucchini

 

Now lets talk about main course – enough to have delicious leftovers in your lunch box the next day.

Moroccan slow cooked lamb

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 pounds trimmed boned lamb shoulder, cut into 5 cm cubes
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1 cup dried apricots
• 2 large plum tomatoes, chopped ( or a can of tomatoes)
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons (packed) grated lemon peel
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

Method

• Mix first 6 ingredients in large bowl.
• Add lamb and toss to coat.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large frypan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add lamb to skillet and cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally and adding 2 more tablespoons oil to pan between batches, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer lamb to slow cooker after each batch.
• Add onion and tomato paste to drippings in pan. Reduce heat to medium; sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add broth, garbanzo beans, apricots, tomatoes, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and lemon peel and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits.
• Transfer everything to slow cooker and cooke for at least 4 hours on low
• Serve with pearl couscous and coriander.
• Enjoy leftovers the next day at work.

From epicurious

 

Looking for something sweet to finish? How about a piece of cake? ( yes, pomegranate seeds make two appearances on the blog today)

Blackberry ricotta cake

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1½ cups ricotta
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup frozen blackberries, divided

Method

• Preheat oven to 175°C. Line a 22cm-diameter cake pan with baking paper.
• Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
• Whisk eggs, ricotta, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth; fold into dry ingredients just until blended. Then fold in butter, followed by ¾ cup berries, taking care not to crush them. Scrape batter into prepared pan and scatter remaining ¼ cup berries over top.
• Bake cake until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50–60 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before unmolding.
• Sprinkle with more berries to serve. Make sure you also have lots of cream, Add pomegranate seeds to make it look extra pretty.

from bon appetit

Returning  to regular programming of sewing soon..

 

 

 

 

Little Christmas cakes in baked bean tins

I know. Its halfway through January and no-one. No. One. cares about Christmas cakes. But they were so cute. I just couldn’t not blog about them.

This is almost entirely the work of He who Cooks. The sewing related contribution was very minor, and only added the finishing touch. Yes. It was cutting the ribbon and securing in place with a pin.

So. What did He who Cooks do?

Well. Baked bean tins are the perfect size for cuteness optimization.

Adding exactly the same amount of cake mix to each tin is greatly facilitated by the scientific method (AKA using scales to measure mass)

Here they are, ready for the oven with their brown paper coat fastened with a kitchen string belt.

A glazed fruit and nut topping. Much easier than icing!

Viola!

Cooking and sewing!

The recipe was from Butcher Baker Baby

Christmas Cake
12 mini (small baked bean tin) cakes

200g glace cherries
500g mixed dried fruit
500g sultanas
zest of one orange
200ml sherry  (He who Cooks used a mixture of sherry and whisky)
225g butter, softened
225g dark brown sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
225g plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp mixed spice
50g whole almonds

1) Put cherries and other dried fruits plus zest in bowl and soak in sherry overnight.

2) Line the cake tin: Lightly grease base and sides. Line sides with a double thickness of baking paper that stands 5cm above tin. Make 1 cm cuts at base to help it lie flat. Line base with double layer of paper.

3) Preheat oven to 150°c. Whisk butter and sugar for 5 min till light and fluffy. Whisk in eggs slowly. When almost added, whisk in some flour to stop it curdling. Fold in flour, spices, fruit and almonds. Spoon into lined tin and make a small dip in the middle of the mixture. Wrap tin in a double thickness of brown paper and tie with piece of string. Cook for 60-90 minutes.

 

 

Dealing with a surfeit of bananas: banana pecan cake with maple syrup glaze

Banana purchasing in our house is a fine example of excellent procurement. It’s not very often that supply outstrips demand.

But, when just occasionally, He who Shops gets it a little wrong, She who Bakes needs a good banana cake recipe.

This one, from Chocolate and Zucchini, is pretty good!

 

Ingredients

• 80 grams (3/4 cup) pecans, toasted (in the oven for about 5 mins while its preheating) and roughly chopped
• 280 grams (2 1/3 cups) plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 140 grams (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 100 grams (1/2 cup) brown sugar
• 40 grams (2 tablespoons) maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon rum
• 3 large eggs
• 4 ripe bananas, about 600 grams weighed with skin, peeled

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C and grease a 24-cm savarin or ring mold, a loaf pan, or a simple 20-cm (round cake pan (I used a kugelhopf ring tin, because I had one 🙂 )
2. In a medium bowl, combine the pecans, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugar then add the maple syrup, vanilla, and rum. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition.
4. Mash the bananas with a fork and fold them into the batter.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and use a spatula to combine, gently lifting the batter and folding it over itself until no trace of flour remains; don’t overmix.
6. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes.
7. Let the pan rest on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife or a thin spatula all around the cake to loosen, then remove from the pan and transfer to the rack to cool.
8. Let cool for 30 to 40 minutes before glazing (see glaze recipe below).

Maple Syrup Glaze

1. Sift 50 grams (6 level tablespoons) icing sugar into a small bowl.
2. Pour in 40 grams (2 tablespoons) maple syrup, and whisk vigorously with a fork until smooth.
3. Spoon over the cake and spread with an icing spatula or the back of the spoon.
4. Don’t add some and then add a bit more latter, unless you like the runny and thick two tone glaze look shown below

Enjoy with a lovely cup of tea, in a break from all that sewing…

Chai Carrot Cake and Floral Nettie

This blog needs to be renamed from He Cooks… She Sews! to He Cooks…. She Shops, She Bakes and (just sometimes) She Sews…

The Shopping.

See previous post.

The Baking.

Chai Spiced Carrot Cake:

• 3 eggs
• 175g honey
• 125g gluten free SR flour (2/3 cup)
• 155g grated carrots (2 to 3 carrots)
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200g almond meal

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (150°C fan forced). Line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper.
2. Put all the cake ingredients in a large bowl, mix until well combined, then carefully pour the batter into the cake tin. Yes, that’s all you have to do!
3. Bake for 40 minutes.

Recipe adapted from My Petite Kitchen Cookbook by Eleanor Ozich (Murdoch Books) accessed at redonline.co.uk

I iced mine with the same cream cheese icing as the ‘real’ red velvet chocolate cup cakes then sprinkled a mixture of pepitas, sesame and sunflower seeds on top.

The Sewing.

Another Nettie bodysuit

Worn here with Burdastyle’s soft pleated waist skirt 05/2011 #116A

Pattern: Closet case Nettie Body Suit.

Size: 2-18. Same as last time; graded from a size 12 shoulders to a 14 bust, then 10 waist and then out to 12 hips.

Fabric: A slinky polyester knit from Spotlight. The knit version of silk chiffon. Utterly horrible to sew.

This fabric has 80% stretch widthwise but only 40% lengthwise. Heather Lou says at least 50% stretch both ways is needed for the fabric to work as a body suit.

So I decided to experiment.

Not always a good idea. But hey, what was the worst thing that could happen? Sewing it and then having to chop it off the bottom to make a regular top?

I added 4 cm total to the length of the front and back pieces

• 1 cm just below the scoop neck( just below the armscye)
• another 1 cm mid way between armscye and waist,
• another 1 cm just below waist
• the last 1 cm between the waist and the bottom edge/hip

I also added 2 cm to the sleeves, but turned up the hem 1 cm more than the instructions, so really just 1 cm extra length.

It worked! This bodysuit is firm fitting but comfortable enough to wear.

 

And whats next?

I need to sew some of those lovely new fabrics.

First up is a ‘poodle’ coat for Felicity. The plan is to use this fabric

in BurdaStyle 10/2012 #131, without the scarf

Fabric sale coming up: you need a chocolate cup cake!

• “Real” red velvet chocolate cake.
• Celebrity chef recipe.
• Beetroot.
• Dark Chocolate.
• Cream cheese icing.

Resistance was futile!

These were made with Poh Ling Yeow’s recipe from her new cookbook Same Same But Different. Poh made hers as a 20 cm cake, with the cream cheese icing in the middle and chocolate ganache on the sides and top.

I made cupcakes.

Delicious, moist, earthy, not-too-sweet dark chocolate cupcakes with lemon cream cheese icing.

Cake batter

• 300g (2-3 large) beetroots
• 3 large eggs, whisked
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 125g unsalted butter
• 100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
• 200g caster sugar
• 220g plain flour, sifted
• 2 teaspoons baking soda, sifted
• 100g drinking chocolate powder, sifted

Cream cheese icing

• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup (120g) icing sugar, sifted
• 100g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method

1. Roast the beetroot at 180°C for 30-45 minutes in a casserole dish with a lid and a little bit of water in the bottom of the dish. Cool and then rub the skins off. Your skin will go a lovely pink colour but don’t worry. Betalains (beetroot pigments) are very water soluble and the colour will wash off easily!
2. Weigh out 250g of beets, then pulverise with a food processor. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined. If the beets are still warm, let them cool before you add the eggs or you’ll have the most gorgeous coloured scrambled eggs you’ve ever seen.
3. Adjust oven to 170°C (or 160°C if its fan-forced).
4. Melt butter, take off the heat and whisk in the chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth, then add to beetroot mixture and wizz in the food processor until combined.
5. Sift the flour, baking soda and drinking chocolate powder into a medium to large sized bowl, mix in the caster sugar,then add the chocolate beetroot mixture and stir until just combined. I wish I had taken a photo at this stage. The cake mixture was a glorious deep dark red.
6. Pour into patty pans and bake for 25–30 minutes. This recipe makes 19 cup cakes.
7. To make the cream cheese icing, beat all the ingredients except the lemon juice until very pale and fluffy. Add the lemon juice last and beat until just combined.

If you’re in Adelaide this week, make some of these and eat them in front of the fire.

You need to prepare yourself for Gay Naffines fabric sale.

Where: 29-31 Hamley St, Adelaide

When:

• Friday 4 July, 9 am to 5 pm
• Saturday 5 July, 9 am to 4 pm
• Sunday 6 July, 11 am to 2 pm

 

See you there.

 

 

Christmas fruit cake in June

Being baked on the winter solstice makes it Christmas cake doesn’t it?

Even when the winter solstice is in June? The cake can’t help being in the Southern hemisphere can it?

Whatever.

This isn’t ordinary fruit cake anyway. Its delicious.

And very easily made gluten, dairy and refined sugar free, if that’s what you need to do.

 

Honey sweetened Christmas cake with cranberries, hazelnuts, apricots and figs

• ½ cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 250 g jar (a eensy bit more than ¾ cup) apple sauce
• 5 cups of mixed dried fruit (I used 1 cup each of cranberries, apricots and figs, and 2 cups of sultanas, the figs and apricots got chopped to about sultana size)
• ¼ cup brandy
• 3 large eggs, lightly whisked
• 1 ¼ cups gluten free SR Flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• grated zest of 2 oranges and 1 lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 150ºC
2. Line the base of a cake tin with 4 circle layers of newspaper and then a sheet of baking paper. (I used the motoring section. I’m sure this is an important detail). Line the sides too. I used baking paper on the sides, not newspaper as well
3. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt together the oil and honey. Add the apple sauce and dried fruit, stir to coat well.
4. Continue to cook on low, while stirring until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Then add the brandy and stir some more.
5. Add the fruit mixture to the remaining ingredients and mix until very well combined.
6. Pour into the prepared cake tin and smooth out evenly.
7. Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean once inserted.

Recipe adapted from Petite Kitchen

 

Delicious with a cup of tea in front of the roaring fire while listening to the rain.

Or as part of a cheese platter after that difficult jigsaw is finally complete…Its time to reclaim the coffee table!

Cheese and fruit cake you say?

Try it, I say!

 

 

Autumn baking and Downton Abbey dress WIP

Ginger nuts

This great recipe is thanks to Jorth.

• 200g butter
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 2 cups raw sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten (or 4 eggs -see update note below)
• 3 1/2 cups plain (all purpose) flour
• 6 teaspoons ground ginger (yes, I know that’s a lot, but ginger nuts need to be gingery!)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)

1. Preheat oven to 180 C and line baking trays. This recipe makes 60 biscuits. I used three trays in the first bake one and two in the second.
2. Melt the butter and syrup together in a saucepan.
3. Add the sugar and beaten eggs to the melted butter mixture.
4. Sieve the flour, baking soda and ginger together to mix and then add that too.
5. Mix together well. My mixture was a bit dry. Looking at my biscuits and Jorth’s, I think my less perfect and more cracked at the edges biscuits are because I should have added some liquid or another egg. Or perhaps its because I used raw caster sugar, and more might have fitted in the cup. I should have trusted my instincts and added another egg. They are very yummy though!
6. Roll into balls about 3cm diameter, place on trays and squish flat with a fork. Sprinkle the tops with a little extra raw sugar. I used demerara sugar, because raw caster sugar is too small to look good
7. Bake for 12 minutes.

These are deliciously crisp the next day. Perfect for dunking in a cup of tea.Or hot milk before going to bed. Or cold milk after school. Or..

 UPDATED August 2020

This is what they turn out like when you double the amount of eggs

Stickier dough. I blobbed them onto the baking tray rather than rolled the dough into balls. And there was no way you could squish them with a fork without removing half the dough. So I didn’t do that either. Or sprinkle with sugar.

But they are delicious! Soft and chewy.

Berry cream cheese coffee cake

This recipe is from Food Wanderings in Asia

I fell for Jo-Ann’s strawberry version whilst ‘researching’  on Pinterest. Her photos are delicious!

Butter Cake & Crumb Topping

• 2 cups plain (all purpose) flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (a mixture of two parts of cream of tartar to one part of bicarbonate of soda)
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup blanched almond flakes

Cream Cheese Filling

• 250 g (a bit more than 8oz) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg

Berry Filling

• 2 cups frozen raspberries and blackberries, thawed
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 teaspoons water
• 1.5 teaspoons cornflour

1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Line a 20 cm round spring form pan with baking paper.
2. Prepare the berry ‘jam’. Combine the cornflour and water. Add the berries and sugar to a pan and cook over low heat until the berries release their juices (about 5 minutes), then add the cornflour mix and stir until well combined. Stir for another minute or two until it has thickened. Remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the cake.
3. Prepare the cream cheese filling. Beat the cream cheese on medium speed for about 30 seconds until smooth. Add in the sugar and egg and beat until well combined. Set aside.
4. Prepare the cake. Rub butter into the flour and sugar together in a bowl. Measure 3/4 cup of the mixture and set aside (this will be the crumble topping). Add the baking soda and baking powder to the remaining mixture and mix well. In another bowl, beat the sour cream, egg and vanilla extract until well blended. Stir gently into the flour mixture until just incorporated. Set aside.
5. Put it all together. Spread the batter in the pan, about 1 cm higher up the sides and leaving a 1 cm border around the edges (like making a well). Pour the cream cheese mixture over the batter, being careful not to go beyond the border. Spread the berry jam on top of the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup crumbs over the berry filling and top with the almond flakes.
6. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes before removing the cake.

This is a bit of a time consuming recipe. It’s not light in texture or calories, but makes a delicious cake.

 

Downton Abbey dress (BurdaStyle 08-2013-109)

Like the cake, this is a time consuming project too.

Lots of different fabrics (stretch cotton, silk chiffon, velvet, satin lining) and notions (button, piping, velvet ribbon, zip, iron on interfacing and organza).

It should be worth it in the end though… Just like the cake was.

 

 

Cappuccino cake

Yes, more baked goods!

(If you are here for the sewing, click away now! or scroll to the bottom to see what’s in progress..)

with my sister-in-law’s gorgeous red roses (Papa Meilland– stunning to look at and to smell)

Ingredients

• 220g butter, softened
• 220g caster sugar
• 220g self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon coffee granules (instant coffee) dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Grease and line two 20 cm round sandwich tins.
3. Put all ingredients and a pinch of salt in a bowl and mix until combined (don’t over beat, just make it smooth).
4. Divide between tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

To make icing, dissolve another tablespoon coffee granules in 2 tablespoons boiling water then beat with 200 g softened unsalted butter and 400 g icing sugar until smooth and pale. Use half to sandwich the cakes together and the rest for the top. Dust with cocoa.

Recipe from David Herbert, The Weekend Australian Magazine October 19-20, 2013

 

Metric to imperial conversions and other explanations:

• 220 g =8 ounces
  
• 20 cm = 8 inches
  
• 180°C =350°F
  
• 200g = 7 ounces
  
• Self-raising flour is plain flour with a raising agent added. Convert plain (all purpose) flour to self-raising by adding one teaspoon of cream of tartar (tartaric acid) and half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to every cup of plain flour.
  
• Baking powder is a mixture of two parts ( e.g. two teaspoons) of cream of tartar to one part teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda (e.g. one teaspoon)
  

This cake has an excellent effort to impact ratio; a small amount of work for a large amount of yum. My guess is that it would also be excellent as cupcakes too.

Sewing stuff

This fabulous Maggy London fabric (from Gorgeous Fabrics) is being constructed into BurdaStyle 08-2012-113 and 08-2012-111 for Felicity.

Hopefully there will be a photo shoot on the weekend..

School lunch box food

Bland, a bit stodgy but very moist and the kids like them.

Just right for back to school tomorrow (pity we already ate them all…)

Ingredients

• 125g (one stick) butter
  
• 1 cup caster sugar
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
  
• 1 cup plain yoghurt
  
• 1 1/3 cups plain flour
  
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  

Method

1. Cream butter and sugar.
   
2. Add eggs one at time beating well after each addition.
   
3. Fold in the mashed bananas and yoghurt.
   
4. Sift together the flour and baking powder and then fold gently into the yoghurt mixture until just combined.
   
5. Spoon mixture into 12 1/3 cup muffin cases or a greased 22 cm (8 1/2 inch) springform pan.
   
6. Bake 180°C (350°F) for 25 minutes or 40-50 minutes for the cake.
   

Recipe adapted from Australian Good Taste – February 1997 , Page 79

Orange and poppy seed cake

Can I offer you a slice of sunshine? Moist orange and poppy seed goodness?

This recipe is from the September 2007 issue of Australian Good Taste, Page 114

Cake

• 125ml (1/2 cup) fresh orange juice (1 orange wasn’t enough, two oranges were plenty)
• 130g (1/2 cup) Greek-style natural yoghurt (that’s the secret of this cake’s moistness, methinks)
• 60g (1/4 cup) poppy seeds
• 250g butter
• 270g (1 1/4 cups) caster sugar
• 2 tbs finely grated orange rind (about three oranges)
• 4 eggs
• 340g (2 1/4 cups) plain flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a 25cm (top measurement) kugelhopf pan.
2. Combine the orange juice, yoghurt and poppy seeds in a small bowl.
3. Cream butter, caster sugar and orange rind.
4. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until just combined.
5. Sift the flour and baking powder over the egg mixture and mix
6. Add the yoghurt mixture and mix in.
7. Bake in oven for 1 hour

Icing

• 1 orange
• 150g (1 cup) pure icing sugar
• 1 tbs fresh orange juice

1. Zest the orange,
2. Combine the icing sugar and extra orange juice in a bowl until smooth.
3. Pour over the cake and sprinkle with the orange zest.

If you’re worried about the zest drying out, you could do what He who Cooks did (as always, he improves my cooking): combine a bit more orange juice and caster sugar in a saucepan and heat on low until the sugar is dissolved, add the zest to coat it in the sugar syrup and then add the zest on top of the icing.

It was delicious with a dollop of double cream flavored with Grand Marnier. Eating it on the lawn with the spring sunshine on my back might have helped..

Recipe from Australian Good Taste – September 2007 , Page 114

 

Instead of baking (and eating cake in the sun), I should have been sewing. These two garments are cut out and waiting for me…

Camel stretch cotton as this skirt (without the pockets): Burdastyle 08-2011-122

Patterned silk as this blouse (without the ruffles): BurdaStyle 07-2010-121