TWD : Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

This week our recipe was chosen from Peggy from Pantry Revisited, a nice friend for me.

And she chose such a wonderful recipe I wish I hadn't shared it with anybody !

I brought it to my high school party (it was really dark there I posted an inside photo just for the sake of it) and everybody was tasting it in silence.

My only trouble was that the pears and prunes went all towards the bottom but my rose pan worked well anyway.

Please visit Peggy for the recipe and the site to see many different versions of this wonderful bundt cake!

Moosewood Mondays : Moroccan Stew

I was craving this dish since a few days, and my neighbours were all making it so I finally got out of the fridge what I had and started cooking.

You will see I made a few substitutions, in fact I used zucchini as a pose to green beans and artichokes and forgot the black olives. I made a little cous cous (too little !) to go with it and finally had my wished-for dinner !

Please visit Natashya to check what she prepared for us (Magari !) magari it's a typical italian word that means : 'I wish it was so'.

I Heart Cooking Clubs : Lemon Drizzle Cake

This week to celebrate Mother's day the children and I rang my mother in law to invite her for tea and started baking this cake and the '5 minutes chocolate cake' (could you believe my husband said that it was the best cake I have ever prepared ?).

My mother doesn't really care about Mother's day just as much as my mother in law does.

The cake is not so sweet because its sweetness is increased with the lemon syrup and lemon drizzle (which we had to diminish because I ran out of confectioner's sugar).

I actually think it's a very nice cake as I love lemony cakes and the crunch of the poppy seed made it just more delicious.

I got the recipe from 'Cook with Jamie' (all Jamie's books are on my bedsidetable now)

but you can find it here too.

RECIPE

• 115g unsalted butter, softened
• 115g caster sugar
• 4 large free-range or organic eggs
• 180g ground almonds
• 30g poppy seeds
• zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 125g self-raising flour, sifted

for the lemon syrup
• 100g caster sugar
• 90g lemon juice

for the lemon icing
• 225g icing sugar
• zest and juice of 1 lemon

Using an electric whisk, beat the butter with the caster sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs one by one, beating each in well. Fold in your ground almonds, poppy seeds, the lemon zest and juice and the sifted flour. Spoon the mix into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until lightly golden. You can check to see if the cake is cooked by poking a cocktail stick right into the sponge. Remove it after 5 seconds and if it comes out clean the cake is cooked; if slightly sticky it needs a little longer, so put it back in the oven. Allow the cake to cool on a rack.

Make your lemon syrup by heating the sugar and lemon juice in a pan until the sugar has dissolved. While your cake is still warm, make lots of little holes in the top with a cocktail stick and pour your syrup over.

To make your icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the lemon zest and juice, stirring until smooth. When your cake is almost cool, put it on a serving plate and pour the icing carefully over the top. If you pour it on to the middle of the cake, then let gravity disperse the icing down the sides, you get the ‘drizzle’ effect! Give it a helping hand with a spoon if you want.

AUGURI !!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OF YOU !

We had a very special breakfast this morning : our very first Waffles !!

I used this fast recipe from the Food Network but I'd like to try one with yeast or buttermilk any suggestions ?

RECIPE

Ingredients

• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups milk
• non-stick cooking spray

Directions

Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. In 1 medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a second bowl use the wooden spoon to beat together the egg yolks and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and eggs have turned a pale yellow. Add the vanilla extract, melted butter, and milk to the eggs and whisk to combine. Combine the egg-milk mixture with the flour mixture and whisk just until blended. Do not over mix. In third bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixeruntil soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Using the rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter. Do not overmix! Coat the waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray and pour enough batter in iron to just cover waffle grid. Close and cook as per manufacturer's instructions until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

French Fridays with Dorie : Tourteau de Chevre and more...

Here is Dorie's recipe for this Friday, It's a cheese cake made with goat cheese and many eggs giving a very spongy and soft wonderful cake. Anita loved it and kept saying how soft it was.

This cake is totally different from cheesecake and from crostata di ricotta.

Please if you want to see more versions of it visit the French Fridays with Dorie site.

As you might know I'm behind with my recipes for FFWD so here is what I made this week:

Bistrot Paul Bert Pepper Steak (with Frites, of course)

Garlicky Crumb-Coated Broccoli

Caramel Topped Semolina Cake

TWD : Basic Marble Loaf Cake

This week it was Carol from the Bake More who chose the recipe and I keep thinking 'Baking from My Home to Yours' is truly a treasure : every recipe is a real delish !

I made the peppermint version and brought it to my high school party they were surprised for the peppermint flavour but the funniest thing is that they found a goose -or a swan- in the slices (which I'm told became a bison and lately a pellican) and were sure I made it on purpose ! I had some problems swearing It was just luck.

Please visit Carol for the recipe and the lyl post for more marbling miracles !

Moosewood Mondays : Chocolate Pudding Cake

What to do when you have someone coming for dinner, the pizza take-out is full of orders, the kids are starving and the pasta water never boils ? Let the kids fix the dessert !

This pudding is very easy to put together but it is fun too.

And not bad at all as you can see...

The recipe is from Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates.

Please visit Natashya for her Moosewood recipe.

I Heart Cooking Clubs : Potluck - Chocolate, Dried Fruit and Nuts Tart

This week is Potluck time at I Heart Cooking Clubs so if you check the blog you'll find all sorts of recipes !

I had a dinner with all my High School friends on Friday and brought some dessers but this tart was so welcomed or better it was kidnapped and Fabio didn't want to let it out of the kitchen !

The crust follows this recipe. I used half of it and prebaked it in a rectangular pan.

It is then scattered with any kind of dried fruit and toasted nut (I used dried apricots, raisins, almonds and hazelnuts) and covered with a ganache made with 285 grams heavy cream heated with 2 Tbs dark brown sugar and mixed with 200 grams dark chocolate.

I got the recipe from 'Ministry of Food', but my copy is in italian so I do not know the original name for the tart (Torta di cioccolato, frutta e nocciole).

Weekend Herb Blogging #281 - Red Onions Confit

This weekend it is Min from Honest Vanilla who is hosting the Weekend Herb Blogging #281.

I wished to make a red onion jam and ended up making a confit from Mes Aigre-Dous, Terrines et Patés by Christine Ferber.

To be exact the recipe is called 'Red Onions Confit with Xeres Vinegar' but I do not own the wonderfully perfumed Xeres vinegar so I ended up using a simple apple vinegar.

WHB was created in October 2005 by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, you will find history here. This event has become popular in the years thanks to all bloggers participating with recipes and informative posts about new ways of cooking with herbs or unusual plant ingredients.
Since November 2008 Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once has been managing this weekly event, all recaps here

RECIPE

1 kg red onions (600 gr when ready to cook)

100 gr Red Wine Vinegar

100 gr Xeres Vinegar

50 gr Balsamic Vinegar

200 gr Black Pinot

100 gr Sugar

100 gr Honey

100 gr Blueberries

50 gr Extra Virgin Olive Oil

50 gr Butter

5 pepper grains crushed

5 salt pinches

Peel and finely cut the onions.

Heat butter and oil in a lidded pot, add onions,salt,pepper and let them slowly braise without coloring for about 20 min.

Add sugar and honey and let swoly boil for about 10 minutes, add the vinegars, wine and blueberries. Let cook uncovered for about 30 minutes until the liquid will be reduced and the onions will be confit. Add the balsamic vinegar, give the last boil, check the seasoning and put in pots. Refrigerate the next day .

Weekend Herb Blogging # 281 Confit di cipolle rosse

Questo weekend tocca di nuovo a Cinzia di Cindystar ospitare il Weekend Herb Blogging in italiano. Mi rifaccio alle sue parole per spiegare di che cosa si tratti.

Cos'è il Weekend Herb Blogging?

Il Weekend Herb Blogging è una raccolta settimanale di ricette e/o note informative sulla miriade di prodotti vegetali che ci circondano, siano essi fiori, piante, frutti, semi, alle volte davvero inusuali ed inaspettati.
E' nato in America quasi per caso nell'ottobre del 2005 dalla mente creatrice di Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, potete trovare tutta la storia qui. Questo evento è diventato sempre più popolare di anno in anno grazie ai tanti bloggers partecipanti che, con le loro ricette e i loro posts, arrichiscono la propria cultura culinaria riguardo al mondo vegetale, in qualunque forma esso si presenti. Ed è proprio questa la peculiarità dell'evento: riuscire ad acquisire più conoscenza e dimistichezza sulla cucina con i vegetali.
Dal novembre del 2008 Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once è la nuova infaticabile "direttrice" di questo evento settimanale, di cui potete trovare tutte le raccolte settimanali qui. Da fine novembre Bri cura l'edizione italiana, potete dare un occhio alle raccolte settimanali qui.

Era da un po' che tra i miei desideri c'era una marmellata di cipolle rosse ... così ho fatto un confit !

La ricetta l'ho trovata nel prezioso libricino di Christine Ferber 'Mes aigre-doux, terrines et patés'.

Per la precisione si tratta di un 'Confit di cipolle rosse all'aceto di Xeres' ma il profumatissimo aceto di Xeres non è nella mia dispensa e così ho usato un banalissimo aceto di mele.

Ricetta

1 kg di cipolle rosse (600 gr pulite)

100 gr di aceto di vino rosso

100 gr di aceto di Xeres

50 gr di aceto balsamico

200 gr di Pinot Nero

100 gr di zucchero

100 gr di miele millefiori

100 gr di mirtilli

50 gr di olio extravergine d'oliva

50 gr di burro

5 grani di pepe schiacciati

5 pizzichi di sale

Sbucciare le cipolle e affettarle finemente.

Fare scaldare il burro e l'olio in una casseruola con coperchio, aggiungere le cipolle, sale e pepe e farle sudare per una ventina di minuti a fuoco basso.

Aggiungere zucchero e miele e lasciare sobbollire per una decina di minuti, aggiungere gli aceti il vino e i mirtilli. Lasciar cuocere a fuoco basso per trentacinque minuti. Il liquido si ridurrà e le cipolle si 'candiranno'. Versare l'aceto balsamico, dare un ultimo bollore e verificare il sale. Invasare e lasciar freddare fino al giorno dopo. Conservare in frigorifero.

Bread Baking Buddies : Dan Lepard Garlic Bread

I know that some of you get scared when they read garlic, some are even allergic to it BUT this bread is magic : it is so wonderful you would want to live only on it forever !

It's a recipe from Dan Lepard chosen by the great Garlic Ambassador Natashya for the Bread Baking Babes and I really urge you to try it, you won't regret it for a second.

I made it almost as soon as it was posted because I had some garlic confit hanging around, but you know what ? I'm going to prepare some garlic and bake it again today !

Dan's Garlic Bread
reprinted with permission from Dan Lepard
Exceptional Breads, by Dan Lepard
Dan has reworked the recipe to include a longer rise, less yeast, and less sugar.

for the pre-ferment
200ml water, at about 35C - 38C (95F - 101F)
1 tsp fast acting yeast
200g strong white bakers flour

for the dough
225ml water at 20C (68F)
325g strong white bakers flour
10g sea salt
75ml extra virgin olive oil

for the garlic filling
3 heads garlic, separated
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
50ml water
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 spring fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped

for the pre-ferment

To easily get the temperature of the water roughly correct measure 100ml of boiling water and add 200ml cold water, then measure the amount you need from this. Stir in the yeast then, when dissolved, stir in the flour until evenly combined.

Leave the mixture covered at about 20C - 22C (warmish room temperature) for 2 hours, stirring the ferment once after an hour to bring the yeast in contact with new starch to ferment.

for the garlic filling

Break the heads of garlic into cloves and place in a saucepan, cover with boiling water from the kettle and simmer for 3 - 4 minutes.

Then strain the garlic from the water, cover the cloves with cold water to cool then peel the slivery skin from the garlic. It's surprising how few cloves you get after peeling so don't be alarmed if "3 heads of garlic" sound like way too much.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan then place the add the cloves to it and cook until they are lightly brown (not burnt) on the outside. If you burn the garlic the flavour is nasty and you will have to start again, or serve it to your friends with a straight face, so watch them carefully.

Measure the balsamic and the water then add this to the pan with the sugar, salt, pepper and rosemary. Simmer for 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced to a thick caramel.

Scrape into a bowl and leave to cool. The garlic cloves should be tender when pierced with a knife.

back to the dough:

After 2 hours the pre-ferment should have doubled and look bubbly on the surface. Measure the water into a bowl and tip the pre-ferment into it. Break it up with your fingers until only small thread-like bits remain (this is the elastic gluten you can feel in your fingers)

Add the flour and salt then stir the mixture together with your hands. It will feel very sticky and elastic. Scrape any remaining dough from your hands, cover the bowl and leave for 10 minutes so that the flour has time to absorb moisture before being kneaded. Be sure to scrape around the bowl to make sure all of the flour is incorporated into the dough.

Pour 2 tbsp olive oil onto the surface of the dough and smooth it over the surface with your hands. Now rub a little oil on your hands and start to tuck your fingers down the side of the dough, then pull the dough upward stretching it out.

Rotate the bowl as you do this, so that all of the dough gets pulled and stretched. You'll find that the dough starts to feel and look smoother. Leave the dough in a ball, cover and leave for 10 minutes.

Repeat the pulling and stretching of the dough, for no more than about 10 - 12 seconds. You may find that an oiling piece of dough breaks through the upper surface. This isn't a bad thing, but it is a sing to stop working the dough. Cover the bowl again and leave for a further 10 minutes.

This time oil a piece of the worksurface about 30 cm in diameter. Oil your hands, pick the dough out of the bowl, place it on the oiled surface and knead it gently for 10 - 15 seconds. Return the dough to the bowl, cover and leave for 30 minutes.

Uncover the dough, oil the worksurface once more and flip the dough out onto it.

Stretch the dough out into a rectangle, then fold the right hand side in by a third.

Then fold the in by thirds again so that your left with a square dough parcel. Place this back in the bowl, cover and leave for 30 minutes.

Lightly oil the worksurface again and stretch the dough out to cover an area roughly 30cm x 20cm. Dot the garlic over the 2/3rds of the surface and then fold the bare piece of dough over a third of the garlic-covered dough.

Then roll this fold of dough over so that the remaining garlic-covered piece is covered by dough. Then fold this piece of dough in by a third...then in by a third again. Finally place the folded dough back in the bowl, cover and leave for 30 minutes.

Wipe the oil off the worksurface and lightly dust it with flour. Pin the dough out again as above and fold it in by thirds each way. Replace it in the bowl, cover and leave for a further 30 minutes.

Pin the dough out again fold it in by thirds each way again as shown. Leave the dough for 10 minutes while you prepare the tray the bread will rise on.

Cover a large dinner tray with a tea-towel. Lightly dust it with white flour, then cut the dough into thirds with a serrated knife.

Place the dough cut side upward on the tray then pinch the fabric between each so that they stay separated.

Cover and leave for 45 minutes while you heat the oven to 200C (same for fan assisted)/390F/gas mark 5-6. I put a large unglazed terracotta tile in the oven and shovel the dough directly onto it with the back of a small cookie tray. It gives a much better finish and perhaps the bread is slightly crisper, but the bread will still be good placed on a tray just before baking. I also put a small tray of water in the bottom of the oven so that the heat is a little moist, which will help the bread to rise and colour.

Lightly dust the back of a cookie tray (if you have a stone in the oven) or the surface of a baking tray with semolina or flour. Carefully pick the dough up off the cloth, scooping it in from end to end with your finger then quickly lift it clear of the cloth and onto the tray.

Either shovel the dough onto the hot stone, or place the baking tray in the oven, shut the door quickly and bake for 20 - 30 minutes until the loaves are a good rich golden brown

TWD : Cornmeal Shortbread Cookies

I was hoping to win the Spreader title at the (sad) end of our Tuesday with Dorie Mission, but with these soo good shortbread cookies chosen by Valerie I' m afraid I won't be alone. I was blaming Italian butter, cookies not cold enough or just a personal gift I had, but with these babies I was not the only one to get The Spread !

Well, Spread or not I loved them. Crunchy as they were (actually are but I hid them) and with the lime hint Valerie suggested in the P &Q I absolutely loved them !

Please visit Valerie for the recipe and much more and the LYL for more cookies.

Moosewood Mondays : Broccoli Mushroom Noodle Casserole

I don't know how you choose the recipes you cook and post I think the right way would be to choose the recipe and then go shopping well I usually have some things in the fridge and search the index of my cookbooks to find a suitable recipe, in this case I was lucky: I had broccoli, mushrooms and tagliolini, it was a sign !

The Moosewood book this time is THE original by Mollie Katzen.

Please visit Natashya and check her Moosewood's recipe !

RECIPE

	16 ozWide egg noodles; or less
	2 tbButter or margarine
	2 cOnions; chopped
	3 mdGarlic; minced
	1 lg bunchfresh broccoli; chopped
	1 lbmushrooms; Sliced or chopped
	1/2 tsSalt; to taste
	Lotsfresh black pepper
	1/4 cupdry white; Optional
	3 eggs; beaten, Optional
	3 cCottage cheese
	1 cSour cream; (may be lowfat)
	1 1/2 cFine bread crumbs;

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter or oil a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Cook the noodles in plenty of boiling water until about half-done. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again and set aside. Melt the butter or margarine in a large skillet, and add onions and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes over medium heat, then add broccoli, mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the broccoli is bright green and just tender. Remove from heat and possibly add optional white wine. In a large bowl, beat together optional eggs (or not) with cottage cheese and sour cream or buttermilk. Add noodles, sauteed vegetables, and 1 cup of the bread crumbs. Mix well. Spread into the prepared pan, and top with remaining bread crumbs and, if desired, grated cheese. Bake covered for 30 minutes; uncovered for 15 minutes more.