The Cake Slice : Orange Almond Caramel Upside Down Cake

The recipe for this month's cake makes a deliciously moist flavourful and orangy cake, I'm sorry I photographed it to late in the evening and it looks like charcoal !

You can visit the blogroll and see much better looking ones and start baking the cake right now !

RECIPE

Ingredients – Topping

50g sliced almonds
75g unsalted butter
120g light brown sugar
55ml honey

For the Cake
180g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
80ml sour cream
2 eggs
55ml orange juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

100g unsalted butter

150g caster sugar
1 tbsp grated orange zest

Method - Topping

Heat the oven to 180C. Grease a 9 inch round non stick cake pan and line the base with parchment paper. Dust with flour.
Spread the nuts on a baking tray and toast until golden, 8 to 10 minutes (mine only took 4 minutes!!) Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Whisk in the brown sugar, turn the heat to low, and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Drizzle over the honey and scatter over the toasted nuts.

Method - Cake

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Combine the sour cream, eggs, orange juice and vanilla in a glass measuring cup and beat lightly.
Combine the butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Stir in the orange zest.
With the mixer on medium-low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides.
Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, a third at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Then mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
Pour the batter over the almonds, gently spreading it into an even layer.
Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let stand for 5 minutes.
Holding the pan and a plate together firmly with oven mitts, invert the hot cake onto the plate. Peel away the parchment paper. If necessary, replace any almonds stuck to the base of the pan. Let the cake cool for 20 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.
Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.

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French Fridays with Dorie : Bacon, Egg and Asparagus Salad and much more obviously !

Here is the fresh and satisfying asparagous salad which I loved a lot.

The spinach bacon quiche that I had ready for last week but was hijacked by Blogger problems !

The wonderfully surprising quinoa, fruit and nut salad.

Here is the chicken b'stilla which can make your dinner party very succesful.

The basque potato tortilla that my son particularly loved.

And two parisian specialties : gnocchi a la parisienne

And Paris mushroom soup !

Now you tell me if this wonderful book by Dorie Greenspan is worth or not buying ! I' really happy to be still very behind (and my husband is even happier !).

Please visit the site and get a copy of Around my French Table !

TWD : Maple Corn Biscuits

Lately our cat Cagliostro has decided to wake me up around four in the morning so yesterday, not before feeding him and another nap with him, I decided it was the right occasion for baking these biscuits for breakfast !

They were chosen by Lindsay from A Little Something… Sweet ; I never ate 'real' biscuits or scones and I have no idea of how White Lily flour feels but I thought these biscuits were so good I'm glad, for my diet's sake, that I only made half batch and that my children and husband loved them too !!

Please visit Lindsay for the recipe and the TWD site for more biscuits.

Weekend Herb Blogging #283 Cauliflower and Millet Puree. In Italiano a seguire

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

This week WHB is hosted by Simona of briciole.

I decided to prepare a Cauliflower, Millet Puree I found on The Bold Vegetarian.

Millet is one of the oldest foods known to humans and possibly the first cereal grain to be used for domestic purposes. It is mentioned in the Bible, and was used during those times to make bread. Millet has been used in Africa and India as a staple food for thousands of years and it was grown as early as 2700 BC in China where it was the prevalent grain before rice became the dominant staple. It is documented that the plant was also grown by the lake dwellers of Switzerland during the Stone Age. Millet is considered to be one of the least allergenic and most digestible grains available.

We really loved this recipe it surprised both children and adults (Andrea licked the bowl !).

RECIPE

1 pound cauliflower, cut into florets [500g]

2 large shallots or 1 small onion, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1⁄2 cup millet [100g]

11⁄4 cups vegetable stock or water [325ml]

1⁄4 cup plain yogurt, preferably organic [60ml]

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Boil or steam the cauliflower florets until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and

run under cold water until cool. Set aside. 2. In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, cook the shallots and garlic in 1 tablespoon

of the oil over medium heat until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. 3. Add the millet and toast for another minute, stirringfrequently with a wooden

spoon. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until tender.

If the liquid evaporates before the millet is done, add a small amount of water

and continue cooking until tender. 4. In a food processor, pureethe cauliflower until smooth. With the machine on, add

the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the yogurt, and a generous amount of salt and pepper.

Add the millet and blend again until well incorporated. If not serving right away,

keep warm in the oven or on the stovetop over very low heat.

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 Onceè 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.

Questa settimana il WHB è ospitato da Simona di briciole.

Ho scelto di preparare un purè di cavolfiore e miglio che mi aveva incuriosito sul libro 'The Bold Vegetarian'

Il miglio è un cereale molto antico, originario dell'Asia centroorientale, coltivato anche dagli antichi egizi. Ha una grande importanza nell'alimentazione di alcuni paesi africani e asiatici, molto meno utilizzato in Europa, dove è conosciuto più che altro come becchime per pollame e uccelli da gabbia. Il miglio ha una composizione simile al frumento, ma non contiene glutine e quindi è adatto nell'alimentazione dei soggetti affetti da morbo celiaco.
È l'unico cereale con un effetto alcalinizzante, quindi è indicato per chi soffre di acidità di stomaco.

Qusta ricetta che sembrava così 'strana' ci ha sorpreso tutti grandi e piccini (pensate che Andrea ha fatto la scarpetta fino all'ultima traccia).

RICETTA

500g cavolfiore diviso in cimette

1 cipolla media o due scalogni tritati

3 spicchi d'aglio tritati

3 cucchiai di olio EV

100g di miglio

325ml di brodo vegetale o acqua

60ml di yogurt

Sale e pepe

1. Fare lessare o cuocere a vapore il cavolfiore finchè è tenero. Scolarlo freddarlo sotto l'acqua fredda e tenerlo da parte. 2. In una casseruola far stufare gli scalogni (o cipolla) e l'aglio in un cucchiaio di olio. 3. Aggiungere il miglio e farlo tostare per un minuto, mescolando spesso con un cucchiaio di legno. Aggiungere il brodo, portare ad ebollizione. Fare sobbollire fino a cottura.

Se il liquido dovesse evaporare aggiungerne altro. 4. In un frullatore ridurre a purea il cavolfiore, lo yogurt, i restanti due cucchiai di olioe sale e pepe. Aggiungere il miglio e lavorare fino ad ottenere una crema. Tenerlo in caldo se non lo consumate subito.

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.