|
|
I decided to make a chocolate cake and with all the Valentine’s cooking and baking I see on television and on the internet, I baked it in a heart shape cake pan and poured a ganache over the cake. The cake itself is very moist and delicious. On the other 364 days of the year it can be baked in any other shape cake pan.
Cake:
- 1 stick butter, at room temperature plus more for the pan
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 ¼ cups flour
- ¼ cup cocoa
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Ganache:
- 12 oz. heavy cream
- 12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Preheat the oven to 350F, butter and flour the cake pan. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon, set aside. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add the eggs incorporating well one at a time. Add about half the flour mixture, the milk and the rest of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until a skewer inserted in the middle come out clean. Let it cool on a wire rack.
For the ganache, bring the heavy cream to a boil, remove from heat, and add the chocolate, mix with a rubber spatula, let cool on the counter.
Cut the top part of the cake so it looks even with the ganache. Slice the cake in the middle horizontally; put a very thin layer of the ganache between the top and the bottom. Place the cake on a wire rack the cut side down and pour the ganache over it, smooth the top and sides with an off set spatula.
Decorate the cake with silver almonds, silver beads or simply dust with a little cocoa.
 Printable Recipe
To be honest, I did not have high hopes for this dish. I love cauliflower salad but I rarely make gratins with it. The last time, I attempted to make a cauliflower gratin; it resulted in a complete and utter failure. The key to make a tender yet not a pureed cauliflower gratin is to barely cook it before putting the cauliflower in the oven and cooking it until the cauliflower is cooked but not mushy.
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 2/3 cup milk
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Topping:
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Preheat the oven to 350F. Steam the cauliflower florets for 2-3 minutes; place them in a baking dish, set aside. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, add flour and cook for about a minute stirring constantly with a whisk, pour in the milk and continue stirring it until the sauce thickens. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and parmesan cheese to the sauce and pour over the cauliflower. In a small bowl, combine the parmesan cheese with bread crumbs and olive oil, sprinkle evenly over the cauliflower and bake until the sauce is bubbly, the cauliflower is tender and the topping looks golden brown.
Printable Recipe
Broiling the bell peppers gives this dip has a very sweet and smoky flavour. I used low fat cream cheese and the dip still had a very smooth and silky texture. You could add cayenne pepper or diced jalapeño pepper to make it hot.
- 2 red bell peppers
- 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- Salt
Broil the bell peppers in the oven on all sides, place in a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, let them cool to room temperature. Once cooled, remove the skin, stem and seeds, cut into pieces. In the bowl of a food processor mix the cream cheese, the bell peppers, sour cream, garlic and salt. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with crackers, chips, bagels or raw vegetables.
Printable Recipe
Artichoke is one of my favourite vegetables but I was not cooking it as often as I would have liked before finding these frozen ones. They have a wonderful texture and cook in about fifteen minutes. You can also use fresh artichokes or frozen artichoke hearts.
- 4 artichokes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 medium potato, peeled and diced
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
- 3/4 cup green peas
- 1 lemon juice
- 1 cup water
- Salt
- 1/4 cup dill, finely chopped
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan, add the onion and cook until translucent, add the potato, carrot, peas, artichokes, lemon juice and water. Season with salt and cook until the artichokes and the vegetables are tender and the sauce is thick. Once the artichokes are cooked, remove them from the pot, turn off the heat and add the dill. Spoon the vegetable mixture onto the middle of the artichokes. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Printable Recipe
When my friend Robin invited us over for lunch on Sunday, I quickly offered to make dessert but then I realized that with my 8 weeks old daughter I might not have had the time to make a fancy dessert before leaving home at noon. So, I decided to make a simple dairy dessert that has to be made ahead of time so it has a chance to cool. I made it the night before and we inverted the semolina pudding on a plate after we finished our beautifully prepared delicious lunch.
- 4 ¼ cups milk
- 1 cup semolina
- 2/3 cup sugar
- Vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise
- Orange zest
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ cup sliced almonds
Preheat the oven to 350F, place the almonds on a baking sheet and toast until they are golden, let them cool. Place the almonds on the bottom of a bowl, a pie plate or ramekins, set aside.
Place the milk, semolina and sugar in a pot; add the seeds of a vanilla bean and the zest of 1 orange. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until the pudding starts to bubble and it has thickened, turn off the heat and add the butter. Pour the hot pudding over the almonds, cover with plastic wrap to prevent the pudding from forming a skin; let it cool to room temperature and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Invert on a plate and serve cold plain, with fresh fruit or chocolate sauce.
Printable Recipe
|
|
