Florentines

The above photo is going for Click - a food photography event hosted by Jugalbandi

I have been swamped these past few months, what with, I really don't know. Now June approaches and we will have visitors (family and friends) visiting one after the other the entire month.  So, I am sure with the kids, family and friends visiting and the weather getting warmer, there will be hardly anytime to blog. Even though the kitchen will be buzzing, I will have hardly any time to post any recipes or take photos.   

I have been planning to make these cookies for ages.  I last made it almost a decade ago and had altered the recipe as I don't like mixed peel or glace (candied) cherries.  I made this recipe from Essentials of Baking, irresistible home bakes, from breads to cakes, my first baking book. 

When I made these cookies today, I added more almonds and substituted cherries with sultanas.  I also added more butter and flour.   

Ingredients:

• 45g butter(I used a stick plus a little more)
  
• 125 ml whipping cream
  
• 125 g sugar
  
• 125 g flaked almonds (I used 175g)
  
• 55g orange or mixed peel, finely chopped(I didn't use any)
  
• 45g glace/candied cherries chopped (I substituted sultanas)
  
• 70g flour (I used 100g + a little more to hold the cookie in shape)
  
• 225 g plain chocolate (I cheated and used chocolate spread)
  
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
  

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas 4. Grease 2 baking sheets. (I always use Silpat.)

Melt butter, cream and sugar together and slowly bring to the boil.  Take off heat and stir in the almonds, orange or mixed peel, cherries and flour(in my case, almonds, sultanas and flour) until well blended.

Drop teaspoonfuls of batter, 1-2" apart on the prepared sheets and flatten with a spoon or fork.

Bake until cookies brown at the edges, about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and correct the shape by quickly pushing in any thin uneven edges with a spoon.  Work fast as the cookies will harden as they cool.  If necessary, return to the oven for a few moments to soften it. Transfer it to a cooling rack.

Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler or microwave and add oil and stir to blend.  Or use a chocolate spread like I did (see note).

With a metal palette knife, spread the smooth underside of the cooled florentines with a thin coating of the melted chocolate.

When the chocolate is about to set, draw a serrated knife across the surface with a slight sawing motion to make wavy lines.  Store in an airtight container in a cool place.

Note: Since I used chocolate spread, my chocolate didn't set and I ended up liking my messy chocolatey hands after - I am not complaining though :-)

Torta Caprese - Chocolate Mocha Nut Cake (Gluten free treat)

Roberto, my husband's Italian friend is from Capri and gets us this lovely chocolate mocha nut cake from his home town every time he goes there on vacation. It is beautifully packed in the bakery's green gift wrap. The cake is packed on a hard golden scalloped cardboard base with a hard plastic cover that keeps it intact and moist. My daughter and I can't wait to unwrap it when my husband brings it home. The first bite takes you to chocolate heaven. The cake is chocolatey, nutty and with a hint of coffee, just melts in your mouth. Roby has been getting us this cake about twice a year for five years now. So it was time to decode the ingredients and try something on my own that we could enjoy whenever we wanted it.

I then found this recipe in one of the BBC GoodFood magazine few years ago which had chocolate, ground nuts and coffee in the ingredients. It looked as scrumptious as Roby's cake. So I did make it not only once but I have made this many times - as a dessert for a party, when I had guest over, when I had my girlfriends over, for birthday parties, when my in laws were over. In short every time I craved it, I made it. This is an acceptable alternative to what Roby brings from Italy.

I have had a lot of request from my girl friends and my sister in law (who loves to bake) to share the recipe. I have procrastinated but I am finally posting it. So here it is - this one is for you, A.S.A, for being very patient with me for the past few years. Also, a big thank you to Roberto for introducing this fantastic cake.

The cake from Capri

Also, this cake is perfect if you want to impress certain someone in your life. It is perfect to set a romantic mood. Happy Valentines day in advance.

Ingredients:

• 200g/8 oz Almond meal
  
• 200g/8 oz Good quality semi sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
  
• 200g/8 oz Unsalted butter, softened
  
• 200g/8 oz Caster sugar
  
• 4 Eggs, seperated
  
• 2 tsp Instant coffee granules
  
• 100g/4 oz Cornflour
  
• Cocoa powder, for dusting
  

Method:

Lightly grease a 20 cm, loose based round cake tin. Heat oven to 180C/350F.

Put chocolate in a microwave dish and microwave for 2 minutes, stirring after a minute. Or melt over a pan of simmering water.

Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Stir in the almond meal, chocolate, coffee and cornflour.

Whisk egg whites to soft peaks. Fold a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mix, then gradually fold in the remainder. Pour the mix into a prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Check after 35 minutes and if the cake is browning, cover with grease proof paper and continue to cook.

Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the tin. Dust with cocoa powder and serve.

Note: You could use hazelnut meal instead of almond meal. You could also blanch hazelnut/almonds and put it in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Lemon Almond Tart

Lemon Almond Tart 

I had couple of friends come over for lunch.  As I was planning the menu for lunch, I realized that one didn't like chocolate and the other didn't like anything fruity for dessert.  I was stumped - what can I make for dessert that both of them will enjoy.  None of the recipes in my extensive collection gave me any ideas.  

Then as I was strolling in the supermarket to get some inspiration, I found this lovely book on tarts.  It is called TARTS written by Sarah Banbery.  The book was on sale and is worth every penny(look at the price here). I have baked few of the tarts and they have all been magnificent. There are savory tart, fruity tarts, a mixture of first course individual and cocktail size tartlets. There are some useful tips that apply to all recipes which help make your dough success every time.  Here are the tips...

TIPS:

• Allow a little more butter and flour than the amount stated in the recipe, extra flour for rolling out the dough, and a little additional butter to grease the tart pan.
  
• Always roll out the dough and line the pan before chilling, as this will stop the dough from shrinking.  In this way you can trim the dough edges before baking to give a neat finishing edge.  Always chill dough before cooking.
  
• Keep the raw dough trimmings to plug any cracks or small holes, which may appear after baking the tart blind. Simply press a little of the raw dough into the crack and the heat of the cooked pastry will fix it in place.
  
• Preheat the oven with a heavy baking sheet in it on which the tart shell can be placed. THis will cook the dough better and makes it easier to get the tart in and out of the oven.
  
• To bake blind, use parchment paper, which you can scrunch up then smooth out to fit into the tart snugly.
  
• Use large eggs
  
• The butter and water for the dough should always be as cold as possible and the flour should always be shifted.
  
• If not using the food processor simply sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and rub in the butter by hand.

This tart has a beautiful texture that comes from the almonds.  The almonds gives a nutty flavor to this otherwise tart tart.  It is different from the classic French Tart Au Citron, which has a smooth filling.  This tart is lovely with a hot cup of tea or coffee and can be served warm or cold.

Ingredients:

Pie Dough

• 11/8 cups of all purpose flour
  
• pinch of salt
  
• 31/2oz/100g cold butter, cut into pieces
  
• 2 tbsps superfine sugar
  
• 1 egg yolk
  
• cold water
  

Filling

• 3 lemons
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1/2 cups superfine sugar
  
• 11/2 cups ground almonds
  
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
  
• 1/3 cup water
  

Method:

Lightly grease a 9 inch/22 cm loose bottom fluted tart pan.  

Sift the flour and salt into a food processor, add the butter, process until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. (I used my clean hands to do this)

Tip the mixture into a large bowl, add the sugar and egg yolk, and a little cold water, just enough to bring the dough together (most probably you won't need water, but if you do, then put only few drops at a time)

Turn out onto a counter dusted with flour and roll the dough 3 1/4 inches/8 cm larger than the pan.  Carefully lift the dough into the pan and press to fit. 

Roll the rolling pin over the pan to neaten the edges and trim the excess dough.  Fit a piece of parchment paper into the tart shell, fill with dried beans, and let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F/190C

Remove the pastry shell from the refrigerator and bake blind for 10 minutes in the preheated oven then remove the beans and paper and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Put the juice and finely grated rind of 3 of the lemons in a large bowl and the eggs, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the ground almonds, and the cream, whisking to combine.  Pour into the pastry shell and bake for 25 minutes.  

Remove the tart from the oven.  Serve warm or cold with whipped cream.

Note:

In the recipe, the author makes a topping with lemon slices and sugar.  I didn't do this as I didn't want to add more calories to the tart.  But you can take it a step further... here is how she did it.

Ingredients for the topping:

2 Lemons,

1 cup super fine sugar.

Method:

Thinly slice the remaining 2 lemons discarding the seeds and ends.  Put the remaining sugar and water in a pan and heat until the sugar is melted.  Let simmer for 5 minutes, add the lemon slices and boil for 10 minutes.   Arrange the lemon slices over the surface in a spiral pattern.  Drizzle the remaining lemon syrup over the slices.  Serve warm or cold.

The top most picture is going for Click the food photography event hosted by Bee and Jai @ Jugalbandi.  This months theme is yellow for Bri and is a fundraiser for food blogger Bri from Figs with Bri. (See my previous post)

Also this is my last post for this month, I am going on vacation and will be back by mid July.

Almond pistachio shortbread cookie

These cookies remind me of the biscuits that we get in the local bakery back home. They are great with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

Ingredients:

• 75g/ ½ cup shelled pistachios toasted
• 250g butter, chopped
• 160g/1 cup confectioners (icing) sugar
• 225g/1 ½ cup plain flour
• 2 tablespoons rice flour
• 2 tablespoons corn flour
• 90g/ ¾ cup almond meal
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 55g/ 1/3-cup confectioners (icing) sugar

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 150C/300F.

Chop 50g / 1/3 cup of the pistachios, leave the remaining pistachios whole.

Beat butter and sugar in medium bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Stir in sifted flours, almond meal and chopped nuts.

Shape level tablespoons of mixture into mounds. Place mounds about 3 cm apart on greased oven trays or SILPAT, press a whole pistachio on each. Bake for about 25 minutes or until firm. Lift cookies onto wire racks; when cool brush with orange juice, stand for 5 minutes. Dust cookies with extra sugar.