Category: Do-ahead

Baking · Do-ahead · Nuts

Pistachio milk cake

Belinda1 Comment

Recipe by Nadiya Hussain for the Sunday Times

“At its simplest, milk cake is a light sponge soaked in sweetened milk and topped with cream and eaten chilled.
It’s got the same soft, airy sponge as a “dulce de leche” cake, but this version is lightly scented with fresh cardamom seeds that have been crushed down to a powder. The milk has ground pistachio in it, giving it a lovely green nutty colour. Chilled to get it nice and firm and easy to cut, it is topped with fresh cream, a sprinkling of pistachios and a light zesting of orange for freshness.”

Serves 10

For the cake
4 eggs, separated
200g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 cardamom pods, pods open and seeds crushed to a powder

For the milk
100g shelled pistachios
100ml whole milk
410g evaporated milk
200ml condensed milk

For the topping
300ml double cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
50g pistachios, roughly chopped
1 orange, zest only

1. Heat the oven to 350F/160C (180C non-fan) and line the base and sides of a 20cm square cake tin. Set aside while you make the cake.
2. Add the egg whites to a bowl and start whisking. As soon as the mixture begins to get frothy, add 150g caster sugar one spoonful at a time, making sure to whisk well after each addition. Once the sugar is fully incorporated, you should be left with a mixture that is fluffy and glossy and stands in stiff peaks.
3. Put the egg yolks, remaining 50g caster sugar and vanilla extract in another bowl. Whisk until well combined.
4. Add the plain flour and baking powder and the crushed cardamom seeds and mix until you have a thick paste.
5. Add one third of the egg white mixture to the egg yolk mixture and mix till the thick batter has loosened. Now add the rest of the egg whites a third at a time and fold gently using a metal spoon to make sure you don’t deflate any of the air bubbles.
6. Once no longer streaky and fully incorporated, pour into the cake tin. Level off the top and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven and use a skewer to poke holes all over the cake so that it will more easily absorb the sweetened milk.
8. Place the shelled pistachios in a food processor and blend to a fine crumb. Add the fresh, evaporated and condensed milk and blitz until combined.
9. Pour all over the warm cake and leave to soak in. Once cooled enough, place in the fridge to chill completely.
10. When you are ready to serve, whip the cream with the icing sugar until you have soft peaks. Spread evenly all over the cake and sprinkle with pistachios. Grate over the orange zest just before serving. Store in the fridge if you are not eating it straight away.

Baking · Breakfast · Do-ahead · Grains

Irish Brown Soda Bread Scones

Belinda

Recipe from SMITTEN KITCHEN

“Here is my replacement formula the Irish flour: 1 cup coarse wholemeal flour = 3/4 cup wheat germ + 1/4 cup wheat bran + 1/2 cup regular whole wheat flour. Yes, this appears to add up to more than 1 cup but germ weighs much less than flour. This will weigh 145 grams total.”

Serves 4
1 cup (145 grams) Irish coarse wholemeal flour (see Note above for swap; see Note at end for description)
1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (225 grams) buttermilk, plus another splash if needed
1 tablespoon (15 grams) unsalted butter, cold

Heat oven to 375°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine wholemeal flour (see Note up top for swap; see Note at end for description), all-purpose flour, salt and baking soda in a large bowl, whisking to combine.
Pour buttermilk over dry ingredients, then coarsely grate butter over the buttermilk.
Stir to combine into a thick, somewhat gloppy mass, slightly damper than your average scone dough. If it doesn’t come together, add more buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at time, until. (I need at least 2 extra tablespoons when using a thick brand of buttermilk.)
Dollop dough in four big mounds on prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, until just lightly golden brown at edges and dry to the touch. Eat right away, split in half and spread with butter, jam, or chocolate.

** Let’s talk about coarse wholemeal (whole wheat) flour: The magic ingredient in most wholegrain or brown soda breads is Irish wholemeal flour. Irish wholemeal flour is coarse and gritty, high in fiber, and has a wonderful nutty flavor. It is not the same as our whole wheat flours here, which are milled fine and smooth, and I do not like the result when I use them as a full swap. Although I think I’ve come up with a solid copycat, it requires extra ingredients, which likely takes this out of the running for an easy breakfast baked good for others.
Here’s my advice: If you find you like these scones and want to make them more often, you could mix up a jar of my Irish flour swap and have it at the ready for your weekend mornings. Or, you could splurge on a bag of the imported flour. Prices range significantly (blame a supply chain crisis) but even when it’s overpriced, it is amortized over 56 scones, i.e. my favorite way to justify things.
Here are some places you can find the Odlums brand I use online: Amazon, Food Ireland, Mercato. It comes in Coarse and Extra-Coarse; both work.
Note: I know that King Arthur Flour also makes an Irish-style flour but it was out of stock when I was working on this recipe so I wasn’t able to test it. If it’s coarsely milled, you’ll be set.

Baking · Do-ahead

The ultimate coconut cake

Belinda

This recipe is made from scratch, is full of bold coconut flavor and topped off with a coconut cream cheese frosting. This is the kind of cake that will wow everyone in the room.
Recipe by Food blogger, “The Stay at Home Chef”

1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons coconut extract
6 large egg whites room temperature
1 1/2 cups full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup sour cream
3½ cups cake flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Frosting:
16 ounces cream cheese softened
1 cup salted butter softened
1 teaspoon coconut extract
3 cups powdered sugar
3 cups coconut flakes

Grease three 9-inch pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the butter, oil, and sugar together until smooth. Beat in coconut extract and egg whites 2 minutes until fluffy. Beat in coconut milk and sour cream until just combined.
Mix in cake flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
Divide the batter among the three prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit in pans for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before layering and frosting.
Make the frosting by using a hand mixer to beat cream cheese and butter together for 1 minute until light and fluffy. Add in coconut extract and mix until combined, about 10 seconds.
Slowly add in powdered sugar, one half cup at a time until smooth, mixing between additions.
Frost and layer cake with frosting and use coconut flakes to coat.

Do-ahead · Icecream

Strawberry and basil ice cream

Belinda

Recipe from Diana Henry
Basil, which is sweet and has cinnamon notes, is very good with strawberries. You need 
to use sweet, 
ripe berries 
for this

550g ripe, sweet strawberries, hulled and sliced
130g caster sugar
300ml double cream
200ml milk
2 broad strips of 
lemon zest
20g basil leaves
3 large egg yolks
3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2-3 tbsp lemon juice 
(add to taste)

Put the strawberries and 20g of the caster sugar into a bowl, cover and leave to macerate overnight in the fridge.
You can make the custard to chill overnight too, or on the day you make the ice cream. Place the cream and milk in a saucepan then add the lemon zest and basil leaves. Heat to just under boiling, then remove from the heat and leave the basil and lemon to infuse for about 90 minutes. Strain the mixture, pressing the basil to make sure you extract its flavor.
Put water into a basin, or into your kitchen sink, and set a large bowl in it. If you have ice, throw some into the water.
Beat the yolks and the remaining sugar until thick and pale, either in a food mixer or using an electric hand mixer. Add the infused cream and milk, whisking all the time, to the beaten yolks, then transfer this to a clean saucepan.

Set over a very low heat and heat gently, stirring all the time. You have to cook the custard but you must not let it boil or the eggs will scramble. You can use a sugar thermometer to help you. When it reaches 82C, pull the saucepan off the heat and immediately pour the custard into the bowl sitting in the iced water.

If you don’t have a thermometer you should be able to see that the custard has thickened. When you drag your index finger through the custard on 
the back of your wooden spoon it should leave a 
clear channel. Leave the custard to 
cool, stirring from time 
to time, then cover and chill in the fridge.

The next day, blend the strawberries with the balsamic vinegar until the mixture is really smooth. Add it to the custard then taste to see how much lemon juice you need to add. Lemon juice makes 
the ice cream ‘sing’ but 
if you add too much 
you can overwhelm the basil flavor.

Churn in an ice-cream machine. If you don’t have a machine transfer the ice cream to a container that will fit in your freezer and cover it. Churn it, either by beating it with an electric whisk or by throwing it into a food processor and whizzing the mixture, about three times during the freezing process. Do this first after about 90 minutes, when the ice cream is setting around the edges.

This ice cream can set quite hard, so take it out of the freezer about 10 minutes before you want 
to serve it.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food · Salad · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Butternut squash and eggplant caponata with burrata

Belinda

Diana Henry’s autumnal dish of chunky butternut squash and fried eggplant with capers and green olives, served with creamy burrata.

Serves 4 as a light lunch or 6 as a starter

1 large eggplant
400g butternut squash, peeled and deseeded
100ml olive oil
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Pinch of dried chili flakes
400g tin cherry tomatoes in thick juice
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
30g capers
50g green olives, pitted and halved
3 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
4 tbsp chopped parsley
250g burrata or mozzarella
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Cut the eggplant and squash into 2.5cm(1″) cubes. Heat half the oil in a large heavy-based sauté pan. Fry the vegetables in batches until golden-brown, about four minutes. Transfer them to a bowl. Add more oil and sauté the celery and onion to pale gold then add the garlic and chili and cook for two minutes.

Add the tomatoes and vinegar, stir and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 10 minutes.

Add the fried vegetables, capers, olives and sugar to the pan and season. Add 50ml of water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the squash is soft and the mixture thick. Remove from the heat and bring to room temperature. Add the lemon juice and parsley and season.

Serve topped with a chunk of mozzarella or burrata. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Baking · Do-ahead

Almond Miso Oatmeal Cookies

Belinda

These Almond Miso Oatmeal Cookies come out crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, with salty and nutty flavor addition from white miso paste.

1 cup unsalted butter (225 g), softened
1/4 cup white miso paste
1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
1 cup brown sugar (200 g)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour (240 g)
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups rolled oats (270 g)
1 cup sliced almond (110 g)

Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.

Prepare 2 baking sheets and grease or line them with parchment papers or baking mats.
In big bowl, cream butter, miso, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until incorporated. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.

In different bowl, combine all purpose flour and baking soda. Stir in the dry ingredient into the wet ingredient. With a spatula, stir in the oats and almond slices until incorporated.

With ice cream scoop (about 2 tablespoons), drop the dough on prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches apart.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to prevent the cookies from spreading.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food · Vegan

Roasted beetroot falafels with tahini sauce

Belinda

A delicious beet-inspired falafel recipe. Baked or broiled to maintain a wonderful, healthy, gluten-free, vegan falafel.

Makes 10

2 beetroots (just under tennis ball size)
2 large garlic cloves
250g (2 cups) cooked chickpeas
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
Tahini Sauce (to serve)

Ahead of time: Slice the rough neck/top off the beetroots and discard. Chop the remaining beetroot into cubes (1.5cm/half an inch cubed in size). Bake in the oven on a baking tray for about 45 minutes on a high heat. When done, take out and leave to cool until you are ready to make the falafels. This can be done ahead of time, or the night before when you are using the oven for something else.

When beetroot is ready…
Add all ingredients into a food processor and blend until everything has broken down. It doesn’t need to be pureed completely, just broken down into tiny pieces so that when you compress, everything binds together.
If it seems a little too crumbly then I recommend adding a teaspoon or two of water or olive oil. Moisture depends on how much the chickpeas have been drained or how the moisture level of the baked beetroot.
Roll into balls (a little smaller than golf balls in size).
Press the balls down into mini patty shapes.
Place onto a broiler tray and broil on a medium/low heat for about 8 minutes on each side. (You can also bake these in the oven as an alternative to grilling).
Serve right away.

This is really good served with this tahini sauce

Tahini Sauce

100ml tahini
50ml spring or filtered water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 heaped teaspoon ground coriander
1 clove garlic

Crush the garlic.
Blend all ingredients together with a hand blender.
If you prefer to mix with a spoon, it works best by mixing a little water at a time. It might take a little longer to come together by hand, say 30 seconds, but is well worth the effort.

Do-ahead · Meat · Pasta

Classic Tuscan Lasagna

Belinda

This is the classic lasagna recipe, the same lasagna you would find on the table of many Tuscan and northern Italian families for Sunday lunch or Holiday feasts. No messing around with added ingredients, keep it traditional and make sure you have enough ground nutmeg in the bechamel sauce that you can taste it.

Serves 4 people

3lbs Tuscan Ragù see below for recipe
1 package Lasagna sheets about 4 portions of fresh pasta
2 cups Parmigiano cheese grated
For the Béchamel sauce:
4 cups whole Milk
½ cup Butter
½ cup Flour
Salt
Black Pepper
Ground fresh nutmeg

Prepare the Bechamel:
In a pot, melt the butter and add the flour. Mix until you get a paste and cook it for a minute or two until it gets thicker.
Add the room temperature or warm milk and turn down the heat. Mix occasionally, to melt the roux and to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pot.
Let it simmer for 15-20 minutes until it gets thick enough to coat a spoon, then season with salt, black pepper and a pinch of ground nutmeg to taste.

Tuscan Ragu
1 cup Red Onion
1 cup Carrots
1 cup Celery
4 cups mixed Pork and Beef ground meat
4 Italian Sausages
28 oz peeled San Marzano tomatoes , canned
2 tablespoon Concentrated Tomato Paste
0.67 cup Red Wine
1 tablespoon Juniper berries (dried)
Beef Stock
6-8 Bay Leaves
4-6 tablespoon EVO Oil
2-4 teaspoon Sugar
Salt, Pepper
Start making the soffritto by finely chopping the onion, carrot and celery or if you don’t want chunks in the sauce, you can use a mixer until they’re finely shredded.
Add 4-5 tablespoon of EVO oil in a large pot and add the soffritto. Turn on the medium heat and cook until they become really soft (do not brown).
Add the ground meat and the sausages and turn the heat to high and cook until the meat changes color, then add salt and pepper to season the meat. Finally pour the wine and let evaporate the alcohol.
Purèe the San Marzano tomatoes in a blender, then turn the heat to low and add the pureed tomatoes to the pot. Add enough beef stock to cover all. Add also the concentrated tomato paste and mix.
Taste and season accordingly; if necessary, add some sugar to break the acidity of the tomatoes.
Finally, add the bay leaves and the juniper berries. Mix well with a wooden spoon and cover the pot with the lid. Let it simmer for at least 2 hours stirring every once in a while.
If the sauce reduces too much, add some more beef stock.
Notes
You can add ⅓ cup of milk 15 minutes before the cooking time ends to add more creaminess, break the acidity of the tomatoes and make the flavors more delicate.
You can let the sauce cool and then pour it into freezer bags or freezer containers and freeze for up to 2 months.

Assemble the layers for the lasagna:
Preheat the oven at 200°C (400°F).
Spread a thin layer of bechamel sauce on the bottom of the pan, cover with a layer of pasta, then a layer of Ragù sauce, a layer of bechamel sauce and grated Parmigiano.
Repeat the layers, pressing down a little bit when you add the pasta. When the pan is full, finish with a last layer of pasta, sauce and a generous amount of grated Parmigiano cheese. (You will probably have spare ragu sauce so freeze it for another lasagna.)
Bake in the middle rack of the oven for about 35-40 minutes. If the crust is not crunchy enough, finish with 3-4 minutes under the broiler.
If instead you notice the crust getting too brown before the cooking time is over, cover the pan loosely with foil.

Accompaniments · Do-ahead · Vegan

Vegan Parmesan cheese

Belinda

This is a wonderful alternative to Parmesan cheese and the hemp hearts amp up the protein, omega-3 and omega-6 fats, fiber, magnesium and iron.

Yields 1 cup

1/2 cup hemp hearts
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp sea salt, crushed
1/8 tsp granulated garlic
Zest of 1 medium lemon

Shake all the ingredients together in a sealed container such as a mason jar until well combined.
Use anywhere you would use parmesan cheese

Accompaniments · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free

Spiced Green Tahini Sauce

Belinda

This is addictive and healthy. It’s great as a dip, a dressing on salads and on just about anything else.

8 Servings

3 garlic cloves, crushed
¾ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
¾ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon roasted ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more
1 cup tahini
¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Pulse the garlic, cilantro, parsley, cumin, fenugreek, and 2 tsp. salt in a food processor until similar in texture to pesto. Add the tahini and lemon juice; process 30 seconds.

With the motor running, gradually drizzle in ¾ cup water and process, adding more water to thin if needed, until sauce is light green and the consistency of sour cream. Season with salt.

Do Ahead: The sauce can be made 6 hours ahead. Store tightly covered at room temperature.