Category: Do-ahead

Do-ahead · Fruit · Holiday Food · Meat

Braised Lamb With Dried Fruit

Belinda

Recipe by Mark Bittman and Sam Sifton

The flavors of North Africa and the Middle East are utilized for this lamb shoulder. Braising the meat in red wine yields a tender cut of meat without a lot of work.

YIELD At least 8 servings
TIME 3 hours, largely unattended

1 lamb shoulder, boned, about 4 pounds. (I know people who have used leg of lamb but the shoulder has more fat therefore is more tender and flavorful)
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon ground cumin ( I roast mine)
2 tablespoons ground coriander
10 allspice berries or a pinch of ground allspice
½ to ¾ bottle not-too-soft red wine
¾ cup dried prunes
¾ cup dried apricots
Chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish

Season the meat with salt and pepper and put it in a pot that will fit it snugly and can later be covered.
Add the spices and a 1/2 bottle of wine.
Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a slow bubble, and cover. Cook about an hour, then add onion, garlic, ginger and dried fruit, and check to make sure the liquid isn’t evaporating too quickly; turn and continue to cook. Add the remaining red wine if the mixture looks dry, but essentially cook this without fuss.
When the meat is very tender — after about 2 1/2 hours — uncover. Check and adjust the seasoning as necessary, and at this point it’s optional whether you remove the cinnamon stick and allspice berries and puree half of the sauce to get it thicker.
garnish and serve.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead

No-bake chocolate cheesecake

Belinda

Don’t you just love those desserts that require no baking? For those in the USA< you can buy Digestive cookies in Costplus World market, Bristol farms or on Amazon.

100g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for the tin
110g dark chocolate digestive cookies
160g digestive cookies
60g porridge oats
3 tbsp Nutella
360g soft cheese
250g mascarpone
60g icing (confectioner’s) sugar, sifted
200g dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly (minimum 55% cocoa solids)
2-3 tbsp whole milk
2 tbsp roasted hazelnuts, chopped

Lightly butter a deep 23cm square cake tin and line with baking paper, ensuring that it comes up and over the sides of the tin, and put it in the fridge.

Reserve two of the dark chocolate digestives, then put the rest of the biscuits into a food processor and blitz until fine. Add the oats, melted butter and 1 tbsp of Nutella, then blitz again until it comes together. Tip the crumbs into the chilled tin, spreading them evenly and into all corners, before compacting flat with the base of a glass. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Use an electric whisk to beat together the soft cheeses and icing sugar. When all the sugar has been incorporated, add the melted chocolate, remaining Nutella and 2 tbsp of milk, and beat until fully combined. If the mixture looks a little thick add the extra 1 tbsp of milk. Spoon the filling onto the chilled biscuit base and spread level with a spatula. Crush the last two digestives to crumbs, mix with the chopped hazelnuts and sprinkle evenly across the top of the cheesecake. Chill for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

When completely chilled, release one side of the cheesecake by gently pulling up one length of the baking paper. Holding the paper firmly, angle the tin and pull to slide the base of the cheesecake flat onto a chopping board. Use a sharp knife to cut into slices or squares. This will keep, chilled, for up to a week.

Baking · Breakfast · Dessert · Do-ahead · Egg based · Gluten Free · Rice

Nigella’s rice pudding cake

Belinda

From Nigella
“This is every bit as wonderful as it sounds: an Italian torta di riso, refracted through the prism of someone who loves a bowl of very British rice pudding. The Italians like to stud their rice cake with candied peel, bake it in a tin lined with breadcrumbs or crushed amaretti, and eat it cold; I sprinkle mine with nutmeg, and serve it warm, most frequently with a jewel-bright jam sauce. But it’s also lovely with poached fruit and I can’t help thinking it would be fabulous with a bit of golden syrup drizzled on top, too.

I’m very happy to eat leftovers cold, should I be lucky enough to get them (very much recommended for breakfast) but first time out, I feel, it must be warm, by which I mean to indicate a gentle warmth, rather nearer room temperature than hot. This means the cake is still quite tender, so I should caution you against trying to remove it from its base.”

Yields: 8-12 slices

¾ cup arborio rice
scant 3 cups whole milk
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 lemon
5 tablespoons soft unsalted butter (plus more for greasing tin)
3 large eggs (at room temperature)
⅓ cup superfine sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
nutmeg (for grating)

FOR THE SAUCE
1 cup seedless raspberry jam
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Put the rice, milk and salt into a heavy-based saucepan – I use one of 18cm / 7 inches diameter – and finely grate the zest of the lemon into it.
Over high heat, and stirring regularly, bring to the point where it looks like it’s just about to boil, though do not let it actually boil. Turn the heat down to low, and continue to cook the milk and rice for about 30 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the rice is cooked and the milk is absorbed. Keep an eye on it, as you don’t want the milk to start boiling, nor do you want the rice to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Take the pan off the heat, and stir in the 75g / 5 tablespoons of butter until melted. Scrape the contents of the pan into a bowl large enough to take all the remaining ingredients. Leave for about 1 hour to cool. Once it’s at room temperature, you can move on, so heat the oven to 160°C/140°C Fan/325°F, and butter a 20cm / 8-inch springform cake tin.

Separate the eggs, letting the whites fall into a large grease-free bowl (which could be the bowl of a freestanding mixer) and drop the yolks into a wide measuring jug (or a bowl). Whisk the whites until stiff, and set aside for a moment. Add the sugar to the yolks, and whisk – I use a balloon whisk with vigor, rather than an electric one here – until pale and mousse-like.
Add the vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons of juice from the zested lemon to the yolks and sugar, and then pour gradually into the cooled rice, folding it in well as you go.

Dollop a large spoonful of the stiffly whisked whites into the rice bowl and stir briskly to lighten the mixture, and then fold in a third of the remaining whites gently but thoroughly, then another third, and when that’s incorporated, fold in the rest. Pour and scrape this mixture gently into the prepared tin.

Grate nutmeg over generously and bake for 45 minutes; by then the top will have set, with no hint of wobble underneath.
Sit on a wire rack for about 1 hour, until it’s just slightly warm.
To ease the unmolding, slip a small spatula all around the edges, unclip the tin, and transfer the cake, still on its base (unless, like me, you don’t mind risking damage trying to remove it), to a flat plate.

Just before you are ready to serve the cake, gently heat the raspberry jam with the lemon juice in a small saucepan, giving it the occasional stir, during which time leave a suitable pitcher filled with hot water in the sink. When the sauce is hot, fill the warmed pitcher (obviously, emptied of its water!) with the garnet-glossy sauce.

Dessert · Do-ahead

Banoffee fridge cake

Belinda

Recipe by Janine Ratcliffe

Everyone knows banoffee pie tastes even better the day after making, when all the flavors have had a chance to meld, so this easy fridge cake takes advantage of that

oil, for the tin
750ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp icing sugar
½ x 397g can Nestlé Carnation Caramel or Nestle “La Lechera” available from supermarkets in the USA
30-32 (about 450g) digestive cookies or Graham crackers
6 small bananas, sliced
50g milk chocolate

Lightly oil a deep 23cm springform tin, then line it with clingfilm (the oil will help the clingfilm stick to the tin).

Whip the cream, vanilla and icing sugar until soft peaks. Scrape the caramel into a bowl and beat with a spoon to loosen it.

Put a layer of cookies in the bottom of the lined tin – you should get about seven in a 23cm tin. Break up another cookie to fill in the cracks.

Dollop over a quarter of the cream and spread out. Top with a layer of banana slices then drizzle over 1 tbsp of caramel sauce.

Repeat with another layer of cookies, another quarter of cream, banana slices and another tbsp of caramel. Repeat again with a third layer.

Add one more layer of cookies but this time only add the rest of the cream, swirling it into a nice pattern. Put in the fridge to chill overnight. Chill the remaining caramel sauce, too.

Unclip the tin and carefully peel away the clingfilm.
Transfer to a flat cake plate. Just before serving, drizzle over more caramel (warm it a little first so it’s drizzle-able) and then sprinkle with chocolate shavings.
Cut into wedges to serve.

Asian flavors · Baking · Do-ahead

Shirni Parwana’s masala carrot cake

Belinda

Shirni Parwana shares their recipe for a carrot cake with garam masala spice, topped with cardamom and lime cream cheese icing. My sister made it recently and it turned out beautifully, although she said she would have not made it quite so sweet

Recipe c/o Gourmet Traveller Magazine

360g coarsely grated carrot (about 2 carrots)
360g caster (superfine) sugar (1 2/3 cups)
250g wholemeal flour (1 2/3 cups)
200ml vegetable oil
4 large eggs, at room temperature
70g sultanas (golden raisins) (1/3 cup)
70g pistachios, coarsely chopped (½ cup)
2½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp ground cloves

Caramelized pistachios
110 gm caster sugar (½ cup)
50 gm coarsely chopped pistachios

Cardamom and lime cream cheese icing
375 gm cream cheese, at room temperature
180 gm pure icing sugar, sifted
Finely grated rind of 2 limes, plus 2 tbsp lime juice
3 tsp coarsely crushed cardamom seeds

Preheat oven to 350F (180C) and butter and line a 20cm-square cake tin with baking paper.
Combine carrot, sugar, flour, oil, eggs, sultanas, pistachios, baking powder and spices in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on low speed until combined, then mix on medium speed until mixture becomes lighter in color (1-2 minutes).
Spread into the prepared tin and bake in the centre of the oven until the cake is golden brown, firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre withdraws clean (1¼-1½ hours).
Leave in tin to cool (10 minutes), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely (2 hours). Halve horizontally with a serrated knife.

Meanwhile, for caramelized pistachios, oil a large flat non-stick baking tray and set aside. Heat a large frying pan over high heat and scatter caster sugar evenly over the base and toss occasionally until half-melted (2-3 minutes), then stir to remove any lumps until caramelized (1 minute). Pour into prepared baking tray, scatter pistachios over and set aside to cool (10-15 minutes), then coarsely chop.

For cardamom and cream cheese icing, combine ingredients in an electric mixer bowl, and beat until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Spread half the icing over the bottom half of cake, sandwich with the top, then spread remaining icing over the top. Scatter with caramelized pistachios and serve.
Cake is best eaten on the day it’s made, but will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two days.

Accompaniments · Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead · Nuts

Fig and walnut roll

Belinda

This sweet, fruity loaf is perfect with the tangy bite of blue cheese.
Recipe from Alison Adams of “Taste” magazine

100g dried figs
1 cup red wine
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pinch allspice
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
Icing (confectioner’s) sugar, to serve
Blue cheese, to serve
Crackers, to serve

Chop the figs and place in a small saucepan with the red wine, ground cinnamon and allspice. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Set aside for 1 hour to macerate. Drain well.

Place in a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the toasted walnuts. Process until coarsely chopped.

Sprinkle a piece of baking paper with icing sugar. Place the fig mixture in the middle of the paper and roll. Wrap in plastic wrap and seal.

Store in the fridge for 1 hour or until set. Serve with blue cheese and crackers

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.