Mocha chocolate refrigerator cake

July 17, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

I just love making these sort of desserts, especially in the summer and they are so easy when you can make them several days before and have them hanging out in the refrigerator.
This one is divine and a must to make. Also a great party cake.

Serves 8
2 cups cold heavy cream
12 oz Italian Mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Kahlua liqueur
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Pernigotti . (make sure it’s a good brand)
1 tsp instant espresso powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Three 8 oz packages Tate’s Bake Shop chocolate chip cookies (Sorry non USA friends, I don’t know what thin, chocolate chip cookie of about 3″ diameter would work!)

Shaved semisweet chocolate, for garnish

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, Mascarpone, sugar, Kahlua, cocoa powder, espresso powder and vanilla. Mix on low speed to combine and then slowly raise the speed until it forms firm peaks.
To assemble the cake, arrange chocolate chip cookies flat in an 8-inch springform pan,covering the bottom as much as possible. (You can break some cookies to fill in the spaces)
Spread a fifth of the mocha whipped cream evenly over the cookies. Place another layer of cookies on top, lying flat and touching, followed by another fifth of the cream.
Continue layering cookies and cream until there are five layers of each, ending with a layer of cream.
Smooth the top, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Run a small sharp knife around the outside of the cake and remove the sides of the pan.
Sprinkle the top with the chocolate, cut in wedges and serve cold.

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Soup

Spinach, leek and white bean soup

July 16, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

We are soup fanatics in our house, any time of the year. I made this soup recently because dear friends of ours were having their first baby at the hospital over the road from us, and ended up staying with us for several days before and after. New mom was very anaemic so I was trying to come up with high-iron meals. After some research I read that spinach and white beans are very high in iron.
Well, typical me, I can’t just make a small batch of soup, I made enough for 20 people, but they ended up taking the rest home. If you’re going to make a little soup, you might as well make a lot. That’s my mantra!
This one I made up out of whatever I had in the fridge and pantry and it ended up being really good, so I made it again today and wrote down what I was doing. There are some rather weird ingredients in it, but it all helps to layer the flavors.

2 tbsp butter and 4 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 x 4oz pack chopped pancetta (you could use 4 rashers (slices) of bacon too)
6 leeks, cleaned and chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cubed small
2 x 15oz cans white kidney or cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
2 x 11oz packs (22 oz) fresh spinach
1 tbsp medium curry powder (If you want a real curried flavor, add 2 tbsp. 1 tbsp just gives it a certain “je ne c’est quoi”)
3/4 tbsp instant chicken Bouillon granules
3 x large (49oz) tins Chicken broth
A little salt and ground black pepper
8 oz cream cheese, at room temp

Get your largest saucepan, preferably a tall stockpot and put in the oil and butter. Heat gently and add the onions, garlic, pancetta, leeks and potato and saute, stirring occasionally.
Add the white beans and curry powder and season with a little salt and pepper.

Add the chicken broth and chicken stock granules and bring to a simmer. Add the spinach and keep pressing it down into the liquid with a wooden spoon until it wilts and shrinks considerably. Stir occasionally and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.

After 30 mins, take the soup of the heat and set aside to cool for an hour or two. this way, when you blend it in the liquidizer, the steam won’t cause it to burst the lid off and cover you and your surroundings with soup!
When cooled a little, start blending it in a blender, add tablespoons of the cream cheese to each batch until you have used it all up. This gives it a really silky, creamy texture. When all is blended, return to the large pan and bring to a simmer and serve
Serve. (You can cool the soup and freeze it in batches at this point)

Do-ahead · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Middle Eastern herb filo pie

July 15, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

Another gem from Ottolenghi. With Sephardic roots, this is a wonderful centerpiece for a dinner party, whether vegetarian or not.

Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil plus extra for brushing the pastry layers
1 large onion, diced
1lb Swiss chard, stems and leaves finely shredded but kept separate
5 oz celery, peeled and thinly sliced
2 oz green onions (scallions) chopped
2 oz arugula
1 oz flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 oz fresh mint, chopped
2/3 oz dill , chopped
4 oz ricotta cheese, crumbled
4 oz aged Cheddar cheese, grated
2 oz Greek feta cheese, crumbled (not pre-crumbled)
grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large organic eggs
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp superfine sugar (caster sugar)
9 oz filo pastry

Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Pour the olive oil into a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 8 minutes without browning. Add the chard stems and celery and continue to cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the chard leaves, increase the heat to medium high and stir as you cook for about 5 minutes or until the leaves wilt. Add the green onion, arugula and herbs and cook for 2 mins more. Remove from the heat and transfer to a colander and cool.
Once the mixture is cool, squeeze out as much water as possible and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the three cheeses, lemon zest, eggs, salt and pepper and sugar and mix well.
Lay out a sheet of filo pastry and brush it with some olive oil. Cover with another sheet and continue in the same manner until you have 5 layers of filo brushed with oil, all covering an area large enough to line the sides and bottom or an 8 1/2″ pie dish, plus extra to hang over the rim of the dish. Line the pie dish with the pastry, fill with the herb mix and fold the excess pastry over the edge of the filling, trimming the pastry as necessary to create a 3/4″ border.
Make another set of 5 filo layers brushed with oil and place them over the pie. Scrunch up the pastry a little to create a wavy, uneven top and trim the edges so it just covers the pie.
Brush generously with olive oil and bake for 40 mins until the filo turns a nice golden brown.
Remove from the oven and serve warm or at room temperature.

Dessert · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Icecream · Nuts

Tomato, basil and toasted pine nut icecream

July 14, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

Another really interesting and delicious starter or dessert in a meal, especially in the hot summer months

Serves 4
1 &1/2 cups heavy cream
1 &1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup basil leaves
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated fine
3 egg yolks, blended
3/4 cup tomatoes, skinned, seeded and diced small
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

In a large saucepan combine the cream, milk, basil, sugar and bring to a simmer on medium high heat. Retrieve the basil and stir in the cheese. Temper the yolks by adding a ladleful of the hot cream mixture to them, stirring it together until well combined and returning it to the pan.
Whisk until the cream mixture becomes thicker and coats a metal spoon then strain into large loaf pan. To expedite chilling, place a freezer pack in the loaf pan then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 2-3 hours.
Process the cream mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. When the ice cream is almost finished and still soft add the tomatoes and pine nuts. Serve immediately, as I love to, or transfer to a container and freeze until hard.

Note: To skin and seed tomatoes, bring a small pan of water to a boil, cut an ”x” on the stem end then drop into the pan. Wait thirty seconds until the skin starts to peel away at the “x” then drop into an ice bath for another 30 seconds. Seed the tomatoes by squeezing out the seeds and giving a quick rinse. Blot the tomato flesh dry before dicing.

Poultry

Chicken breast in Stilton sauce

June 27, 2014February 7, 2016 Belinda

This is another easy chicken breast meal. If you can’t find Stilton cheese, use another blue cheese.

Serves 2, but can be augmented easily, just watch the amount of chili
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 fl oz dry white wine
17 oz creme fraiche
1 small red chili, de-seeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped fairly fine
6 oz Stilton cheese, crumbled
olive oil for frying

Fry the onion and garlic gently in a little olive oil until softened
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add them to the pan, cooking for about 8 mins until they begin to cook through.
Add the wine and simmer until reduced to about 1/3 of the amount of original liquid
Add 13 oz of the creme fraiche and stir thoroughly
Simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, add the chili, chives and Stilton cheese a little at a time. Stir until all the Stilton is added and melted.
If the sauce becomes too thick, add more creme fraiche or if it is too thin, continue to reduce until the desired consistency is achieved

Poultry

Chicken breasts stuffed with olives and goat cheese

June 27, 2014February 7, 2016 Belinda

I get more requests for the boneless, skinless chicken breast than anything else! Here, chicken breasts are stuffed and then seared until golden-brown. The pan sauce is made separately, which both saves time and prevents the stuffing from getting into the velvety sauce. Although really tasty, the sauce is optional, depending on how much time you want to devote to the dish. I have made it both ways very successfully.

Serves 4
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 lb. total)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 oz. fresh goat cheese, at room temp
2 Tbs. coarsely chopped pitted Kalamata olives
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
1-1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. minced shallots
1-1/2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs. lower-salt chicken broth

With a sharp knife, cut a wide pocket into the thickest part of each chicken breast half, taking care not to cut all the way through. Season the chicken evenly on both sides with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper total.
In a small bowl, mix the cheese, olives, and 1 tsp. each lemon zest and rosemary. Stuff the pockets with the cheese mixture and pin each shut with two toothpicks. Spread the flour in a shallow bowl and dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess.
Heat 1 Tbs. of the butter and the oil in a 12-inch heavy-duty skillet over medium-high heat until the foam from the butter subsides. Add the chicken and cook, flipping once and adding another 1 Tbs. of butter halfway through cooking, until golden-brown and cooked through (reduce the heat to medium if necessary), 14 to 16 minutes total. Transfer to plates and remove the toothpicks. You can put them in the oven on low at this point, to stay warm, or even finish cooking at 300 F for 10 mins or so, if you like.
While the chicken cooks, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter in an 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and boil until syrupy, about 3 minutes. Add the broth and boil for 1 minute more. Off the heat, whisk in the remaining 3 Tbs. butter, 1 tsp. zest, and 1/2 tsp. rosemary. Serve the chicken drizzled with the sauce.

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Soup · Vegetable-related

Gorgeous Greek gazpacho with feta cheese

June 16, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

This is such a lovely, refreshing and vibrant dish on a hot summers day and so easy as there’s NO COOKING!!
I saw Ina Garten making this on the Food Network and immediately ran to the computer to get the recipe. It’s richer and more interesting than the usual slightly watery and one dimensional gazpachos one gets in many restaurants.
When we start our kitchen remodel in a couple of months, this will be a staple, along with several other great chilled soup recipes as we will be without the kitchen for 2 months.

Serves 8 to 10
2 thick slices day-old bread, such as Ciabatta
6 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp freshly chopped oregano leaves
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
5 tbsp red wine vinegar
5 tbsp good olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 red onions, chopped
1 seedless cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and chopped
4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
3/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 (46 oz) can good tomato juice, such as Sacramento
4 tsp Kosher salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 oz good Greek feta cheese, small-diced, not crumbled

Place the bread, garlic, oregano and parsley in a food processor and process until everything is finely chopped.
Add the vinegar and olive oil and process again until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Place the peppers, red onion, cucumbers, tomatoes and olives separately in the food processor and process until very coarsely chopped. Add to the mixing bowl.
Add the tomato juice, salt and pepper and stir well. Taste for seasoning, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours for the flavors to come together nicely.
Fold in the feta and serve chilled.