Banana Cake for the Birthday Boy

It was Glen’s birthday and my turn make his cake…
Glen has a dairy allergy and this cake is great…no dairy at all.
I have actually posted this cake before but I have made a couple of changes and I think they are worth noting.

First I did make it in a round tin this time
And I used Lindt Intense Orange Chocolate
Don’t you love the candle. It’s all we had on hand

Oven temperature: 160C
Cooking time: 45 minutes - 1 hour or until skewer comes out clean
Grease and flour a 23 cm tin
Ingredients:
3 Brown Banana's
1 cup Raw Sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (grape seed oil or rice bran)
4 Eggs
¼ cup cocoa powder (lump free)
2 ½ cups Self Raising Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 x cake Lindt Intense Orange Chocolate chipped
Reserve 2 tablespoons of chips for icing.
Chop them even more finely

Instructions:
In a large bowl mash banana's.
Add sugar and oil and mix to combine (try a masher).
Add all eggs and combine.
Add lump free cocoa to egg mix and combine.
In another bowl add sifted self raising flour and baking soda
Add chipped Chocolate to the flour mix and fluff with a fork.

Now add flour and choclate to banana mix and fold together without over mixing
Pour into a prepared cake tin
Bake at 160C for 45 minutes - 1 hour or until skewer comes out clean.
When cold turn out and ice.

Simple Chocolate Icing
1 cup icing sugar sifted
1 tablespoons cocoa sifted
1 teaspoon rice bran oil
Hot water to mix

In a bowl place icing sugar and cocoa
Add chocolate chips and mix
Add oil and then hot water till you get the consistency you need to cover cake
Cut 3 banana slices dip them in lemon juice for decoration.

Soup and Scone Lunch.

It is a rotten day here today and the forecast is for a raging storm.

This is when I am really pleased that I know longer have to go into work 5 days a week.
It is very cosy here in my office.
My Mother wasn’t Jewish she was born in Wales but she made excellent Chicken Soup.
Today is the perfect day for Grandma’s Chicken Soup.

I really love the scone recipe that originated from Jo Seagar.
I have made several adaptations and another one has emerged today.
I formed the dough into a cake. It looks great…very nice presentation.

Pesto Scone Cake

This would feed 4 people

2 cups self raising flour
½ teaspoon salt
120 gms sour cream
75 gms store bought pesto
Soda water

Heat oven to 205C
Sift flour and salt into big bowl
In a measuring jug place sour cream and pesto
Top up to 350 mls with soda water.
Add wet ingredients to flour
Mix with a knife to make a soft dough.

On a floured board pat into a circle

Score the top into 8 pieces

Bake about 20 minutes in the hot oven

Serve with your favourite soup

The Foodies Blogroll

Today I have joined the Foodies Blogroll… (Have a look on my sidebar to have a gander)A very interesting connection to the world of Food Bloggers. Jenn The Leftover Queen has started this Blogroll and also she has initiated a forum http://www.leftoverqueen.com/forum/index.php
A great way to discuss this passion so many of us have.
With all of these amazing sites on the ‘Net” I am beginning to worry that I may never leave the computer.
I guess my masseuse would be happy she will be the only person I would be visiting in order to get rid of all the knots in my neck and shoulders.

Anyway contrary to the above information I do get out and today was lunch for our staff .
I was really pleased with the Green Prawn Curry I made last weekend have a look here it certainly appealed to Pete and Elphie

I have obviously been influenced by all of the TV shows I’ve seen and set up an impressive mise en place
So prep time was substantial, but cooking time a zip.
The Curry and Pilau was accompanied by a Vietnamese dressed coleslaw.
Nice blend of flavours

I thought they would like a little dessert and whipped up these delicious little apple pies.

Keeping in with the Asian flavours I cooked the apple with a little cardamom and ground coriander.
A little orange zest and orange juice
Of course about a tablespoon of sugar. A really nice taste sensation.
So little apple pies cooked in mini muffin tins

Dust with some icing sugar
And Voila!!!! Handheld dessert!

Sautéed Chicken Livers

I love chicken livers and really don’t get to cook them very often cause guess what.
My husband who dislikes chicken!!!will he eat chicken livers…I don’t think so
In fact liver in general does not ever pass his lips.
Kylie Kwong a fabulous Australian restaurateur made these Sauteed Chicken Livers and I had to make them.
So what better than inviting Friends who love Liver.
Ngaire, Annette and Elsje came for lunch.
Beautiful tender chicken livers topped with a pretty Watercress and Radish Salad

Arfi from Homemades is running a Cook and Eat Meat Event.

I thought this was an excellent entry...what better way to increse your iron content.

I decided to splash out and purchase some special butter as suggested by Kylie. She said French butter...that's not on our supermarket shelf but they have Danish and it really is lovely

So for 4 people

500 g organic chicken livers
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 golden shallots, peeled and crushed
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon water
90 g French/Danish butter
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, extra
pinch cracked white pepper
toasted sourdough bread, to serve

Watercress and Radish Salad
11/3 cups watercress sprigs
1/3 cup finely sliced red radishes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Trim and wash chicken livers,

pat dry with kitchen paper and set aside.

Heat oil in a heavy-based frying pan,

add shallots and salt and stir over high heat for 1 minute.

Add sugar and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes, or until shallots are lightly browned.

Reduce heat, add water and simmer for 1 minute to caramelize shallots further.

Remove shallots from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add half the butter to pan and simmer until melted and bubbling, then

add half the chicken livers.

Fry over high heat very briefly on both sides,

so they are lightly browned but still pink in the middle

(it is better to undercook the livers at this point).

Remove from pan and cover with foil.

Repeat with the other half of the butter and chicken livers.

Add brandy and vinegar to the pan juices and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by half.

Return chicken livers to the pan, along with the extra salt

and the caramelised shallots, and stir over high heat for 30 seconds,

or until just heated through.

Finally, combine salad ingredients in a bowl and toss gently.

To serve, arrange the sautéed livers on a platter and top with the salad.

Sprinkle with pepper, and

Serve with toasted sourdough bread.

It was highly successful they loved them.

Next time another favourite of my husband (NOT)

Tripe!!!

Will keep you posted.

Leek Delight Soup

I really love leeks. There is not a lot to compare to leeks just finely sliced, sautéed in some butter, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper , add just a little liquid to barely cover and let them simmer and absorb the liquid…so sweet, tasty and pretty too.

A great accompaniment for loads of dishes.

TodayI have decided to clean out the fridge and make a soup with leeks, courgettes, parsnip, potato finished off with watercress and a little cream.

I think this could be a St Patricks Day soup such a pretty green colour

Lunch for 2 - first course for 4

2 tablespoons butter
1 leek finely sliced
3 med courgettes grated
1 x parsnip grated
1 small potato grated
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Chicken stock

Bunch watercress

50-100 mls cream

Gently sauté all the vege in the butter be careful not to brown.
Add enough chicken stock to about 5 cms above the vege.
Bring to simmer
Simmer about 10 minutes

Place the watercress in your blender

Add hot soup
Whiz

Back into pot and swirl through cream
Served with fresh bread of your choice or
how about the beautiful Zucchini and Feta muffins
in my previous post

Morning Tea Muffins

Anali from Anali’sFirstAmendment got excited about zucchini muffins and consequently got me excited. Read about it here
I was thinking about them overnight but I had to change her recipe as I wanted to use ingredients I had on hand. No going to the shops early in the morning for me
Here is my recipe and I have to say I am really thrilled with it.
I have just eaten 2 of them warm from the oven…how greedy is that?
Breakfast and morning tea combined.

Makes 12 regular size

1/3 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ cups plain flour


1 cup grated zucchini
1/3 cup feta cheese crumbled

2 eggs
¾ cup milk
½ cup rice bran oil

Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl
Add zucchini and feta cheese and mix around to coat them
Meanwhile beat all wet ingredients
Add to dry.

Just stir to mix
Pour into greased muffin tins
Bake at 175C for about 30 minutes

Look at the crumb doesn’t that look good

Delicious.

Asparagus Tomato Casserole

With Winter finally here…one’s thoughts drift into warming comfort food.

I am really getting interested in some of my very old cookbooks including ones put together by various Women’s Institutions to raise money for charity.

My original “bible” was called The Triple Tested Cookbook putout by the Lower Hutt Plunket Society. The object of this exercise was that each recipe be tested by 3 different people.
If they can do it you can. And almost everyone was a winner.

While in Omaha I stopped at a local grower and was very excited about picking up
some fresh produce. It is the end of the tomato season but they did have some heritage tomatoes and chilies.

They looked fantastic but really when it came to eating-a big disappointment-
Had to be cooked.
So I thought of a favourite little dish I used to make for “Ladies Lunches” 30 years ago.
Quaintly called “Asparagus Tomato Casserole”
It’s buttery tomato flavour is really excellent
Of course I had to interfere and make some additions.
Bringing this into the 21st century. This is so easy

So for 2 people

3 eggs hardboiled and quartered
50 gms feta cheese
3 tablespoons butter
2 medium tomatoes chopped
1 x green chili finely chopped
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup milk
1 cup fresh Breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 bunch cooked asparagus (or 1x 400 gm tinned asparagus) chopped into 5 cm pieces

Melt butter in a heavy pan
Add chopped tomatoes and chili
Season with S & P
Add flour and cook slowly
Add milk gradually and cook stirring constantly until thickened

In a gratin dish lay out asparagus
Sprinkle over feta cheese
Place eggs on top

Cover with tomato mixture

In a pan toss breadcrumbs with olive oil
And scatter on top

Bake in 175C oven until thoroughly heated and bubbly.

We always go back for seconds.

New Zealand Play the French - Let's Eat Indian

The All Blacks are playing the French.
Pete and Elphie were coming over to watch the rugby.
Food on your lap was the order of the day. What better than Curry?

On Food TV Cyrus Todiwala one of Britain's most successful Indian chefs, demonstrated this delicious curry.
"I Curried favour" with our guests!!! and it worked
The flavour and texture of this dish with the ground nuts in the sauce is just divine.

So:
Green Curry with Cumin Pilau

Once again you can make the sauce for the curry earlier in the day and add the prawns just before serving.
The Pilau is very simple just a wonderful flavour with the cumin and onion

First the Curry
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5cm piece cassia bark broken in half
4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
4 cloves
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
4cm piece ginger, finely grated
2 green chilies, seeded, finely chopped
½ tsp turmeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
150 mls water
500 mls coconut milk
50 gms cashew nuts, roughly chopped
110 gms ground almonds
5-6 fresh curry leaves
500 gms tiger prawns, shells removed
2 tablespoons roughly chopped coriander leaves


Heat a heavy-bottomed casserole, and add oil.
When hot add the cardamom, cloves and cassia bark.
Cook for one minute on medium heat.
Add the sliced onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until translucent.
Make sure the onion does not brown.
Add the garlic, ginger and green chilies, and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Mix the turmeric, ground cumin and ground coriander with the water to make a paste.
Add to pot.
Place the coconut milk, ground almonds and cashew nuts into a food processor and blend until you have a smooth paste.
Add a little water if required to give it a single cream consistency.
As soon as the liquid has reduced down in the pot, add the coconut milk mixture and stir continuously for 1-2 minutes.
Add the curry leaves, and bring to the boil, stirring slowly.
Add salt, to taste, and simmer for 1-2 minutes, then add the prawns.
Continue to cook for a further 1-2 minutes, before removing the saucepan from the heat.
Sit for 5-6 minutes, while the latent heat of the curry cooks the prawns.

For the Cumin Pilau
These proportions of rice to water are perfect for this method. Couldn’t be simpler

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
900ml water
500g basmati rice, washed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


To make the Pilau,
Preheat the oven to 150C
Heat an ovenproof saucepan until hot and add the oil, onions and cumin seed.
Fry for 3-4 minutes until translucent and softened.
Add the water and bring to a simmer.
Add the rice and stir well to combine.
Bring to a simmer and cover.
Place saucepan in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and fork through.
Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper


To serve, place Pilau Rice on plates and ladle curry on top.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves

Lasagna and a new Baby

We just had a wonderful couple of days at Omaha Beach.
Just taking advantage of the first few days of winter sun.
Reading papers and eating lunch outdoors…soup with some of the local Ciabatta and cheese.

During the day Sheryl and Michael became Grandparents for the very first time and in the general excitement Sheryl wrote the name of the new baby girl on her blackboard.

The proud Grandma in her kitchen

One problem...she got the name wrong and after an afternoon of calling the wee soul Della we discovered her name is actually Stella.
So welcome Stella Kaye.

We all had a few drinks and I made a roast vege Lasagna, with Pesto oil Ricotta and Puttanesca sauce to celebrate.
This was inspired by Emeril Lagasse and is delicious…a little rich so you don’t need huge helping.
It makes a good accompaniment to a nice piece of grilled fish or some roast beef which is how we ate it.
A lovely fresh salad alongside would be excellent.

For the roast vegetables…as it is winter I changed the usual suspects (eggplant courgettes etc) to butternut, red onion, fennel, carrots and celery.
And for the ricotta 50/50 basil and coriander.

There are a few steps before assembling this dish but don’t forget you can make it earlier in the day, just pop it in the oven, leaving you free to enjoy your friends before dinner
You need
1 packet fresh lasagna pasta

250 gms grated mozzarella

The Roast Vege
1 red freshly ground black pepper chunked
½ butternut peeled, deseeded and sliced
2 red onions – peeled, cut into 8
2 carrots – halved and sliced
Fennel – sliced
Celery – cut into chunks
2 tablespoons Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

First toss your vege in Olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Roast in 180C oven about 30 minutes

While they are roasting in a pan make

The Puttanesca Sauce:

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

6 cloves minced garlic

3 x 400gm cans Roma plum tomatoes, broken into pieces, with juice

1 cup tightly packed, pitted, chopped Kalamata olives

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons drained capers

2 tablespoons (about 8) minced anchovy fillets

½ teaspoon dried crushed basil

½ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes

Salt

In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
Add the onion and sauté until soft and lightly caramelized,
about 6 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and the remaining ingredients and
simmer until the sauce is thickened and slightly reduced, about 40 minutes.
Adjust seasoning to taste, cover and set aside.

The Pesto Ricotta
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
1 cup coriander leaves

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

900 gms ricotta

1 teaspoon salt

To make the Pesto oil
In the bowl of a food processor or blender place the garlic, basil and

coriander
Process on high while adding the olive oil in a steady stream.
Continue to process until well blended,
Season with salt to taste

In a medium bowl mix the ricotta cheese with salt and half a cup of Pesto Oil

and set aside until ready to assemble lasagna.

Now to assemble
Lightly grease a large rectangular baking dish,
then spoon 1/2 cup of Puttanesca Sauce onto the bottom of the dish.
Cover with a layer of lasagna noodles.
Top the lasagna with a layer of ricotta,
then a layer of roast vegetables
A layer of grated mozzarella, and a layer of puttanesca sauce.
Repeat layering the lasagna, ricotta, vegetables, mozzarella and sauce in this manner until all ingredients have been used, ending with mozzarella on top.

Heat the oven to 170CBake until the lasagna is bubbling and golden brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving, drizzled with some of the remaining pesto oil.

Hail Caesar Thanks Jamie

What aroma or taste is better than chicken roasted with rosemary and garlic.
Not a lot…(except if you are my husband and hates chicken).
This tasty roast chicken lifts Caesar salad to new heights.

So Katie of otherpeoplesfood has won the “Hay Hay It’s Donna Day Mousse Competition” and its now her turn to host the next event.
She has chosen Caesar Salad and I think this recipe inspired by Jamie Oliver on his “Jamie @ Home” TV series is probably one of the tastiest I have had for a while
What really gives it a real difference is roasting the chicken and the croutons together.
Along with lovely crisp cos/romaine lettuce, crispy bacon and a zingy dressing, it is definitely now part of my repertoire.

You will need for 4 people
3 chicken thighs (bone in for more flavour)
2 x Sprigs of rosemary
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

4 x 4 cms slices of your favourite country bread-ciabatta is excellent.
4 slices pancetta – streaky bacon is OK
Cos/Romaine lettuce
Shavings of Parmesan Cheese

Dressing
3 anchovies
1 clove Garlic
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese
Crème fraiche 1 tablespoon
Juice ½ lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

First roast your chicken...

Finely chop the rosemary leaves with a little sea salt
Slash the chicken thighs and rub in the rosemary
Rub all the chicken with olive oil
Season with freshly ground black pepper.

In a baking dish place a little oil
Place bread ripped into big chunks
Lay chicken on bread and pop into oven and roast It should take about 30 mins.
Place bacon slices over the chicken and back into oven for another 5 minutes to crisp up the bacon.

Remove from oven and rest the chicken and bacon for 5-10 minutes.
Rip meat off the bones (cook's treat is sucking the bones)
Break bacon into pieces

Make dressing in mortar and pestle
Pound anchovies and garlic
Add cheese and creme fraiche, freshly ground black pepper
Mix well
Add lemon juice
then drizzle in extra virgin olive oil to make an emulsion

To Assemble
Break up the lettuce,
pile it on your plate arrange croutons, bacon, chicken and parmesan shavings and
finally dress with the tangy dressing.

Toss around with your hands making sure everything has a fine coating of dressing.

I will guarantee this taste treat will make your day.

Pineapple is the Hero

I know the tulips have nothing to do with pineapple and soup, but they looked so pretty I just had to take a quick shot.


I really loved Barbara’s idea of yellow for food for Livestrong Day...148 entries received, isn't that amazing.
I was pleased with my Curried Parsnip and Apple Soup and wondered how pineapple would react with the curry and winter vege combo. Well I am happy to report it is great.

Pineapple of course responds well to curry and it worked here as well.

As you can see very simple ingredients

1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 red onion
2 med parsnips
1 large carrot
1/8 of a pineapple (half of what is pictured)
½ a butternut marrow

1 litre Chicken Stock
2 heaped teaspoons curry powder (I used mild)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Green onions for garnish
Good extra virgin olive oil for that little extra zing to finish.

Peel and roughly chop all vege and pineapple.

Add butter and oil to saucepan and heat
Add onions first to soften then all the other vege and pineapple.
Stir well
Add curry powder and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Add stock and a little extra water if needed to cover the vege

Bring to boil and simmer for about 45 minutes. Check the seasoning and add more if needed
Cool a little and blend till smooth

Serve with a garnish of finely chopped green onions and just a little drizzle of olive oil.

These soups really improve if made earlier in the day or even the day before.

Asha from foodieshope http://foodieshope.blogspot.com/
has a recipe for Olive Rye Bread. Look it up...it's worth it.
It looked delicious I made it today and it would make a wonderful accompaniment for this lovely soup. I used a light rye flour.

It was excellent with mozzarella, tomato and basil. Just popped under the grill for a few moments to melt the cheese.

I'm sure it will be great for lunch tomorrow.

Feeding a Crowd and Catering for Special Needs

Lunch time at work again and a good opportunity to try out a “Party with the Hearty Boys” recipe. Italian Meatball and Pasta Soup.
Also we had people coming for dinner that evening.

Now we have people with special needs,…a dairy allergy,…nightshade family intolerance…a non meat eater and one staff member who won’t eat anything that has eyes.
In the evening one of our guests is a celiac.

So time to put the thinking cap

Now the Meatball Soup is an excellent dish for a crowd but when I made it for lunch I thought it was too bland...I have changed the recipe to boost the flavour (sorry Party Boys).
I added onion, carrot and celery plus chili, and bumped up the seasonings in the meatballs
By the way the tomatoes you buy are really important. The second time I made this dish I used Trident Italian Roma tomatoes what a difference. Beautiful flavour.
I have added some extras to the meatballs. The sweetness of the raisins and the crunchiness of the pinenuts make a real difference And they were delicious.
For Gluten free leave out the breadcrumbs and the pasta. Otherwise it will be fine.

Here is the adapted recipe

Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 x carrot finely chopped
1 stick celery finely chopped1 onion finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chili flakes
6 x 400 gms cans Roma tomatoes in juice

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 teaspoons dried oregano

Meatballs
1800 gms ground beef

4 eggs

4 large garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 x teaspoon oregano

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup Romano cheese, grated

Freshly ground black pepper
And the extras are
1/2 cup raisins soaked in hot water about 5 minutes
2 tablespoons pine nuts lightly toasted
6 leaves sage
1 sprig rosemary
1/2 cup fresh white breadcrumbs



Meatball method
Put the ground beef into a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, garlic, cheese, breadcrumbs, raisins salt, and pepper and mix by hand until well combined.
Put pine nuts, and fresh herbs into a small food processor and whiz them up just a little you need the texture
Form the mixture into 1 inch balls - a small ice cream scoop works well for this.

Place the meatballs close together on a baking sheet as you make them.
Yield: 60 meatballs

To finish
280 gms frozen peas, thawed

300 gms penne pasta, cooked al dente

Grated Romano, for garnish

Italian bread, for serving

Pour the olive oil into a large heavy bottomed pot with the garlic
Place over a medium flame and let the garlic brown. Be careful not to let it burn.
Add onion, carrot and celery
Season salt & freshly ground black pepper and chili flakes
continue to sauté till soft
Meanwhile liquefy tomatoes in a blender
Add tomatoes to veges along with parsley, chili and oregano.
Bring to a rolling simmer and drop the meatballs in 1 at a time
Simmer for 1 hour.

Add cooked pasta and thawed peas.

You can make this earlier in the day and reheat gently just before serving.

Reheat gently and serve.
Have some Ciabatta bread and grated Parmesan cheese

Check out Presto Pasta Night Ruth from Once Upon A Feast has been hosting this for 22 weeks. Each week there are lots of delicious pasta recipes. Great fun,

Click here and you will find all the Presto Pasta Night recipes. If you can't find something fabulous there I will eat my hat!!!

To accompany the Pasta I made some little salad rolls "a la San Choi Bau"

San Choi Bau is a wonderful mix of chicken pork, aromatics and noodles from our favourite Vietnamese restaurant Saigon
Very crunchy and delicious. I thought it was an easy way to supply a salad to eat by hand.

First I made a crisp salad of
1 x finely sliced red pepper
1 x courgette grated
2 stalks celery finely sliced
5 radishes finely sliced

1 red onion finely sliced and quickly pickled red onions

(see blog posted Friday April 27th)
Freshly ground black pepper
Good slug extra virgin olive oil

1 iceberg lettuce - leaves separated

Toss all ingredients except lettuce together
Lay out the lettuce leaves

Roll up in a little parcel
These are to be eaten by hand
Now to cover the “vego’s” and the “tomato intolerant”
I made Red Lentil Soup
(see Blog posted April 22nd)

I served James Martin’s Carrot Cake…looked great when he made it on TV but I wasn’t overly happy with it. I will try it again and then if any good will post it. It will make another entry for Barbara’s Livestrong Taste of Yellow. Very pretty colour as you can see

Now for the dinner.
How about Jamie Oliver’s Fish Pie excellent for coeliacs but not good for dieters.
It’s exceptionally good though you must try it. A superb “all in one” dish
Prepare all the components ready for assembly

200 gms of white fish per person cut into 3-4 cms pieces and place in gratin dish.
2-3 shelled prawns per person (optional)

1 egg per person
Spinach fresh or frozen (thawed)

1 medium potato per person

Olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 carrot grated

White wine

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

600 mls cream

50 gms grated cheese

Juice 1/2 lemon

Hard boil and quarter eggs,
Blanch bunch spinach fresh (or defrost from frozen),
Cook and mash 1 med potato per person
Mix in good slurp of olive oil don’t make this a smooth mix we want it to be crispy…

Sauté 1 onion chopped & 1 grated carrot till tender but not brown,

Season with salt and pepper
Slosh in some white wine and reduce it down, then pour in cream and
Let it simmer till it has reduced to make quite a thick sauce.
Add 50 gms grated cheese,
Taste for salt and adjust if necessary and some freshly ground black pepper
Plus the juice of ½ lemon, it may need a little more taste and see.

Now to build the dish. Place the eggs over the fish and sprinkle the spinach evenly

around then cover with the sauce and then splotch the potatoes around…it doesn’t need to be even…just dollops all over the fish mixture.

Into a very hot 230° oven 20-25 minutes.
The potatoes will crisp up on the top and the cream sauce will bubble all round.

Of course you can prepare this earlier in the day as well and then pop into oven when ready. If you have been storing it in the fridge allow some extra time for cooking.

Let it cool down a little before serving, as with most food it tastes better then.

Try these little Chocolate Ricotta Puddings
Once again gluten free
Topped with whipped cream and Orange segments marinated in a little orange liqueur

680gms ricotta drained
3 eggs separated
Zest 1 x orange
¼ cup caster sugar
½ teaspoon almond extract or vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
180 gms bitter sweet chocolate

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar

Into blender add ricotta, egg yolks
Zest of orange, sugar, flavouring and cinnamon

Blend all together till smooth
Pour into bowl
Melt bitter sweet chocolate in a bowl over simmering water
Add to mix

Beat ¼ teaspoon cream tartar into egg whites then slowly sugar
Beat till shiny

Fold into chocolate mix
Pour into buttered ramekins

Place into bain marie 160C - 25 minutes

Cool in fridge
Serve with whipped cream and orange segments marinated for a little time in an orange liqueur.

Another dessert I made last week for our film crew
It was very popular...I saw it in the weekend paper
It is a Donna Hay recipe and definitely worth trying



Most fruits go well with Chocolate but my favourites are either Raspberries or as with the ricotta puddings - Oranges
Doesn't the Brownie look great.

200 gms semi sweet dark chocolate chopped
250 gms butter
200 gms brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups plain flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup good cocoa powder sifted
Pinch salt
1 ½ cups raspberries fresh or frozen (no need to defrost)

Preheat oven 180C fan bake
Line a 23 cm square tin with baking paper, over lapping, you need to make a little basket to lift out the brownies
I find it easy to spray the tin first it has something to adhere to.
Place the chocolate and butter into small saucepan and gently melt them.

In a bowl put sugar and eggs and whisk to combine (don’t overdo it)
Add chocolate mixture
Sift in the dry ingredients and carefully mix in.
Pour into tin
Top with raspberries
and bake for
45 minutes until set.
Check after 35 minutes with a skewer or toothpick
Don’t over cook they need to be fudgy
By the way don't make this for your celiac friends, it's full of gluten!!!

Makes 16.