Flourless chocolate torte

This is one of those recipes that look -  and taste - like you have just popped out to the French Patisserie . I don't know why I'm telling you all this recipe really,as my secret is now out....its not that difficult to make!! I know you are all probably feeling withdrawal symptoms from Thanksgiving cooking, so,  my friends,  its time to get back in the kitchen and whip up a little oh la la !

I'm posting a picture of this little beauty first so you can see how nice it turns out...

Don't you just want to eat it right now???


11/4 cups butter- 21/2 sticks
3/4 cup cocoa
6 eggs separated
2 cups sugar, divided
1 teasp vanilla extract
 1 cup ground almonds - Trader Joes has nice packets of them
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Heat the oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan. Melt the butter ,add the cocoa powder and 11/2 cups of the sugar, and stir until smooth. Cool a little.  Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl until thick. Gradually add the chocolate mixture,stir in the water and vanilla, and then add the ground almonds and breadcrumbs.
  Beat the egg whites until foamy, the gradually add the remaining cup of sugar,beating until soft peaks form. Fold about 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the chocolate,then fold all of the chocolate into the remaining egg whites.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake 50 -60 minutes, or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes and remove from the pan.

The melted butter and chocolate.....

The egg yolks getting nice and thick....

The egg whites doing what they are supposed to do.....

And its into the oven.

 Another good thing is that this torte freezes really well....


Enjoy !!

Tomato-y-bacon soup with red peppers and goats cheese

This is seriously warming. Our Thanksgiving build up this year has been a chilly one...snow, ice and frigid temperatures. Sometimes you just need to stay home and enjoy cooking and  crank up the heating....worrying high heating bills hear we come.....! This soup is a good one to have up your sleeve for these chilly days, when the kids have a  "snow day"  and you want to feed them something nutritious!!

8 -yes 8 -yippee! slices of bacon,chopped
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic,chopped
1 tbsp chopped thyme
3 stalks celery.diced
3 carrots,diced
1 14 oz tin tomatoes
8 oz roasted red peppers ,drained and chopped (mine were from a jar)
15 oz can pinto beans ,drained
4 -5 cups chicken stock
3 oz goats cheese,crumbled
2 tbsp chopped chives
 salt and pepper

 In a large soup sized saucepan, cook the chopped bacon until the fat has rendered and its nice and crisp. Remove and discard all but 2 tbsp of the fat, and  put the bacon on a plate whilst you get the other veggies going. Add the diced onion, garlic and thyme to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes,until softened. Add the celery and carrots,and leave to cook for 10 minutes. Then  you can pour in the tin of tomatoes, mine were the already chopped variety, and peppers  and lastly the beans.

Add  4 cups of chicken stock to the pan ,and leave to bubble gently for another 10 minutes. The vegetables should be nice and soft at this point.  Puree the soup in a blender or with a hand held blender, and add the goats cheese,stir until melted. The addition of the goats cheese really makes a difference to the taste...yummy. Season . If your soup looks too thick ,you can add the other 1 cup of stock...I like my soups thick!  Add the bacon bits you cooked earlier ,and serve ...garnish  with the chopped chives, makes it look pretty.

BACON!


Happy Thansgiving!

eggplant and bell pepper dip

I'm really pleased I found this recipe...its low fat and super tasty and by jove its quick to rustle up! I think it could be used in all sorts of different ways.... a dip, topping for bruschetta ,even a filling for a jacket potato... I made some toasted pita chips to go with it, and a few veggie sticks, and it was really well received..... especially by me.....I love eggplant ,or aubergine as I'd normally say.....!
  Here goes....


1 peeled eggplant -they look very odd "naked"!
2 red bell peppers ,seeded
1 red onion, peeled
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp olive oil
11/2  teasp kosher salt
1/2 teasp freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp tomato paste


Preheat the oven to 400
Cut the eggplant ,bell pepper ,and onion into 1 inch cubes. Toss them in a large bowl with the garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet, and roast until the vegetables are lightly browned and soft,tossing once during cooking. Mine took 30 minutes. Place the cooked vegetables into a food processor fitted with a steel blade ,add the tomato paste and pulse 3 or 4 times to blend. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Chocolate Banana Crepes

This takes me back to holidays we've had in France ......having a gorgeous paper thin crepe filled with anything from goats cheese and shrimp  ,to nutella, made in front of you ,and  boy are they lipsmaking good.....! My version I tried last night , and it seems that making a paper thin crepe is an art which I do not have -yet- but  still ,my -thicker - pancakes went down really well with the Teenager ...he probably can't remember our real deal French versions....so try them out and see if you can get more than 4 pancakes /crepes out of this recipe - which is supposed to make 6 or 7 !

For the crepes..
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp melted butter
1 egg
1 teasp vanilla
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1/3 cup flour
4 bananas

For the chocolate sauce..
11/2 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp powdered sugar


Crepes~
Stir the melted butter,egg and vanilla together ,whisk in the cocoa until completely incorporated,then add the powdered sugar. When you have a smooth batter,add the flour and whisk again .Heat a nonstick frying pan with a small amount of butter . Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and swirl to form a very thin disk....easier said than done for me.....Cook for about 2 minutes then flip onto the other side and cook for another minute. Place the crepe on a plate and add some sliced banana,fold the crepe over and drizzle with some chocolate sauce.

Chocolate sauce~ Melt the butter over a low heat ,then stir in the milk,cocoa powder and powdered sugar . Heat very gently until its the right consistency to "drizzle".

Note ...its really difficult to take a picture as you are trying to flip a pancake.....

But this looks pretty good right??!

 Bon appetite mes amies!!

Spicy Thai fried rice with shrimp.

This is such an easy,hunt around the larder /fridge sort of a meal....perfect for one of those days when you either don't have much inspiration to cook, or you are too busy to go to the supermarket and spend hours in the kitchen. I haven't put many pictures in this time as  there really is nothing to photograph....

Day old leftover rice gives this dish the best texture, but you can also do it with freshly cooked rice. Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
2 teasp crushed garlic
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
4 teasp minced seeded jalapeno peppers
3 cups cooked jasmine or long grain white rice - cold
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp each of soy sauce and Thai fish sauce
1 1/4 cups cooked bay shrimp
1 cup each of chopped basil and cilantro
1 teasp toasted sesame oil


Pour the olive oil into a large skillet and add the garlic, onions and chilies ,cook ,stirring frequently until the onions have softened, about 2-4 minutes . Add the rice ,sugar, soy and fish sauce , reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until all the ingredients are hot and well coated....about 5 minutes.Add the shrimp, cilantro and basil, then finally the sesame oil....and cook through, probably about 4 minutes. Yup that's it. How quick was that!! I added some peas into the mix last minute as we all love peas....

Double Mushroom Ragout

Travelling Man's favorite ingredient is mushrooms....something to do with a mispent  youth  hanging around airfields ....but lets not go there.....So I thought I'd try this recipe that is outrageously mushroomy...gotta get me some brownie points right??  This being said, the Teenagers worst nightmare is mushrooms.. so this only serves 2 ...very generously...

2 chopped shallots
2 tbsp olive oil -divided
1 lb assorted mushrooms...crimini,button,shitake for example,quartered .
2 diced fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup dry sherry or Madeira
2 teasp balsamic vinegar
1 teasp tomato paste
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 teasp fresh minced thyme
salt and pepper to  taste.

Saute the shallots in a large saute pan in 1 tbsp oil,for about 4 minutes, or until softened. Add half of the mushrooms and continue to saute until brown. Remove the mushrooms from the pan ,add the other tbsp oil, and saute the remaining mushrooms.

Return the first batch of mushrooms to the pan,and stir in the tomatoes, broth , sherry ,vinegar and tomato paste. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the ragu with the parsley and thyme just before serving, and season.

I served ours with some cheesy polenta...this again makes enough for 2.

In a saucepan,bring 1 cup vegetable broth ,1 cup milk and 1/4 teasp ground nutmeg to the boil. Whisk in 1/2 cup cornmeal,reduce the heat to low and  simmer for 5 minutes, stirring alot. Fold in 2 tbsp cream cheese , 2 tbsp grated Parmesan, and a little salt, just before you want to  serve.

It was a really satisfying meal...Travelling Man was a happy boy......and it smelt great as it was cooking...attracting the attention of two little friends.....

Here is one of them..... hoping...hoping....

Mahimahi fajitas

Looking to spice up November a touch...?.wanting to relive those Hawaiian evenings.....? look no further than these sweet and mildly spicy fajitas......went down really well in this household, and are really quick to put together for a weeknight meal. Serves 4-6.......

1lb skinned ,boned mahimahi fillets
1 tbsp each  ground cumin and chili powder
2 teasp minced garlic
1/2 teasp salt ,plus more to taste
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 1/2 tbsp veg oil divided
1 onion, slivered lengthwise
1/2 cup mango juice
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
8 flour tortillas, warmed

Cut the fish fillets into 1 inch wide strips. In a small bowl, mix the  cumin, chili powder ,garlic and salt. Rub the fish all over with the spice mixture. Remove the seeds and ribs from the bell peppers, and cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch wide strips. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet and saute the onion and peppers,stirring  frequently until softened....mine took about 10 minutes.

When your onion/pepper  mix is done, transfer to a plate,add the remaining 1/2 tbsp oil,and cook the fish,turning once ,until browned on both sides,,,about 4 mins total.

Add the mango juice and bring to a boil. Cook the fish until it is opaque but still moist looking in the center....2-3 more minutes. Add the pepper mixture and lime juice ,and finally season with salt to taste.  Serve with the warm tortillas.  

Here is The Teenagers tortilla....he added salsa and grated cheese to his.....I did have to remind him that it wasn't a competition  to see how much you you could get into one tortilla.....fell on deaf ears as you may expect.

 So go pour yourself a Margarita , put on the Mexican guitar CD and enjoy your fajitas!!

The Frying Scotsman

There are times when you yearn for a taste of home....well fish and chips to be completely honest.....and if you are in Portland, this is the place ,the real deal, the centre of fish and chip headquarters.  Its owned and run by a Glasgow export  called "slim Jim" ...he obviously doesn't eat much of his own fare so be  "slim". The Teenager and I visited his establishment-aka his van - several months ago but have never had enough time to return....but today was the day ,and return we did.  They've moved locations into Downtown , which as The Teenager said "was a right performance " to park......and then we couldn't find him in the food cart throng of 9th and Alder.....but there he was , eventually ,right next to A Taste of India.What a dilemma,I nearly succumbed to some Balti Chicken....

   But no ,we'd come for fish and chips so that's what we had.  There is slim Jim working at speed during the lunch time rush.....

The Teenager is such a creature of habit, he had the cod.....always... and I had the Halibut.

See the Teenagers fork....he was about to stab me with it  for making him pause during his gastrofest ,to take a picture!!

Yummy flaky fish....

Even the pigeons enjoyed the leftovers....bit like being in Trafalgar Square all over again!!

Melon and shrimp salad and spinach- pomegranate salad with pears and walnuts

OK  so I know its not really the weather to be talking salad....nothing inspires me less than  a piece of limp lettuce on a cold rainy day.....but I've been  eying these two recipies for a while, thinking they sounded so different and fun ,that even I -on a winters day- would enjoy them!!    Movie night and pot luck  with the girls last night presented a perfect opportunity to try them out....so amongst all the other delicious offerings -such fab things !- there they were, my lettuce -loud and proud on a cold winters night!

 Lets start with the Spinach salad..


3/4 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 teasp walnut oil
1/2 teasp salt
 1/4 teasp minced thyme leaves
1/8 teasp black pepper
5 oz baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts
3/4 cup finely shredded radicchio
2 large Bartlett pears

In a small saucepan, boil the pomegranate juice until reduced to 1/4 cup, 5-6 minutes. Let it cool and whisk in the lemon juice,oil,salt and peeper, and thyme. In a large salad bowl, gently mix the spinach leaves and radicchio, pomegranate seeds ,and walnuts with the dressing. Quarter the pears and core, thinly slice crosswise ,then stack slices, and cut into matchsticks. Arrange pears on the salad.
  A few notes in this recipe.....I added a dash of red wine vinegar to the salad dressing as I found it too sweet...and to seed the pomegranate, a useful tip is to cut the fruit into chunks and release the seeds with your hands underwater, the seeds fall to the bottom of the sink, and pith will float to the top . That way it won't look like a scene form the Texas Chainsaw Massacre in your kitchen......

Aren't they beautiful!

That the hard work  DONE!

 So ,onto the melon and shrimp, this has hints Thai in it which is my all time fav food, so I knew I'd like this one.......

 1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 kaffir lime leaf - can be substituted with 1/4 teasp shredded lime zest
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp  thai fish sauce
1 cantaloupe melon
1 honeydew melon
1/2 shelled cooked  small shrimp
1 jalapeno chile ,seeds and ribs removed,and minced
1 tbsp EACH  slivered basil leaves and finely chopped cilantro
 2 tbsps finely chopped ,salted roasted peanuts

 In a microwave -safe bowl, mix the sugar, ginger and 1 tbsp water. Cut the lime leaf into thin slivers,and add the bowl. Microwave until hot, 20 - 30 seconds. Add the lime juice and fish sauce, stir and let dressing stand (If you are substituting lime zest, combine as above,but don't heat the mixture)  Cut off and discard peel from both melons, ,then cut in half and scoop out seeds. Cut each melon into 1 inch thick slices and arrange on a platter.  Put the shrimp in a colander and rinse....dry well,and scatter over the melon slices. Stir the diced jalapeno into the dressing and spoon the dressing over the melon and shrimp . Sprinkle the chopped basil and cilantro over the salad and top with peanuts.

Cranberry Orange bread with an orange glaze

Essential reading for the Brit in America is the Daily Mail on line...all the snippets and gossip you will ever need to know about who  ,where and what is going on at home..... And today was no exception!!  Guess who is in Portland this week......Wayne Rooney...a fine example of an English gentleman if ever I did see one....? So Portland Oregon is all over the English press ,for one thing as Mr Rooney is here...but also as the US capital of strip joints !! Who  would have known it??  You'd better watch yourself Wayne.......
  Anyway,since there is a fellow native in town, thought I'd better make a cake in case he decided to stop by and partake of tea at 4....

11/2 cups unsalted butter,softened
11/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 cup each of orange juice and sour cream
2 teasp vanilla extract
2 tbsps finely grated orange zest
4 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 teasp salt
11/2 cups dried cranberries
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tbsps orange juice

 Makes 2 loaves

 Preheat the oven to 325, and butter 2  9 by 5 loaf  tins . With a mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. . takes about 3 minutes. Add the eggs .one at a time and thoroughly mix after each one, then add the orange juice and sour cream,orange juice and vanilla,and mix until blended.. Add the flour,baking powder and salt and cranberries and mix until the dry ingredients and mixed through. Pour the batter into the tins and bake for 70 -75 mins,  a toothpick  inserted in the middle should come out clean.   Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the orange juice and powdered sugar,until it has the consistency of  thick maple syrup . Let the loaves cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tins and set over a baking sheet. With a thin skewer , poke deep holes in the cakes ,and pour the glaze over,so that it  coats the top and runs down the sides ,and seeps into the holes.. 

Do you see the English cake tin in the background....that's bound to impress Wayne.   I havn't cut into it yet,but I'm sure its going to look really pretty with the flecks if orange and cranberry...  sounds very festive and holiday like for this dreary wet weather we are having.

  I'm off to put the kettle on so I'm ready for my visitor...in case he doesn't come , anyone else want a cuppa and a slice??

Chicken Cacciatore soup

The Teenager and I had a great evening out over the weekend with a friend and her son- we went to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland and heard the Portland Youth Symphony play....what a talented group of young people, it was so great to hear them play, and also to see so many other  kids there listening.
    So we needed diner before we left,and I rustled up some Chicken Cacciatore soup to stop the old tum rumbling during the performance .

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion,chopped
2 peppers, any  colour you fancy ,chopped
2 boned chicken breasts,cut into bite sized pieces
2 cloves garlic,minced
1 teasp dried mixed herbs
freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup uncooked rotini
 1  8oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped parsley
freshly grated parmesan to garnish

 In a large soup pot,warm the oil and saute the onion,peppers and garlic for a few minutes, then add the chicken and cook until the chicken turns white and the veg are tender...about 5 minutes . Add the stock, dried herbs,and rotini,and simmer until the rotini is cooked, probably 7 -10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce,wine and parsley,and cook, uncovered for another 10 minutes. I thickened the soup at this point by mixing 1/2 teasp of cornflour with a tbsp of water and adding that to the liquid....bring to the boil and it thickens nicely. To serve,ladle into bowls and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. I served ours with garlic bread on the side.
  Just an easy dish, but it was really  tasty and warming...plus the Teenagers lapped it up, always a good sign !!

Salted caramel brownies

Ok I know I have you full attention. after reading what I'm making today... salted caramel brownies.....these are truely to die for.....rich,chocolately,creamy  and salty all in one bite...yep,its true to say I'm officially in love....  I made the salted caramel first,so I could snack on it as I continued with the baking...there was some supposed to be left as the brownie recipe doesn't use it all.....whoops....

For the salted caramel -1 cup granulated sugar
                                   6 tbsp unsalted butter
                                   1 teasp fine sea salt
                                    2/3 cup heavy cream.

In a heavy saucepan,cook the sugar over a medium heat until it melts and turns a dark  amber color. It needs to be whisked frequently as it hardens into clumps,but it will all melt,promise. When its all golden and melted,add the salt and butter and stir again until completely incorporated. Turn the heat off and add the cream...whisking until its smooth. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before  using it in the brownies ,or eating from  the pan with a spoon. Thank goodness Travelling man was travelling....

So onto the brownies.  Heat oven to 300. Line an 8 inch baking tin with overlapping sheets of foil (makes getting the brownies out of the pan a breeze ) and spray the foil with non stick spray. In the microwave (my preferred way of melting chocolate- much quicker) in 30 second increments,stirring after each ,melt the chocolate and butter. Then add the cocoa and leave to cool.

 Whisk the eggs,sugar,vanilla and salt together ,then add the warm chocolate mixture to this.... stir in the flour,and make sure everything is well combined.

Don't you just want to eat this already???
 Pour about half of the brownie mixture into your prepared pan,smoothing it all the way to the corners of the tin. Spoon 9 dollops of the caramel sauce on top of the brownie batter, then top it off the rest of the brownie mix.  Level off the surface with a spatula, and then again dollop 9  blobs of caramel over the mix. Using a dull butter knife, gently swirl the batter to incorporate some of the salted caramel.

Bake for about35 -40 mins  until slightly puffed up and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out  with only a few sticky crumbs.  Cool for about 2  hours ,then  remove the brownies from the tin using your handy foil handles . Cut into squares. And Eat as many as you can before someone else wants them. They  are addictive I warn you...