Lime poppy seed muffins

If my blog were a soccer championship, the Lemon Team would be on their way to grab the Cup. But I felt that would not be fair to the other citrus I love so much – poor limes and oranges haven’t been around here in a while. :(

In order to balance the score, I used limes instead of lemons in these muffins – the recipe comes from the lovely and dear Lynne, who was also kind enough to ship me a box of goodies and poppy seeds (I can’t find them here).

Thank you, Lynne, for both the gifts and the wonderful recipe!
xoxo

Lime poppy seed muffins

2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
1 egg
½ cup + 2 tablespoons (124g) sugar
2 tablespoons lime zest
¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 ¼ cups (300ml) buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF.
In a large mixing bowl, sift and whisk together the dry ingredients.
In a smaller bowl combine the sugar and lemon zest. Rub them together until the sugar is slightly moist and fragrant. Add the egg, the butter, the buttermilk, lime juice and the vanilla. Mix well.
Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir with a fork just until moistened. Do not over mix. The batter will be fairly thick.
Divide batter evenly into 12 paper-lined or greased muffin cups. Bake muffins on rack in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until muffins test done.

Allow muffins to cool in pan for about 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 12 – I got 11; my muffin pans hold 1/3 cup (80ml) batter each

Paper-baked spiced pastries

There’s something I need to share: I’m not into Twitter. Honestly, I don’t see what the fuss is all about...
I’ve used it a few times, but it just doesn’t appeal to me. But what do I know, anyway? I’m a silly girl who laughs her heart out at velcro jumpsuits. :D

I’ll stick to cooking, baking and blogging. The wonderful smell of these pastries is a great reason to do so. :D

Paper-baked spiced pastries
adapted from Donna Hay magazine

½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) caster sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 ¾ cups + 1 tablespoon (255g) all-purpose flour, sifted
1¾ teaspoons baking powder
½ cup (55g) dried cranberries*
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
½ cup (120ml) milk
3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF.

Combine the sugar, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg in a small bowl and set aside. Place the flour, baking powder and cranberries in a large bowl and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre, gradually add the cream and milk, stirring, until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Roll out to a 30cm x 40cm (12 x 16in) rectangle. Brush with half the melted butter and sprinkle with the sugar mixture, reserving 1 tablespoon. Roll the dough, starting from the longer side, to enclose and slice into 8 pieces. Place the dough into 8 x ½ cup-capacity (125ml) muffin tins lined with non-stick baking paper – I used regular baking paper brushed with melted butter (I melted a little bit more than the recipe calls for to do that).
Brush the tops of the rolls with the remaining butter and sprinkle with the reserved sugar. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked and lightly golden.

* the original recipe calls for dates; I’d decided to use dried apricots instead but could find none in the pantry (I was sure I had some!). Dried cranberries worked really well here

Makes 8

Puff pastry cheese twists

Do you know anyone who doesn’t like puff pastry? I don’t – it is so good that even my picky hubby loves it. :D

He had some cheese twists in Ottolenghi and absolutely loved them. I’ve been making these for him ever since, but usually at night – no good light for taking pictures. Luckily this time there were some twists left, but they were devoured right after I turned off my camera. :D

Puff pastry cheese twists
from a Brazilian magazine

1 pre rolled sheet frozen puff pastry (300g/10oz)
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
½ cup (50g) finely ground parmesan
1 teaspoon fleur de sel – less if using table salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF; line one large baking sheet with baking paper and brush it lightly with oil.

Thaw puff pastry according to the package instructions; open it, forming a rectangle – keep the plastic wrap under it. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and butter together and brush the entire pastry with the mixture (there will be some left). Sprinkle with the parmesan, the fleur de sel and pepper. Fold the pastry in half and lightly press it to seal the filling. Using a very sharp knife or pizza wheel, cut the pastry vertically in 1.5cm (a little over ½ in) strips, then cut the strips in half (horizontally). Twist each strip pressing the ends together again to enclose the filling. Place the twists onto the prepared pan ½-in apart.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Makes 18-20

Cherry, cashew and white chocolate chunk cookies

“I’m not sure this is gonna work, but I’ll try it anyway” – my thoughts exactly when I came across this recipe. The ingredients were very appealing to me, but would they go well mixed up in a cookie? There was only one way to find out. :D

Even though I wasn’t completely happy about the texture – the cookies turned out really thin and delicate, difficult to carry around without breaking – the flavor was spot on. Another mixture I had doubts about at first but proved me wrong later on.

Cherry, cashew and white chocolate chunk cookies
from Big Fat Cookies

1 ¼ cups (175g) unbleached all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks/170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
½ cup (88g) packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (4oz/112g) dried cherries, coarsely chopped
1 cup (5oz/140g) salted roasted cashew halves, coarsely chopped
4oz (112g) white chocolate, chopped into 0.6cm/1.25cm (¼-½-in) pieces

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF; line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until smoothly blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Mix in the egg, lemon juice and vanilla until blended, about 1 minute. The mixture may look curdled. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated and the dough looks smooth. Mix in the cherries, cashews and white chocolate.

Using an ice cream scoop of measuring cup with a ¼-cup capacity, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared sheets, spacing the cookies 3 inches apart. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the edges are light brown, but the centers are light golden, about 14 minutes. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheets then use a wide metal spatula do transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Makes 16 – I halved the recipe and started baking it using 1 round tablespoon of dough per cookie; I got 8 cookies but they turned out too large and too thin. I then went on using 1 rounded teaspoon of dough per cookie and got 23 (dough mounds 5cm apart, 11 minutes in the oven)

White chocolate lime cookies

Remember when I told you I’d watched “Zodiac”? After returning it to the video store, I decided to get two more movies. I was in a hurry and did not think much – sort of grabbed whatever was in front of me, because those were movies I’d been dying to see for ages. Do you know what I got? “Blindness” and “Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind”. Yes, my friends - three movies with Mark Ruffalo in just one week.

Sometimes I get stuck with something and my mind has a hard time letting go. That’s why I give you the combo lime + white chocolate again – this time, in cookie form.

White chocolate lime cookies
from here

1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (150g) sugar
¾ cup (130g) light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ teaspoons lime juice
1 tablespoon lime zest
2 ½ cups (350g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
336g (12oz) white chocolate chips/chunks

Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF; line two large baking sheets with parchment/baking paper.

In a large mixing bowl using a stand mixer, beat sugar, brown sugar and butter until combined but not fluffy.
Add eggs one, at a time, then add vanilla, lime juice and lime zest. Mix to combine.
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix into creamed mixture until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate chips/chunks.

Shape the dough into 2.5cm (1 inch) balls and place 5cm (2 in) apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the centers are just set – mine needed 15 minutes.
Allow to sit on the pan for three minutes before moving to wire racks.

Makes 5 dozen cookies – I halved the recipe, dropped ½ rounded tablespoon of dough onto sheets (dough was too soft to be rolled into balls) and got 33 cookies

Rice fritters with nigella seeds

The same way one doesn’t need a velvety voice to sing fantastic songs - Dave Faulkner is there to prove it – food doesn’t have to be all fancy and complicated to be good. A simple salad, made with fresh ingredients, can be a wonderful meal. And these fritters, made of leftovers, are delicious snacks.

The original recipe calls for poppy seeds, but since I don’t have them here I used nigella seeds instead - they added a crunchy/earthy/nutty touch to something I ate on a regular basis as a child.

Rice fritters with nigella seeds
adapted from a Brazilian cookbook

2 cups rice, cooked
2 eggs
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Coating:
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup nigella seeds
vegetable oil for deep frying

In a bowl, place the rice with the 2 eggs, parmesan, parsley, flour, salt and pepper. Using a fork or a potato masher, smash the ingredients together until well combined.
Take small portions (1 tablespoon) of the mixture and roll into balls.
Place the breadcrumbs in one bowl and mix in the nigella seeds. Place the other 2 eggs in another bowl and lightly beat them.
Dip each ball in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumb mixture and turn to coat.
Heat the oil in a small and deep saucepan over medium-high heat and fry the rice balls, 3 at a time, until evenly golden.
Remove from oil and place on paper towels.

Serve hot.

Makes about 20

Yogurt and passion fruit syrup mini cakes

Certain actors have a very special place in my heart –they are so talented that I’m always interested in watching their movies.
Christian Bale, for example - I have seen him in several different movies and he continues to make me curious about what’s coming.

It’s like baking with yogurt – the more I do it (like last month’s lime cake), the more I enjoy it.

Yogurt and passion fruit syrup mini cakes
from Donna Hay magazine

150g unsalted butter, softened
220g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup thick Greek-style natural yogurt
300g self raising flour, sifted

Passion fruit syrup:
1 cup (240ml) passion fruit syrup
½ cup (120ml) water
110g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 160ºC/320ºF. To make the passion fruit syrup, place passion fruit pulp, water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10-15 minutes or until syrupy. Set aside.

Make the cake: place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 10-15 minutes or until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add yogurt and beat until well combined.
Fold through flour. Spoon mixture into lightly greased 24cm bundt or ring pan* and bake for 35 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Remove cake from the pan and place on a serving plate (I left the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes and then unmolded them).
Spike cake all over with a thin skewer or toothpick, drizzle with syrup and serve while still warm – it tastes delicious at room temperature, too.

* I halved the recipe, used a muffin pan (each well holds 1/3 cup batter) and got 9 small cakes

Serves 8

Banana-oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

I started listening to Smiths at the age of 9 and even though I understood nothing Morrissey said those songs made a strange kind of sense to me – I ended up learning why later on in life. Music became a huge part of my days and brought me comfort in several bad moments.

Besides listening to the songs, I loved checking out the LP covers – some were absolutely fantastic. I became obsessed about one in particular – Whitesnake’s “Slide it in” – which is really funny, since I’ve always hated snakes. The 13 year-old me could not resist David Coverdale singing – to this day I think he has the most beautiful male voice ever.

Another one of my obsessions is baking cookies, but that you already know. These are from Liz’s gorgeous blog.

Banana-oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

1 ¾ cup (200g) quick-cooking rolled oats – I used thin rolled oats
1 ½ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (175g) firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (170g/6 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
1 medium-sized ripe but firm banana, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 cup coarsely chopped whole almonds

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF; Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars at medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until blended. At low speed, add the flour mixture one-third at a time, mixing just until blended. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the semisweet morsels, banana, and almonds (it’s all right if the banana pieces get a little mashed) – I incorporated everything in the mixer in the lowest speed.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonsfuls* onto the prepared sheets, spacing the cookies 5cm (2 inches) apart. Moisten your palm to prevent sticking and flatten the mounds of dough slightly. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 11 to 13 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom – mine needed 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.

Makes about 52 cookies

* I used 1 ½ heaping tablespoons of dough per cookie and got 34.

Mozzarella in carrozza

Saturday is my favorite day of the week and one thing I love doing is watching some of Nigella’s shows. They are basically reruns and I have already seen many episodes, but that’s fine – it’s a joy to see her cook, even though I’m not always crazy about the dishes she prepares. :)

One can certainly turn to Nigella when looking for delicious food that can be made in almost no time. And that’s what I did, right after watching one episode of her Christmas series – I was hungry but the couch kept calling out my name. :D

If that doesn’t inspire lazy people to cook, I don’t know what will.

Mozzarella in carrozza
from Nigella Bites

6 slices white bread, crusts removed
1 fist-sized ball mozzarella, cut into approximately ¼-inch (0.6cm) slices, then strips – I used buffalo mozzarella with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup (120ml) whole milk
3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup (120ml) olive oil (not extra-virgin), for frying – I used much less

Make sandwiches out of the bread and mozzarella, leaving a little margin around the edges unfilled with cheese, and press the edges together with your fingers to help seal. (One of the advantages of soft white bread is that it easily smushed together.)
Pour the milk in to 1 soup bowl*, the flour into another, and beat the egg with salt and pepper in another.
Warm the oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Dunk the sandwiches briefly, 1 by 1, in the milk, then dredge in the flour, then dip in the beaten egg. Fry in hot oil on each side until crisp and golden and remove to a paper towel. Cut in half and serve.

* I found it easier to work with shallow plates

Serves 2

Chewy strawberry almond bars

You know that feeling? When something is so good we don’t want it to get ruined?

I was watching “August Rush” on the weekend and, besides crying my eyes out, I kept thinking “Oh, please don’t let this adorable boy get lost. Don’t let him grow up and become an idiot, a crackhead, a wife beater, or anything like that”

I’d cried and laughed with Freddie Highmore before, but this time I felt like wrapping him in a very warm blanket and serving him a plate of these cookies, with some hot cocoa sprinkled with lots of marshmallows.

Chewy strawberry almond bars
adapted from here

1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups (350g) packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract*
2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
2 cups (230g) regular rolled oats
½ cup sliced almonds
¾ cup strawberry preserves
3 tablespoons sliced almonds, extra, for the topping

Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Line a 30x20x5cm (8x12x2in) baking pan with foil, extending foil over the edges of the pan. Grease foil; set pan aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and almond extract until combined. Add flour, oats, and ½ cup almonds and mix it all in slow speed – dough will be stiff.

Remove ¾ cup of the dough and set aside. Press the remaining dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Spread with preserves. Crumble the remaining dough evenly over preserves layer and sprinkle over the almonds.

Bake for about 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Using the edges of the foil, lift the uncut cookies out of the pan. Cut into bars.

* I thought the flavor was much too strong – I’d use half the amount next time, or even replace it with vanilla

Makes about 27 bars

Sweetened condensed milk cake

Wow, almost a week without a new recipe around here... You guys must be bored to tears with my crepe photo. :)

A stomach flu kept me away from cooking, posting and reading my favorite blogs. But now I’m feeling well again – thanks to tons of medicine and rest – and eager to go to the kitchen.

This is something I baked before I got sick; you know I can’t resist recipes with sweetened condensed milk – right, Lynn? – and the thought of a cake made with it instead of sugar was too good for me to pass.

It’s a very light and sort of spongy cake. No decadent fillings or icings – just a simple cake, to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee or tea. Or a glass of orange juice on a hot day.

Sweetened condensed milk cake
from a Brazilian cookbook

1 can (395g) sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
120g all purpose flour
½ tablespoon baking powder
50g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF; generously butter a 22cm* (9in) ring cake pan.
Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until risen and a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean (my cake took 35 minutes to bake).
Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before unmolding.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.

* I used a 20cm (8 in) pan.

Serves 10-12

Dark chocolate oatmeal cookies

Eating fibers and grains is a key element for one’s good health – I have no problem there, but know that many people can’t stand them, especially kids. And my husband. :S

One alternative is tricking the kids into eating oats by adding them to baked goods - I have already done that with my nieces, without much success.
It’s like Brad Pitt’s “rich” acting skills - they only become tolerable with these gentlemen I love so much.

So, for those who don’t like oats I recommend these cookies. They taste amazing and will be gone in no time – oats and all. :)

Dark chocolate oatmeal cookies
slightly adapted from here

1 ½ cups (210g) all purpose flour
½ cup (45g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons thin rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.

Whisk first flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture and beat until moist clumps form. Mix in oats with spatula until evenly distributed (dough will be very firm). Add chocolate chips and white chocolate chips and knead gently to blend.

Using moistened palms or a cookie scoop, shape 1 generous tablespoon dough into ball. Place on prepared sheet; flatten to 5cm (2-inch) round. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing rounds about 5cm (2 in) apart.

Bake cookies until center is slightly firm and top is cracked, about 14 minutes – mine needed 16. Cool on sheets.

Makes about 2 dozen

Waiter, there's something in my... picnic! Olive, herb and parmesan sticks

I haven’t taken part in blog events lately – I never seem to keep the deadlines in mind – but picnics are something I hold very dear and they are the theme for this “Waiter, there’s something in my...”, hosted by Johanna, Jeanne and Andrew.

When I was little, my parents used to take me and my brother to parks on the weekends, and we had wonderful picnics there (I once wrote about it here). To this day I can remember the towel over the grass and all the yummy snacks prepared by Mom – she was a magnificent cook/baker.
After she was gone, my paternal grandmother - who looked after us for a couple of years - would let my brother and I have picnics on the living room; she would lay the towel on the carpet for us to eat, just like my mom did on the grass.

These delicious bread sticks are my contribution to the event. Just stay away from them as they come out of the oven – otherwise, there will be none left for the picnic.

Olive, herb and parmesan sticks
from Dough: Simple Contemporary Breads

Dough:
5g fresh yeast or ½ envelope (3.5g) active dry yeast – I used dry
250g white bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup (180ml) water, room temperature

Filling:
¾ cup purple olives, such as Kalamata, with pits in
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
cornmeal, for dusting – I didn’t have any at home, so I used flour instead

Start with the dough: using a mixer with the dough hook, put the flour in the mixer bowl and rub in the yeast (if using dry, just mix in). Switch the mixer onto the slowest speed, add the salt and then the water, and mix for 2 minutes, then turn up to the next slowest speed and mix for another 6-7 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Remove the dough from the bowl, transfer to a lightly floured counter and mold into a ball.
Place in a lightly floured large bowl, cover with plastic/cling film and let rise in a draft-free area for 1 hour.

Make the filling: pit the olives and cut each one roughly into three (I cut into more pieces). Mix the olives, cheese and herbs together in a bowl. Set aside.

Assembling: with the help of the rounded end of your scraper, turn the dough onto the counter, lightly dusted with cornmeal. Using your hand, flatten out a rectangle about ¾-inch (2cm) thick. Sprinkle the filling on top and press it into the dough with your fingertips. Fold one third of the dough into the center and press down with your fingertips. Then fold the opposite side over on top (as if you were folding a letter to put into an envelope). Press with the palms of your hands to work the olives into the dough. With the flat edge of your scraper, cut the dough widthwise into 10-12 strips about ½-inch (1cm) wide. Flour the counter with cornmeal. Twist each strip (I pressed the sides together so the filling wouldn’t fall off) and roll them a little on the counter so they stretch to the length of your baking try (nonstick or covered with foil so the cheese in the dough won’t stick to the tray) and place the strips on top, leaving a gap between them – 1 inch (2.5cm) is fine.
Cover with a lintfree dishtowel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 220ºC/428ºF; put the baking dish into the oven and mist the inside with a water spray. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Use a spatula to lift them from the baking tray. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 10-12 – I got 16

Passion fruit, almond and poppy seed cake

Besides the music I listen to, there’s something else on repeat mode around here - yes, another recipe with almonds. :)

It would take 1 ½ hours for the coffee cake to double in volume and there was nothing good on TV - that happens quite often. I like things most people consider weird and they are not aired very frequently.

“I’ll bake cookies. No, I’ll need the oven soon - I’ll bake a cake”

The almonds on the counter worked as a sort of inspiration. And I must admit that combining passion fruit, almonds and poppy seeds in a cake made me really curious.

I hope you get curious, too, because this is a cake worth trying.

Passion fruit, almond and poppy seed cake

Cake:
4 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
¼ cup (60ml) milk
180g unsalted butter, room temperature
180g caster sugar
3 eggs
240g all purpose flour
½ cup sliced almonds
½ cup (120ml) passion fruit juice - mix ¼ cup (60ml) concentrated juice + ¼ cup water
1 tablespoon baking powder

Syrup:
45g caster sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) concentrated passion fruit juice
2 ½ tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF; grease and flour a 22cm (9in) ring pan - the one I used was a teeny tiny larger than 20cm (8in).

In a small bowl, place the poppy seeds and milk and set aside for 20 minutes.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour, almonds, passion fruit juice and the milk poppy seed mixture. Turn off the mixer and, using a wooden spoon, mix in the baking powder.

Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven, set aside for 5 minutes and carefully invert the cake onto a plate.

Make the syrup: place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well to dissolve the sugar. Drizzle the syrup over the cake while still hot.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Slightly adapted from a Brazilian cookbook.

Serves 12

Cheese Stuffed Crusty Rolls

Choosing something doesn’t always have to be a difficult task – and that coming from the one who can take forever to decide which recipe to prepare is quite an improvement. Sometimes, we just know where to find it.

If you have a twisted, weird, crazy-looking role, you get Gary Oldman. Very simple. And if you want beautiful, delicious, out of this world desserts, you just go to Helen’s blog. But she can bake some seriously good savory recipes as well – yeah, I know, there’s nothing to be surprised here. :)

The cheese stuffed crusty rolls she posted in May were fantastic and the idea of using herbes de Provence in their filling sounded brilliant.

I have a challenge for you: make these and DO NOT eat them all the minute they are out of the oven. :)

Cheese Stuffed Crusty Rolls

Starter:
1 ¼ cups (175g) bread flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon instant yeast
½ cup (120ml) cool water

Dough:
all of the starter
1 cup (240ml) + 2 tablespoons to 1 ¼ cups (300ml) lukewarm water – I used 300ml
½ teaspoon salt
3 ½ cups (490g) all purpose flour
½ teaspoon instant yeast

Filling:
1 ½ cups (280g/10oz) grated Monterey Jack cheese – I used the yellow mozzarella we have here, that seems to be really similar to Monterey Jack
1 cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons herbes de Provence

To make the starter: mix the 1 ¼ cups flour, salt, yeast, and ½ cup water in a medium-sized bowl. Mix till well combined. Cover with plastic and let rest overnight at room temperature.

Make the filling: mix well all the ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

To make the dough: combine the risen starter with the water, salt, flour, and yeast. Knead by hand or with a stand mixer for a few minutes (I went with 5 minutes by hand, like Helen did). Place it in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until it’s nearly doubled in size. Gently deflate the dough, and pat and stretch it into a ¾ inch-thick rectangle, about 9x12in (23x30cm). Spritz with water, and sprinkle with the grated cheese and the herbs. Starting with a long side, roll it into a log, pinching the seam to seal. Place the log, seam-side down, on a lightly floured or lightly oiled surface. Cover it and let it rise for 1 to 1 ½ hours, till it’s puffy though not doubled in size. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF. Gently cut the log into four crosswise slices, for mini-breads; or simply cut the dough in half, for two normal-sized loaves. Place them on one (for two loaves) or two (for four mini-loaves) lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets, cut side up. Spread them open a bit, if necessary, to more fully expose the cheese and close the other end. Spritz with warm water, and immediately place them in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes (for the mini-loaves), or 35 minutes (for the full-sized loaves), or until the cheese is melted and the loaves are a very deep golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Note: You can also roll the log and cut 12 slices from it and set them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and proceed with the recipe as written.

Jam slice

My good friend C. gave me a very special gift last week – “The English Patient” DVD. It’s one of my all time favorite movies and Ralph Fiennes would be my #1 name if I had a laminated list like Ross’. :)

Back in 1996, I read the book before watching the movie and loved it too. Book, movie and actor – 3 fantastic things combined. Like the flavors in these bars.
The book would be the cookie base and the movie, the jam layer; getting face to face with Ralph Fiennes would be an amazing topping. Too bad that won’t happen – I’ll have to go with coconut instead. :)

I have made this recipe twice already – once in an 18x28cm pan, which resulted in bars with thinner layers (especially the cookie base). And the ones you see on the photos were made in a 20cm square pan - I just baked it for a tad longer to make sure it was cooked through.

Jam slice
from Modern Classics Book 2

Base:
125g (4oz) butter, softened
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
1 cup (135g) all purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg yolk
¾ cup raspberry jelly – I used strawberry

Topping:
½ cup (113g) caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (90g) desiccated coconut

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF; line a 20x30cm (8x12in) slice pan* with non-stick baking paper.

Process the butter, sugar, flour and baking powder in a food processor until combined - I used my Kitchen Aid with the paddle attachment.
Add the egg yolk and continue to process until the mixture forms a soft dough. Press into the prepared pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the base is golden brown. Allow to cool then spread with the jam.
To make the topping, combine the sugar, egg and coconut. Sprinkle over the jam. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Cool in the pan. Cut into slices.

* I used regular pans, both times – no removable bottom. I just left a bit of paper hanging out of the pan to work as “handles” – this way, it was easier to remove the cookie from the pan and slice it into bars.

Makes 24 slices – I got 16 larger slices from the 18x28cm pan and 9 large slices from the 20cm square pan.

Marbled pound cake

When I was younger, many of my friends at school had nieces and nephews – I thought it was so cool! Being older than my brother (back then, Jessica hadn’t been born yet) I knew that it would take me a while to be called an “auntie”.

My brother is single and still don’t have kids, but my problem has been solved – Joao already had 1 niece and 1 nephew when we started dating and 1 girl and 2 more boys have been added to the family since I became part of it. :)

One of the girls is Rafaela – a full of energy 3 year old. She loved the orange and lemon cake I baked last week and wanted me to bake another cake for her. A simple cake was the idea – no filling or frosting – that’s why I went for the perfect pound cake recipe from this book. Since Rafaela adores chocolate, I followed Dorie’s instructions to make a marbled cake.

The recipe is easy and doesn’t call for many ingredients. The cake was tender and my niece loved it – I think that in a few years I’ll have a new helper in the kitchen. :)

Marbled pound cake
from Baking: From My Home to Yours

2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
226g (2 sticks/8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
112g (4oz) bittersweet chocolate, chopped – I used 60% cocoa solids

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler and set aside to cool.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 165ºC/325ºF. Butter a 9x5-inch (22.5x12.5cm) loaf pan or an 8-½x4-½ inch (21x11cm) loaf pan*. Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy, a full 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater and reduce the mixer speed to medium. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 to 2 minutes after each egg goes in. As you're working, scrape down the bowl and beater often. Mix in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing only until it is incorporated - don't overmix. In fact, you might want to fold in the last of the flour, or even all of it, by hand with a rubber spatula.

After the batter is fully mixed, transfer half of it to another bowl and gently blend in the melted, cooled chocolate. Alternate large spoonfuls of the light and dark batters in the pan, then run a kitchen knife in a zigzag pattern through the batters to marble them. Smooth the top.

Put the cake into the oven to bake, and check on it after about 45 minutes. If it's browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. If you're using a 9x5 pan, you'll need to bake the cake for 70 to 75 minutes; the smaller pan needs about 90 minutes. The cake is properly baked when a thin knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven, transfer the pan to a rack and let rest for 30 minutes.

Run a blunt knife between the cake and the sides of the pan and turn the cake out, then turn it right side up on the rack and cool to room temperature.

*I used a 26x10cm loaf pan and my cake baked for 75 minutes.

Storing:
Wrapped well, the cake will keep for 5 to 7 days at room temperature (stale cake is great toasted) or up to 2 months in the freezer.

Serves 8-10