Passion fruit cake with coconut streusel

It was my dear friend Valentina who introduced me to Dan Lepard’s wonderful recipes years ago – I saw a beautiful cake on her blog and the recipe was Dan’s. However – and I do not know why – it took me ages to start baking some of his great recipes, and now that I have started I have no intention to stop. His latest (and fantastic) cookbook is one of my top favorites and each and every recipe made from it so far has been a huge hit.

Being a passion fruit maniac I could not resist this recipe: it is delicious and the seeds peeking out from the cake squares make them look beautiful – my coworkers loved it.

Passion fruit cake with coconut streusel
adapted from Lepard’s delicious column at the Guardian

Coconut crumble:
85g (¾ stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut in small cubes
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (125g) all purpose flour
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
½ cup (45g) unsweetened flaked coconut
pinch of salt

Cake:
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (127g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
1 cup (240ml) passion fruit pulp, with the seeds
4 tablespoons corn starch, packed
4 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup (160ml) heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 1/3 cups (325g) all purpose flour
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder

Make the crumble: in a medium bowl, rub the butter through the flour, sugar, coconut and salt with your fingertips until it turns crumbly. Refrigerate while you make the cake.

Cake: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; butter a 20x30cm (8x12in) cake pan.
Place the melted the butter in a large bowl, then beat in the oil, sugar, passion fruit, corn starch, egg yolks, cream and vanilla. In another bowl, beat the egg whites and salt with a spotlessly clean whisk until it holds soft peaks when the whisk is pulled out. Sift and fold the flour and baking powder into the passion fruit mix, then fold in the egg whites gently and spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the top of the cake then press gently to adhere. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan over a wire rack.

Serves 15-18

Blueberry almond tart + Michael Shannon

I will always remember the 2012 Academy Awards as the year in which the people who should have won the statues weren’t even nominated: as happened to Tilda and Lynne Ramsay, Michael Shannon had, to me, the most striking performance as an actor last year but was forgotten by the Academy. I’ll also keep in mind that the people responsible for the nominations chose Jessica Chastain as a contestant for Best Actress in a Supporting Role – which is perfect – but signed her in with the wrong movie; I wonder if the person reading the instructions got confused, Jack Palance style. :D

I find subtlety to be an essential quality for an actor, and Michael Shannon has tons of it – I feel that his Curtis would have become a walking cliché in the hands of a less talented actor. Shannon had impressed me before in rather short but powerful performances, and after watching the absolutely amazing “Take Shelter” I have become officially a fan: I am pretty sure he’ll nail the part of General Zod, making the always great Terence Stamp proud, and there are two other movies on their way that sound really interesting, one of them reuniting Shannon and Jeff Nichols – I’ll be watching those, you bet. And if you, like me, find that Shannon’s bony, squared face gives him a sort of intimidating look, you should know that he can be oh, so adorable and funny. :)

***
This tart, though not as simple as making a cake, is worth every second of preparation: the almond filling is luscious and moreish, while the berries, after baked, taste like little bubbles of jam exploding in one’s mouth. Oh, so good.

Blueberry almond tart
slightly adapted from the very, very delicious and beautiful Good Things to Eat (mine was bought here)

Pastry:
1 cup (140g) all purpose flour
¼ cup (35g) icing sugar, sifted if lumpy
pinch of salt
1/3 cup + ½ tablespoon (83g) cold unsalted butter, in cubes
1 egg
1 teaspoon ice water
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups (125g) almond meal
½ tablespoon all purpose flour
pinch of salt
125g blueberries
icing sugar, for dusting

Pastry: place the flour, icing sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and blitz to combine. Add the butter and pulse a few times until mixture resembled coarse breadcrumbs. Break the egg into a small bowl, add the water and vanilla and lightly whisk with a fork. With the motor running, gradually add the egg mixture and process just until a dough starts to form (you won’t probably use the whole egg mixture). Transfer to a lightly floured surface, form into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (can be frozen for a month with a double layer of foil on top of the plastic wrap).

Lightly butter a 30x10cm (12x4in) tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll the pastry into a 35x15cm (14x6in) rectangle. Line the pan with the pastry, removing the excess pastry. Prick the pastry all over with a fork and freeze for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F and place a large baking sheet in it. Line the base and sides of the pastry case with a piece of baking paper and fill with dried beans/baking weights. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the sides have set. Carefully remove the beans and the paper, reduce the oven to 180°C/350°F, then bake the pastry until dry in the bottom and is starting to turn pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave it on. Cool the pastry for 10 minutes.
Make the filling: in the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, and then scrape the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla extract, almond meal, all purpose flour and salt.
Sprinkle a third of the blueberries on the bottom of the pastry shell. Cover with the almond filling, then sprinkle the rest of the berries on top. Bake until the filling is set and golden brown, about 40 minutes.
Dust with icing sugar to serve and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6-8

Cheesecake swirled chocolate cake

I have something to write about Christopher Nolan, but that involves some "TDKR" spoilers - if you haven't seen the movie yet, scroll down for the recipe.

* spoilers *

Many of the people I have talked with about "TDKR" think that Nolan should return for another Batman movie, especially because of the way "TDKR" ended, but I disagree ; As much as I love the three films he superbly directed - and you know I am a fanatic for his trilogy - I believe that it is a cycle that ended beautifully and now it's time for him to move on as a director. That is very clear to me when I think of the amazing films he has made aside from the Batman trilogy - he even made me like Robin Williams! - and I would be absolutely thrilled to watch more films like the fantastic "The Prestige".

* end of spoilers *

I love the idea of a cake that comes out of the pan already filled, and for someone who adores cheesecake like I do this chocolate cake is just perfect.

Cheesecake swirled chocolate cake
from a lovely book I bought ages ago and hadn’t used in years

Cheesecake swirl:
225g (8oz) cream cheese, softened
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg

Cake:
2 eggs
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
1 cup (240ml) canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups (420g) all purpose flour
2/3 cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (240ml) buttermilk*

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour a 12-cup capacity Bundt pan.
Cheesecake swirl: in a medium bowl, mix together the cream the cheese, sugar and vanilla with a whisk until creamy and smooth. Beat in the egg. Set aside.
Cake: in the large bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla until thick and smooth. In another bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture alternately with the buttermilk and beat until smooth. Spoon 2/3 of the chocolate batter into prepared pan. Using the back of a spoon, make a trough in the batter, all the way around the pan. Carefully spoon the cheese mixture into the trough. Gently cover the filling with the remaining chocolate batter and smooth the top. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan, over a wire rack, for 15 minutes, then turn onto the rack. Cool completely before serving.

* homemade buttermilk: to make 1 cup buttermilk place 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a 240ml-capacity measuring cup and complete with whole milk (room temperature). Wait 10 minutes for it to thicken slightly, then use the whole mixture in your recipe

Serves 10-12

Banana streusel muffins + "Skyfall"

I must admit that I’m not a fan of the 007 movies – it’s not my thing. I tried watching several of them, many, many times, but 20 minutes into it and I was either changing the channel or had fallen asleep. :S
The first Bond movie I watched from beginning to end was “Die Another Day”, and well... let’s just say that by the end of it I wished I’d spent those hours baking a cake or something. :)
Years later, I gave the movie franchise another chance and decided to watch “Cassino Royale”: the trailer seemed interesting and I wanted to see how Daniel Craig would do as the new 007; I thought he did an excellent job, giving the character an emotional depth I hadn’t seen before (and Eva Green was pretty amazing as Vesper, too). Despite not having watched “Quantum of Solace” yet, I know for sure I’ll be in the theater next November for “Skyfall” – Craig, Judi Dench and Ralph Fiennes together in a movie would be reason enough for me, but to top it all off beautifully “Skyfall” is directed by Sam Mendes, a director I adore. The new trailer is out, and it is worth watching.

***

These are called banana muffins (even though they’re made as cake) and they’re super tender and very delicious – their perfume while in the oven was intoxicating. The streusel topping tastes great and adds a nice crunch – I swapped a bit of the flour for the oats as a way of making them a bit healthier and it worked out fine.

Banana streusel muffins
from a book I adore and should definitely use more often

Streusel topping:
¼ cup (35g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (38g) rolled oats
½ cup (88g) light brown sugar, packed
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup (56g/½ stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Muffins:
2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 very ripe bananas (I used 2 giant ones)
½ cup plain yogurt

Streusel topping: in a medium bowl, stir together flour, oats, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add the butter and work it into dry ingredients using your fingers or a pastry blender until mixture is lumpy. Refrigerate while you make the batter.

Muffins: preheat oven to 190°C/375°F. Butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the vanilla and bananas. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients, beating just until the flour in absorbed. Mix in the yogurt.
Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle each with streusel topping, pressing down so the mixture adheres to the batter. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins come out clean. Let cool in the pan, over a wire rack, for 8 minutes, then carefully unmold and transfer to the rack to cool.

Makes 12 – I made the exact recipe above, using this pan (¾ cup capacity each cavity) and got 8 (very high) muffins

Red peppers stuffed with quinoa, Fontina and goats cheese + "Moon"

I have been on a good movie wave lately – in about one week I watched five good movies (including “The Dark Knight Rises”), four of them really great ones. One of those movies was “Moon” – after watching “Source Code” last year I got interested in Duncan Jones’ work as a director, and it seems that the man has inherited his old man’s creative genes. :)

* spoilers *

Sam Rockwell was another reason why I wanted to watch “Moon” – I understand that preference for certain actors is a really personal thing, that is why I wouldn’t be able to watch a movie centered around only one character had that character been played by someone I find mediocre, like Johnny Depp, for example. Rockwell owns the movie, frame by frame, and moves with ease from one version of Sam Bell to another, giving us a stunning performance. And what to say about Gerty? The robot is voiced by Kevin Spacey and that alone would be genius already, but the changing faces and the “feelings” it has for Sam brings out great empathy for the robot throughout the movie, especially in the end. But to me the most unforgettable thing about “Moon” is the music: not only is it powerful and suits the movie perfectly, it is also so beautiful and fantastic that I bet you won’t be able to get Clint Mansell’s score off of your mind even if you try to.
I like the science fiction genre a lot – "Alien", "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Blade Runner" were part of my teenage years – but like those classics “Moon” is so much more than that: it’s about human nature, and that fascinates me the most.

* end of spoilers *

These roasted peppers, so tender and delicious, are easy and quick to prepare: I put them together in a couple of minutes, threw the roasting pan in the oven and sat in the couch with the hubby to watch the Olympic Games – a lazy meal for a lazy day.
The recipe was slightly adapted from Mark Bittman’s wonderful vegetarian bible, which I bought by suggestion of my good friend Ana Elisa.

Red peppers stuffed with quinoa, Fontina and goats cheese
slightly adapted from the fantastic How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food

2 red bell peppers
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked quinoa
¾ cup finely grated Fontina
1/3 cup crumbled goat’s cheese
handful of chopped parsley
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil + a little extra for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F. Line a small roasting pan with foil.
Slice the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and white pith. Season the insides of the peppers with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the quinoa, the Fontina, the goat’s cheese, the parsley and the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Stuff the pepper halves with the quinoa mixture, drizzle with a little olive oil and place in the prepared pan. Roast until peppers are tender, 20-30 minutes.

Serves 2