Baked figs with streusel topping and Marsala whipped cream and the reason why we like certain things

Do you ever wonder why you like certain things?

I was making lunch the other day and listening to some music – Toto’s Rosanna was playing. My husband said “I did not know you liked Toto”. I replied “I like this song, because I had an English teacher that loved it, for her name was Rosana”. She was one of the best teachers I had, and on top of that I found her so, so beautiful: she was a redhead and covered with freckles – it was then, at the age of 15, that I started liking my own freckles for until that moment I felt completely awkward with them (no one else in my family, at school or at my street had freckles).

Because of my teacher Rosana I stopped covering my arms in long sleeves even when it was insanely hot. Because of her I stopped hating the way my face looked with freckles everywhere – she never knew that, but she had a big part in my acceptance of my own features. That is why I think of her when I listen to “Rosanna” and my heart is filled with joy.

Now, the figs… I like figs because I first tried them in my godmother’s house, maybe at around 7 or so. The smell of the fruit takes me back to the days I spent with her – figs and peppermint tea, it is impossible for me to try these things without thinking of my godmother. She died a long time ago, however I have lots of fond memories of her.

My godmother was a very sophisticated woman who had travelled the world, so I believe she would like this dessert very much – the figs sort of turn into a creamy jam while in the oven and the Marsala whipped cream pairs beautifully with them. I don’t think the fruit skin benefits from the heat, though, therefore I recommend you eat the pulp and the crumble topping using a spoon and consider the skin a vessel for the deliciousness only. :)

Baked figs with streusel topping and Marsala whipped cream
own creation

For the figs:
6 small figs
½ cup (70g) all purpose flour
3 tablespoons demerara sugar
3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, cold and diced
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

Marsala whipped cream:
½ heavy cream, very cold
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Marsala

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a small baking sheet with foil.

In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add the butter and rub ingredients with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Cut figs in half lengthwise and place them cut side up on top of the foil. Sprinkle the crumble topping over each fig half, packing it slightly with your fingers to make it adhere to the fruit. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crumble is golden.

In the meantime, place the cream, sugar and Marsala in a small bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Serve the figs warm with the whipped cream.

Serves 4

Orange Marsala pound cake

Many, many years ago, without much thought, I started baking a cake every weekend, and it has become a tradition here in my house: if I don’t see a cake cooling over a wire rack on a Saturday it just doesn’t feel like the weekend.

Sometimes I struggle with choosing which cake to make, either because I have too many ideas at once or because I don’t have any. :) Weeks ago I was cooking lunch and as I poured some Marsala over the broccolini I immediately thought of adding it to a cake. After we finished eating I found an orange in my fridge and the flavor of the cake was then decided – just like that. Inspiration coming from all sorts of places – I like that a lot.

This is a moist, delicious and fragrant cake, one that I once made with whisky and nutmeg and that it turned out even more fantastic with a touch of citrus and Marsala.

Do you like making cakes on the weekend? What is your favorite cake flavor?

Orange Marsala pound cake
slightly adapted from the delicious Pure Dessert: True Flavors, Inspiring Ingredients, and Simple Recipes

2 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature
2 tablespoons Marsala wine
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
150g granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 1 large orange
105g cake flour (homemade: 15g corn starch + 90g all purpose flour)
55g whole wheat flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon table salt
180g unsalted butter, softened and in chunks

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 4 to 5 cups loaf pan, line it with baking paper and butter the paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, Marsala, eggs, and vanilla to combine.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar and orange zest and rub with your fingertips until sugar is fragrant. Whisk in the flours, baking powder and salt. Add the butter then pour in half of the egg mixture. Beat on low speed just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add half of the rest of the egg mixture and beat for 20 seconds. Add the rest of the egg mixture and beat for 20 seconds. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake until golden and risen and a toothpick comes out clean, 55-60 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes, unmold carefully and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely, then peel off the paper.

Serves 8-10

Cinnamon madeleines with Marsala glaze and Jennifer Aniston

Weeks ago my husband and I were trying to find something good on TV and since there was nothing we ended up watching 10 minutes or so of Wanderlust – I say 10 minutes or so because it was all we could stand of such a lousy movie. We began talking about Jennifer Aniston’s movies, how awful they usually are and we wondered why she makes such poor role choices.

Days after that, I heard about Cake and all the buzz it’d generated, and then a Golden Globe and a SAG Award nominations became a reality, and for what I have seen and read about the movie an Oscar nomination is bound to happen.

In Jen’s defense, I watched The Good Girl back in the day and thought she was good in it – I even thought that from that moment on she would take that route when choosing roles to play, but unfortunately that never happened. She’s not part of my favorite actresses list, but I have always felt she had more to offer.

When I saw these cinnamon madeleines on the Telegraph website I thought they would be a nice addition to my Christmas series, but since I meant to turn them into a gift to a friend they needed something more – they were too plain, a Jennifer Aniston kind of madeleine, let’s say. I thought a glaze would make them extra special and because it’s Christmas a bit of alcohol wouldn’t hurt so I made a Marsala glaze for them, and it paired beautifully with the cinnamon flavor – the madeleines became a Jennifer Aniston post-Cake kind of madeleine. ;)

Cinnamon madeleines with Marsala glaze
slightly adapted from here

Madeleines:
70g unsalted butter, melted and cooled + a bit extra for greasing
2 eggs, room temperature
85g granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
85g all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

Glaze:
½ cup (70g) icing sugar
2 teaspoons Marsala wine
water, if necessary

Madeleines: using an electric mixer, beat the eggs until pale and foamy and tripled in volume. Slowly add the sugar in a stream while continuing to whisk until it thickens. Whisk in the vanilla. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon – try not to lose any of the air from the eggs. Fold in the butter. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 20-hole madeleine pan (each cavity holds ½ tablespoon of batter) with melted butter and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Fill each madeleine cup ¾ of the way up with the batter, then bake for about 10 minutes or until risen and golden. Remove from the pan immediately and cool on a wire rack.

Glaze: sift the icing sugar into a small bowl. Gradually add the Marsala and stir until you get a drizzable consistency (add water if necessary). Drizzle over cooled madeleines and set aside for 15-20 minutes.

Makes about 50

Spiced orange and currant rolls and another food show disappointment

Once again I watched a TV cooking show only to get disappointed with the winner – I should have learned from “Top Chef”, shouldn’t I? :/

* spoilers of “The Great British Bake Off” seasons 2 and 3 *

Choosing John over Brendan was completely unfair – Valentina thinks they went for the one who would look better on TV and cookbook/magazine covers, and I agree with her. I own John Whaite’s cookbook and after watching “The Great British Bake Off” I felt that the book doesn’t sound much like him; the recipes look delicious, but in my opinion they don’t match the boy I watched on TV – from the book he seems to be a lot more skilled than he was on the show.

I haven’t watched season 2 of “The Great British Bake Off”, but I bought Jo Wheatley’s cookbook, which is packed with wonderful recipes. I don’t know how well she did throughout the competition but if these rolls are any indication I guess she deserved to win after all – the boozy currants are my contribution to the recipe.

Spiced orange and currant rolls
adapted from the beautiful A Passion for Baking (I bought mine here)

Dough:
350g all purpose flour
1 1/8 teaspoons dried yeast
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
pinch of salt
½ cup (120ml) whole milk, warm
finely grated zest of 1 orange
¼ cup (60ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
30g unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
2/3 cup currants
1/3 cup Marsala wine
¼ cup (50g) demerara sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (55g) pecans, finely chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

In the large bowl of an electric mixer place flour, yeast, sugar. Place the salt in the bowl away from the yeast. Add the milk, orange zest and juice, butter, egg and vanilla and, using the hook attachment, knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a lightly buttered large bowl, cover with plastic and set in a warm place for about 1½ hours or until the dough has doubled in size. Meanwhile, butter 8 cavities of a 12-hole (1/3 cup capacity each cavity) muffin pan and make the filling: place the currants and Marsala in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it boils, remove from the heat and cool completely. In a small bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Set aside.

Punch the dough with your fist to deflate, then transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to a 40x30cm (16x12in) rectangle. Brush the dough with the melted butter and sprinkle the pecan mixture evenly over it. Drain the currants (discard the wine) and scatter over the filling. Starting from a long edge, roll up the dough into a long, thin sausage shape.
Using a small sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 even-sized pieces. Place them with their cut sides up in the prepared pan. Cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap and leave to rise again (prove) for about 1 hour until the buns have risen. Towards the end of the proving time, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°C. Before placing the rolls in the oven, fill each empty cavity halfway through with cold water.
Bake the rolls for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for about 8 minutes, then carefully remove and transfer to the rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving – you can serve the rolls warm or at room temperature. They also reheat very well.

Makes 8