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

Spiced apple turnovers + the end of a brilliant trilogy

After months and months of sheer anxiety – Christopher Nolan did to me what Fincher had done in 2010 and 2011 – the moment I’d waited for had finally arrived : the day I saw the end of a brilliant trilogy.

*spoilers*

I won’t use the word “perfect” to describe “The Dark Knight Rises” – I’ll save the adjective for “The Dark Knight”, which in my opinion is a better movie – but I will say that not many movies had the effect that “TDKR” had over me; the first minutes of the film had me holding my breath without even noticing, and I was blown away both by the powerful music and by the introduction of the villain, the moment Tom Hardy started his magnificent show as Bane – when someone wearing a mask that covers half their face gives you the performance of a lifetime you know you’re in for a treat, and only an actor who fully trusts his director would devote himself to something like that, like very few before him. One could see that Anne Hathaway put a lot of effort into her character and congrats to her for that, but Michelle Pfeiffer made it impossible for any other mortal do play Selina Kyle – I don’t even like Pfeiffer, I find her mediocre as an actress, but that role is something she played to perfection. Months ago I read that Nolan had done nearly the impossible to get Marion Cotillard to play Miranda Tate (she would have been my choice for the role of Selina Kyle), even modifying the filming schedule to accommodate the actress’ pregnancy, and I only understood why after watching the movie – kudos to you, Nolan, that was a magnificent choice, and bringing the always wonderful Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson for a couple of scenes was the icing on the cake.
One of the many reasons I find Nolan’s Batman trilogy a work of art is the choice of a fantastic cast, which started by choosing a real talented actor for the main role (unlike his predecessors), and surrounding him with equally talented people; besides that, he’s not afraid to go to dark places, which makes perfect sense since his hero is a very dark, troubled person. That is why I did not care for some moments of the movie, like Selina kissing Batman before the final trip with the plane – too cheesy, and that is not Nolan. The introducing of Robin was deeply disappointing to me because I don’t like the character and I also think that Gordon-Levitt would make a perfect Riddler. But overall, the movie hit all the marks I expected it to: visually impeccable, with a really good script and equally good performances; it gives the character the closure it deserved and will probably make everyone pay more attention to Tom Hardy, who had the ungrateful mission of “competing” with Heath Ledger’s sublime performance and did an excellent job. And from Nolan I continue to expect only the best, because that is what he has shown so far.

* end of spoilers*

These turnovers, which to me are the healthier and more delicious version of a certain “restaurant’s” apple pie, are not difficult to make and will please children of all ages, I am sure; the recipe comes from my favorite dessert cookbook, the one I cannot live without.

Spiced apple turnovers
from the always, always amazing Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful

Pastry:
1 ½ cups (210g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
pinch of salt
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1cm (½in) cubes
1 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling:
675g (1 ½ pounds) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm (½in) pieces
1/3 cup (66g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon brandy
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
6 teaspoons + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
about 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, extra

Pastry: whisk flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 4 tablespoons ice water, mix with a fork until moist clumps form, add more ice water if dough is too dry – I made the pastry using the food processor.
Transfer dough to floured surface, divide into 6 equal parts, form each into a ball, flat into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (can be refrigerated overnight).
Line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Roll out each dough disk on a lightly floured surface to a 20cm (8in) round. Transfer rounds to prepared sheets, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Make the filling: mix apples, sugar, brandy, cinnamon, vanilla lemon zest, nutmeg and cloves in a large bowl, cover and let stand for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Spoon ½ cup drained apple mixture onto bottom half of 1 pastry round, leaving a 2cm (¾in) border around edges. Dot filling with 1 teaspoon butter, lightly brush the edges of pastry with water. Fold top half of dough over filling and enclose completely. Gently press the edges together to seal, then, using a fork, gently press edge to seal. Repeat with remaining pastry rounds, filling and butter. Place the turnovers onto a large baking sheet lined with baking paper. Cut 3 slits on top of each turnover. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter and brush the turnovers. Sprinkle with the extra sugar.
Bake turnovers until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Makes 6

Vanilla cupcakes with blackcurrant preserves icing

Looking for a recipe to use up the jam left in the jar after making this cake, I found an old magazine scrap with a recipe for apple cupcakes with blackcurrant icing; I thought it sounded delicious but did not have any apples around (I’d devoured them in crumble form a couple of hours before, mea culpa). Then I thought that a neutral flavor, like vanilla, would be a good substitute for the apple since it would let the icing shine – that was how these tender, simple yet flavorsome cupcakes were created.

Vanilla cupcakes with blackcurrant preserves icing
adapted from the wonderful Gourmet Today: More than 1000 All-New Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen + an old magazine scrap

Cupcakes:
¾ cup (105g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
¾ stick (85g) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons (90g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon whole milk, room temperature

Icing:
½ cup (70g) icing sugar
100g blackcurrant preserves
2-3 teaspoons lemon juice

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a twelve-cavity muffin pan (1/3 cup capacity each cavity) with paper liners.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add egg and beat until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and milk mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour and mixing until just combined.
Divide batter among muffin cups, filling them two-thirds full, and bake until tops are pale golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in centers comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully remove and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.
Make the icing: sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl. Add the preserves and mix well. Gradually add the lemon juice, mixing until desired consistency. Pour over the cooled cupcakes and set aside to set, about 30 minutes.

Makes 12

Ginger and molasses cake + Christian Bale (again)

I know that by telling you again how much I adore Christian Bale I might sound like a broken record, but what can I do? Not only is he an amazing and versatile actor – one of my top favorites – he’s also been making headlines these past few days for all the right reasons – how can one not love the guy? :)
“The Dark Knight Rises” opens tomorrow here in Brazil and my tickets were bought a long, long time ago; anxiety has been building up and I cannot wait to watch the movie.

***
This incredibly tender cake, deliciously perfumed with ground ginger and dotted with little nuggets of crystallized ginger has become a favorite: it has a wintry feel (perfect for July), can feed a crowd and besides being easy to make it is prepared in one saucepan (less washing up). ;)

Ginger and molasses cake
slightly adapted from the always fabulous Donna Hay Magazine

2 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon (335g) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
pinch of salt
2/3 cup (150g) unsalted butter, chopped
2/3 cup golden syrup (I used corn syrup)
2/3 cup molasses
2/3 cup (116g) dark brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon hot water
1 cup (240ml) buttermilk*
2 eggs
icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 20x30cm (8x12in) baking pan.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, ground ginger and salt.
Place the butter, golden syrup, molasses, brown sugar and crystallized ginger in a large saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat.
In a teacup, combine the baking soda and the water and add to the saucepan, stirring to combine. Add the buttermilk and eggs and mix to combine. Add the sifted ingredients and stir until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until risen and golden and skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely, then dust with icing sugar to serve.

* 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 12-15

Apple and buttermilk fritters - a delicious excuse to fry

It’s no secret how much I love Gourmet Traveller – I have made tons of recipes from the magazine and they turned out delicious. I always have several recipes from the magazine on my radar (me and my never ending list) and now, because of the fall, I’ve been targeting the ones with apples and pears, and I intend to make the doughnuts filled with quince jelly as soon as I get my hands on some quince; while that doesn’t happen, I enjoy these apple fritters, which are delicious and very easy to put together – I don’t usually fry food at home, but these are the perfect excuse for it. :)

Apple and buttermilk fritters
from the always gorgeous Australian Gourmet Traveller

Fritters:
1 ¾ cups + ½ tablespoon (250g) all purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup (240ml) buttermilk*
2 eggs, separated
2 Granny Smith apples, coarsely grated
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
pinch of salt

Cinnamon sugar:
1 cup (200g) granulated or caster (superfine) sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir in the sugar and lemon zest and make a well in the centre. Add buttermilk, yolks and vanilla, stir until smooth, stir in apple. Set aside to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, for cinnamon sugar, combine ingredients in a bowl, then spread on a tray and set aside.
Preheat oil in a deep-fryer or deep-sided small saucepan to 180°C/350°F.
Whisk egg whites and salt in a bowl until firm peaks form. Fold one-third of egg white into apple mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining egg white. Spoon rough quenelles of mixture into hot oil, in batches, and cook, turning occasionally, until golden and cooked through (2-3 minutes; be careful as hot oil may spit). Drain in paper towels, toss in cinnamon sugar and serve hot.

* 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

Makes about 40