Crispy sage and brown butter pasta

I love growing my own herbs. I have been doing that with basil and parsley for over 2years now, rosemary and chives for a little less time and a couple of months ago I started growing sage and oregano.
After cooking with sage for the first time, I felt like trying it again, using a recipe from the same article (DH magazine #32). One of the quickest pasta dishes I have ever put together, this is absolutely delicious. And Joey seems to think so, too. :)

There’s only a handful of ingredients here, so use the best and freshest you can find.

Crispy sage and brown butter pasta
from Donna Hay magazine

200g (7oz) spaghetti
50g (1 ¾oz) unsalted butter
1/3 cup sage leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
grated parmesan, to serve

Place the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water and cook until al dente; drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the sage and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the sage is crispy and the butter is browned.
Stir through the lemon juice, drained pasta, salt and pepper and toss to combine.
Top with the parmesan and serve.

Serves 2

Chocolate cola cake with toasted coconut-almond frosting

I usually write about my sister, Jessica, but rarely mention my brother, Joao Paulo – he’s the funniest person I have ever met. Even though sometimes I think he’s 12, he turned 27 last week, on the 26th.
Jessica’s brother from her mother’s first marriage (wow, that was complicated), Julio Cesar, celebrates his birthday a day before – it’s such a coincidence. He’s 29 now, like me, and is the sweetest guy one can possibly meet.
Both boys have a very special place in my heart, so I baked them a cake, made some finger food and we celebrated their birthdays at my place.

I chose a recipe from this beautiful book – as much as I love the idea of baking a 3-layer cake, our group was pretty small and I did not want cake lying around after my guests were gone; that’s just too dangerous. That’s why I halved the recipe and made a two layer cake, using two 20cm (8-in) round cake pans.
I was out of pecans and used flaked almonds instead. The cake turned out delicious – my dad had 3 slices and he doesn’t like birthday cakes – but I believe that it would have been better with the pecans.

I also used store-bought dulce de leche to speed things up, but I’m posting the complete recipe in case you want to make it like the book.

Chocolate cola cake with toasted coconut-almond frosting
adapted from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

Cake:
42g (1 ½ oz) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped – I used 72% cocoa
2/3 cup (160ml) buttermilk*
3 eggs
1 ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (400g) sugar
2 ¾ cups cake flour**
½ cup (45g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup (160ml) cherry cola or Dr Pepper – I used regular Coke

Frosting:
1 cup (90g) sweetened flaked coconut – I used unsweetened desiccated coconut
1 cup (about 4oz/112g) flaked almonds
2 cans (395g/14oz each) sweetened condensed milk

For the cake: preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans or coat with vegetable cooking spray. Line the bottom of each with parchment or waxed paper and grease the paper.

Combine the chocolate and buttermilk in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Heat, stirring often, until the chocolate melts, about 7 minutes; do not let the buttermilk come near a boil, or it will curdle. Remove from the heat and whisk until smooth.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs lightly. Beat in the oil and vanilla. Gradually whisk in the sugar until well blended. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth and homogenized.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Set these dry ingredients aside. In 2 or 3 alternating additions, add the dry ingredients and cola to the chocolate mixture, beating well between additions. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared pans.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes (mine baked for 35) or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the layers cool in their pans for 10 minutes then turn onto wire racks to cool completely, at least 1 hour.

Make the frosting: preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF. On a baking sheet, spread out the coconut in an even layer. Toast in the oven for 5-7 minutes, tossing once, until the coconut is very lightly browned. Transfer to a dish and let cool. Repeat the process with the almonds. Leave the oven on.
Spoon the condensed milk into a heatproof glass baking dish, cover tightly with foil and set the dish in a roasting pan or larger baking dish. Fill the pan with enough hot water to reach about halfway up the side of the smaller baking dish. Bake for 2 hours, stirring once or twice, until the milk is a light caramel color. Carefully remove the dish from the water bath and remove the foil with caution; the hot steam can burn.
Transfer the caramelized milk to a bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir in the toasted coconut and almonds (I saved a little to sprinkle the cake). Let cool slightly. Cover the frosting with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface, then refrigerate until cool but not set, 1 to 1 ½ hours.

To assemble the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake plate or stand. Cover the top with about ¾ cup of the frosting, spreading evenly to the edge. Repeat with the second layer and another ¾ cup frosting. Finally, spread the remaining frosting over the top of the cake, allowing the excess to decoratively down the sides.

Refrigerate the cake, uncovered, for at least 1 hour, until the frosting sets. Then cover with a cake dome, large bowl or plastic wrap until ready to serve. This allows the moisture to even out and prevents the frosting from forming a crust. Chilling also makes the cake easier to cut, something that’s best done with a hot, wet serrated knife – this is an unbelievable tender cake.

* we can’t find buttermilk here in Brazil, so I used the following mixture instead: 1 tablespoon white vinegar plus enough milk to equal 1 cup for 1 cup of buttermilk; let stand 5 minutes.

** the same thing happens with cake flour, so I used the following: 1 cup cake flour = 7/8 cup all purpose flour + 2 tablespoons corn starch

Serves 16-20

Parmesan wafer salad

Donna Hay again. Bear with me, please. :)

This salad was published on her magazine #29, in 2006, and it was part of an article in which she showed the readers some of the recipes from a book she was releasing back then. Such a teaser! I chose this salad because I love each and every ingredient in it, but I must admit that seeing it on the cover of the book made me think of how special it would be.

If you want a light, different and tasty meal, look no further.



This is my entry for the Weekend Herb Blogging, this time hosted by the lovely Kalyn, the mind behind that wonderful event.

Parmesan wafer salad
from Donna Hay magazine

1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 red apples, thinly sliced
80g (3oz) arugula leaves
1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
150g (5oz) goat’s cheese

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/355ºF. Arrange 8 x 1 ½ tablespoons of parmesan in circles on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper* and bake for 10 minutes or until crispy. Set aside to cool.
Place balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
Arrange the arugula on serving plates, top with apple slices and goat’s cheese and drizzle with the dressing.
Finish it off with the parmesan wafer.

* I used regular baking paper coated with cooking spray. The cheese got stuck. So I tried it again, using foil coated with cooking spray and it worked out perfectly.

Serves 4

White chocolate chunk macadamia nut cookies

Move over, pecans: I have a new nut love. And it’s called macadamias.

Macadamias on ice cream? So good. Paired with white chocolate in a cookie? Heavenly.

I got the recipe from Lynn’s blog – don’t forget to check her cookies and while you’re at it read how funny her baking session was that day.

My baking session was pretty good, too – I got loads of cookies, which I sent to Joao’s coworkers.

White chocolate chunk macadamia nut cookies

2 ¼ cups (315g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (175g) packed light brown sugar
½ cup (120g) granulated sugar
1 ½ sticks (170g) unsalted butter, softened + extra pinch of salt
2 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
112g (4oz) macadamia nuts, lightly toasted and chopped (about 1 cup)
224g (8oz) good white chocolate bar, coarsely chopped (about 1 ½ cups)

Preheat oven to 150ºC/300ºF; line two baking sheets with baking paper.

Into a medium bowl sift together the flour, soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat together butter and sugars. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as it forms a grainy paste. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add the flour mixture, macadamia nuts, and white chocolate, and blend at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches (5cm) between dough mounds. Bake for 20 to 22 minute - take out when the cookie edges just begin to turn golden brown. Use a wide metal spatula to transfer cookies immediately to a cool, flat surface (like a clean countertop); this keeps the cookies moist on the underside - I slid the baking paper to the countertop and left it there till the cookies were cool.

Makes about 3 dozen

Cheese pinwheel scones

Don’t let these fool you: despite their pale look, they are pretty addictive. Don’t believe me? Joao had several. And he never eats my baked goods. Ever.

I usually don’t go for savory baking, but who can say no to bread filled with 3 types of cheese?

Even though the scones were delicious, there are two things I’d do differently: add more salt to the dough and use an egg wash to get them nicely golden.

Cheese pinwheel scones
recipe from this box

250g all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper – I used freshly ground black pepper
30g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
185ml milk

Filling:
40g goat’s cheese, crumbled
40g grated parmesan cheese
40g grated mature cheddar cheese – I used the yellow mozzarella we have here, made with cow’s milk
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF. Grease or line a baking tray with non stick baking paper.
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the milk and, using a flat-bladed knife, mix to form a soft dough. Add a little extra flour if the dough is too sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and roll out to form a 20x25cm (8x10in) rectangle. Sprinkle the goat’s cheese over the surface, then sprinkle over the parmesan, cheddar and parsley. Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a cylinder. Cut the cylinder into 10 equal 2cm (3/4 in) thick slices. Transfer the slices to a baking tray, spacing them 2cm (3/4 in) apart.
Bake for 10-12 minutes (mine took 28 minutes in the oven) or until golden and cooked through. Cool on a wire rack.
Serve warm.

Makes 10