Marshmallow Salad

This is one of those desserts that reminds me of long weekends in May and summer holidays...it is one of my Grandma's signature dishes...and a firm family favourite.  A total doddle to throw together, it is more of an open packets and mix together kind of recipe than anything else.  

I call it Marshmallow Salad, I've heard it referred to as White Trash Salad...its proper name is Ambrosia  and hails from the Southern United States (apparently) so who knows how it came to be in my Grandma's repertoire.  All I know is it is comforting and ridiculously easy to eat.  

Basically the recipe goes something like this...drain a couple cans of fruit salad (preferably with extra cherries) and maybe a tin of mandarine oranges and some extra pineapple chunks.  Cover with a decent amount of sour cream, or in this case Creme Fraiche, sprinkle with sweetened coconut and 3 handfuls of mini marshmallows (or more).  Mix it all together and refrigerate until time to devour.  

Deliciously Trashy

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Banana Crepe Cake

The Euros and David's studying have totally taken over our house, our routine, our everything.  All of that coupled with some pretty miserable weather left me in a total rut this weekend.  Silence is needed in the house during the day and breaks are only taken for lunch and football...yawn yawn yawn.  I begged and I pleaded with David to let me use the kitchen a bit on Saturday (where the studying takes place) and, kindly, he agreed. 

I've been dreaming of making Smitten Kitchen's Banana Bread Crepe Cake with Butterscotch for ages and decided that since it involved a minimum of noise, and no baking, it would be the perfect cake to prepare while poor David was sitting at the table, in silence, studying.  

Layers and layers of crepes sandwiched with creamy filling and topped with a butterscotch sauce...how totally perfect! The crepes are flavoured with mashed banana and banana bread spices...nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground cloves (I used mixed spice).  I love crepes, but I rarely make them at home...only because my dna forces me to make fluffy pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and, to be honest, I rather have a big slice of cake for dessert than a couple of crepes with Nutella.  I have to say it wasn't awesome standing over the stove flipping 16 crepes, but satisfaction did arrive...finally...with the eating.  

The filling for this crepe cake is a mixture of cream cheese, greek yoghurt and sugar for sweetness. It certainly has a tangy taste, from the yoghurt, and I love it.  Perfectly creamy and sharp, with just a little sweetness.  Topped with a smooth butterscotch sauce and walnuts this crepe cake was a beauty to behold, but cutting into it was incredible and hard to resist.  

I let the cake sit in the fridge for about an hour before cutting into it and I think that it helped the creamy yoghurt firm up a bit...meaning that it didn't all come oozing out the sides.  16 layers of crepe and youghurty cream topped with a sweet butterscotch sauce...heaven.  

If you are a fan of banana cake, and crepes, I would highly recommend this recipe.  It is a great weekend treat and it is stunning enough to be a party piece (plus it tastes great).  If bananas and yoghurt seem a bit too healthy for you, check out these other options: Sprinkle Bakes' Chocolate Amaretto  Crepe Cake (complete with amaretto truffles), Martha Stewart's Darkest Chocolate Crepe Cake (death by chocolate), Zen Can Cook's Green Tea Crepe Cake or this Nutella Crepe Cake from Ria's Collection (I know just the person for this one).   

One thing is for certain, this is NOT JUST a stack of crepes. 

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A Posh Impromptu Cake Meet

Thursday nights I take a math(s) class at a local college.  It is dreary and takes every ounce of motivation to get on the bus after work and schlep myself to the other end of the city.  On my journey last week I twigged that my bus goes right by a well known patisserie and a plan was hatched...stop off...get pastry...get back on bus...enjoy math(s).  

It didn't happen.  When I got there yesterday afternoon...it was closed. So that put a damper to my evening and math(s) wasn't much better...trigonometric functions...huh???

The cake gods must have felt horrible about letting me down yesterday because today I received a text to join two cake ladies for an impromptu cake meet at a very posh location.  They were going for lunch but hoped that I would be able to make it across town after work to devour some totally divine puddings. 

Would I? Silly question.  I think I banked in all of my cakey good-deed karma today, because I left work without a hitch, got the bus and zoomed through town to Restaurant Mark Greenaway.  I've been waiting to dine here for a while (plans in the pipeline for my birthday in June) after hearing rave reviews from fellow cake ladies and the Edinburgh foodie scene. 

Well...I almost died.

3 words...peanut caramel cheesecake...need I say more?

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Dinner Guests..an excuse for making a huge dessert! (like I needed one)

After the tart-a-thon on with the Edinburgh Cakes Ladies last week I had vowed to stay away from the desserts...for a while. I know it sounds awful but this past month has been one foodie event after another and "moderation" is not something I am good at.  I am a greedy guts...FACT. 

Well everything went down the drain when I remembered that we were having friends over for dinner on Saturday night.  Friends who have recently had a baby.  Friends who needed to be pampered. So...what better than a gigantic pavlova? Meringue, Cream and Strawberries...piled high high high. 

I've not actually made a pavlova before, but when I was debating what to make I remembered that I had 4 egg whites in the freezer just screaming out to be used.  I did some research on the internet and realised that I didn't have cream of tartar or cornstarch or white vinegar...ingredients that were claimed to be integral to the making of a proper pavlova.  

Than I came across Delia's recipe...just egg whites and sugar. Simple.  

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Chocolate Pots...to bake or not to bake?

On Friday I thought that I wouild do something special to celebrate the end of the week, and there is nothing better than a cool, creamy chocolate pot (oh ok....there is cake and cookies and custard and all sorts of yummy things, but a chocolate pot is pretty high up). 

I've attempted pots de creme before...way back in March I topped off a romantic meal with these delicious chocolate pots.  They were baked and then cooled, really tastey and totally romantic.  This week I just wasn't quite sure I wanted to turn the oven on to bake two small-ish pots...

Awhile ago I discovered a recipe for pots de creme on the outside wrapper of a bar of Green & Blacks chocolate, which called for cooking the custard over a simmering pot of water...so I thought I would give it a go, substituting milk chocolate for the dark chocolate since that's what David prefers...

I rarely share recipes, prefering to inspire, but for Dom over at Belleau Kitchen...I have included this one!

Two Chocolate Pots 

200ml single cream 

1 tsp vanilla 

50g milk chocolate broken into pieces 

3 egg yolks 

1 tbsp sugar 

1/4 tsp salt 

Melt chocolate in heat proof bowl suspended over a saucepan on barely simmering water

meanwhile gently heat cream with vanilla

let both cool slightly 

beat egg yolks into chocolate mixture until smooth 

stir in sugar and salt 

gently stir cream into chocolate mixture 

place bowl back over simmering water 

cook until mixture coats back of wooden spoon (stirring all the time) 

slightly overripe tarte aux nectarines

I thought that I got a great deal over the weekend at the market....6 nectarines for 1.50! I couldn't resist! I asked the fruit man to select the firmest nectarines possible...and he assured me that they were all firm...and they seemed firm...firm, firm, firm, FIRM.  Once home I put them out on a plate and left them to ripen...that was Saturday...by Monday morning one was totally moldy and the rest soft....soft, soft, soft, SOFT!!!  grrrrrrrrrrr

They were slightly too soft, in hindsight, for what I had planned for them, but...hey ho! you live and you learn right?

My mum makes this lovely creamy and totally addictive sour cream peach pie, which I really wanted to emulate. That wasn't really on the cards though (I don't have a pie plate, and well...I didn't have sour cream...hmmm) so I opted for a simple tart shell filled with sliced nectarines tossed in cornstarch and sugar. 

David had his with the hugest scoop of vanilla ice cream I have ever seen, I had creme fraiche instead...and then...we both had ANOTHER PIECE!

Rhubarb Upside Down cake for an upside down kinda day

Rhubarb is back in season here on the east coast of England and I just can't get my hands on it fast enough for all the recipes I have been waiting all winter to try! I've been pipped to the post by Kaitlin over at Whisk Kid who posted a gorgeous Martha Stewart rhubarb upside down cake over the weekend.  As soon as I saw her post I just had to try it and ran out this morning to buy a tub of sour cream and got baking!! 

It has been threatening to rain all day.  Curled up now under a blanket with a mug of tea and a big slice of cake topped with a blob of creme fraiche...

Homemade Two-Bite Brownies

One of my favourite treats...one of the most moorish...and one of the most addictive treats are TWO BITE BROWNIES.  These little morsels of sweet squidgy chocolatey brownie are so so so addictive and hardly "two bite"...I mean I can easily polish off the bag without a second thought. 

It is so hard to find these tasty treats here in Chelmsford.  I have spied them in the lush food halls of Selfridges Department Store...but haven't been able to justify the outrageous price (and have been too tempted by the macarons and Lola's cupcakes etc.). 

This past week I found a recipe for brownie bites in a children's cooking book (perfect size for little hands) and thought that it would be an excellent experiment.  Turns out it was a success!!

Not exactly the same texture as my dense store bought brownies, but a really nice substitute! These brownies are made in a pot on the stove top (novel??)...you melt the butter and chocolate together and then add in the rest of the ingredients...it was so so so easy!! 

Two-Bite Brownies with Walnuts (makes 24)

50g walnuts, chopped finely

80g butter

150g dark chocolate, broken into chunks

150g brown sugar, packed

1 egg, beaten lightly

50g plain flour

60g creme fraiche

Pre-heat oven to moderate (about 180 C), lightly grease 12 cup mini muffin tin, divide chopped walnuts among holes.

Stir butter and chocolate together in a small saucepan over low heat until smooth

Stir in sugar, cool until just warm

Stir in egg, then flour, then creme fraiche

Spoon into prepared tins (can be filled right up to top)

Bake 15mins

Let sit 10 mins

Turn out onto cooling rack

Pierre Hermé...you made my week!

As I trundled into London this morning...bleary-eyed and sipping my grande latte (not half fat....full fat for this tired gal) I thought...you know what...I am working 7 days this week I deserve a treat! And what better than a gorgeous little (not that little) bag of french macarons from the Pierre Hermé counter in Selfridge's food hall. Oh my god...these little discs of pure decadence are easily the best thing I have treated myself to in a good long while!

words can not describe...

well...a few words can

airy

light

delicate

madeleines

tartelette au citron...pining for Paris

I've got a few days off from work...the sun is shining...the flowers are blooming...jackets are optional...and I am pining for Paris.  I've been addictively watching Raymond Blanc's most recent cooking show on TV dreaming off all things French.  To ease my pain I whipped up a small batch of lemon curd this morning and made these tartelettes au citron.  I just happened to have some pastry leftover from making the quiche on Tuesday. There is something about the delicate small pastries that are so prominetly and gracefully displayed in the windows of the patisseries of Paris.  While not bite-sized...these THREE bite (lady-like bites) lemon tarts lifted my spirits today!

A treat for my mum!

On Sunday I saw this amazing recipe   for Quinoa Pudding posted on the gorgeous blog Cannelle et Vanille and I just knew I HAD to make it to celebrate my mum's arrival on Tuesday.  My mum loves quinoa...I've never actually had it, but I am totally up for trying new grains and...hey...anything cooked in 3 cups of whole milk and 1 cup of cream HAS to be good...right?

 

If you can get your hands on quinoa and are brave enough to enjoy all that cream you HAVE to try it! If you don't feel ready to try this lovely, nutty and "healthy" grain, there is an equally as moorish recipe for Arroz con Leche (rice pudding) on this incredibly beautiful blog.