Blackberry, Orange and Orange Blossom Clafoutis / Clafoutis de Amoras, Laranja e Extracto de Flor de Laranjeira.

You know I can't resist anything "citrus" right?

As soon as Marta announced that this month's "ingredient of the month" are Oranges, I knew I'd be making a few orangy recipes for Marta and this one is just the first one.

A fabulous Clafoutis, very orangy and with blackberries, another of my favourite ingredients in the world!

Now, as a "citrus lover", how could I ever resist a book called "Citrus"? No way right?

I've got this book long time ago and, although I've already made lots of recipes from it, this one is the first one I'm sharing with you all and a very appropriate one for Marta's challenge.

The book, Citrus - from Catherine Phipps, is a delight book.

Full of great (savoury and sweet) recipes and very helpful information about citrus, the book includes descriptions of varieties and how to slice, dry, freeze, and properly handle different kinds of citrus. A must have, I'd say!

This specific recipe calls for dried orange zest and there's a recipe for it in the book but, it happened that, the day I was going to make this Clafoutis, I got a surprise gift in my mail box.

Manuela sent me, from Portugal, one of these absolutely stunning packs of dried fruit and vegetables and one of the tubes contains a mix of dried orange and rosemary.

A big thank you to Manuela for the amazing gift and a big round of applause and congratulations to "Um Grama" for the exceptional products and for the care and beauty of the packaging and presentation.

Outstanding and beautifully Portuguese!

Although the dried orange and rosemary mix is suggested to serve in starters, salads or with cheese, I thought that it would work perfectly with this Clafoutis and G!!! I was so right!! It worked perfectly and the hint of the rosemary just made this Clafoutis even better!

Give it a go and be impressed!

Fruit Salad Tart / Tarte de Salada de Fruta.

Limoncello and Linen Water by Tessa Kiros, was the very first book I bought from this amazing author and that's the book that made me fall in love with Tessa's books.

I have to say that now I have all Tessa Kiros books but, Limoncello and Linen Water will always be my favourite book.

A fantastically well designed book, full of mouthwatering recipes, images to die for and pages and pages full of recipes, tips, words of wisdom and memories.

A few weeks ago I made this fabulous tart that was a true success and put lots of smiles on everybody's faces.

The tart case is more a biscuity case rather than a pastry and it melts in your mouth. As for the filling, lots and lots of fruit which is always a crowd pleaser.

I used blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and yellow and white nectarines but you can use any fruit you want because it will always be a guaranteed success.

Baked Muscovado and Hazelnut Cheesecake with Blackberries for the Sweet World / Cheesecake (no forno) de Açúcar Mascavado e Avelãs, com Compota rápida de Amoras para o Sweet World.

20th of September and it's time for another Sweet World Challenge and this month, we decided to invite you to bake a Cheesecake.

Yes, it has to be baked!

Cheesecake is a dessert that has stood the test of time.

From its earliest recorded beginnings on Samos over 4,000 years ago to its current iconic status around the world, this creamy dessert remains a favourite for sweet teeth of all ages.

The first cheesecake was probably produced on the Greek island of Samos. Back then, this delicious dessert was believed to be a powerful source of energy. Even during the first Olympic Games in Greece, in 776 BC, cheesecakes were served to the athletes. Wedding couples were also served and cherished with this amazing dessert.

The New Yorkers fell in love with cheesecakes back in the 1900s. The credit for the creation of the NY cheesecake is bestowed upon Arnold Reuben (1883-1970). Even though he is best known for his signature sandwiches, Arnold Reuben is generally credited for creating the New York Style cheesecake. Reuben was born in Germany and he went to America when he was young.

The NY styled cheesecake was actually an experiment that Reuben did with a cheese pie. He was invited to a party where he was served with a cheese pie, and he was so dodged by the dish, that he started experimenting with it and came up with what we know today, as the NY Cheesecake.

The Classic New York style cheesecake is served with just the cake - no fruit, chocolate or caramel is served on the top or on the side. This famously smooth-tasting cake gets its signature flavour from extra egg yolks in the cream cheese cake mix.

Saying that, New York is not the only place in America that puts its own spin on cheesecakes.

In Chicago, sour cream is added to the recipe to keep it creamy.

Philadelphia cheesecake is known for being lighter and creamier than New York style cheesecake and it can be served with fruit or chocolate toppings.

In St. Louis, they enjoy a gooey butter cake, which has an additional layer of cake topping on the cheesecake filling. 

Each region of the world also has its own take on the best way to make the dessert. Italians use ricotta cheese, while the Greeks use mizithra or feta. Germans prefer cottage cheese, while the Japanese use a combination of cornflour and egg whites. There are specialty cheesecakes that include blue cheese, seafood, spicy chilies and even tofu!

Despite of all the variations, the popular dessert’s main ingredients - cheese, wheat and a sweetener - remain the same so, if you're interested, choose the kind of cheesecake you want to make and BAKE IT!

Smashed pavlova with blackberries, currants and roasted strawberry jam / Pavlova "esmagada" com amoras, groselhas e compota de morangos no forno.

I confess that keeping up, or restarting the usual pace of the publications here on the blog is being very hard lately.

Not because I stopped cooking, I don't like or do it as often as I used to but, only because, in this country, it's being very difficult to have some nice natural light to take pictures of the food.

I can't take the photos outside because it's raining all the time and inside, if I turn off the house lights, it's like it's night 24 hours a day... GRRR!!!

Saying that, and even if the photos are not what I expected them to be, I leave you the recipe for this delicious pavlova.

The recipe is from the brand new issue of Donna Hay magazine and it's to good to not be published.

The original recipe is with roasted raspberry jam but I couldn't find any the day I decided to make the pavlova so, I used strawberries.

ingredients (serves 8 to 10):

225ml egg whites (approximately 6 eggs)

330g caster sugar

1 1/2 tsp white vinegar

375ml double cream

200g blackberries (I used blackberries and a mix of red and dark currants)

mint leaves, to serve (I used micro greens)

icing sugar, for dusting

for the roasted strawberry jam:

500g strawberries, washed, hulled and cut into quarters or halves

165g caster sugar

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scrapped

method:

Preheat the oven to 220ºC.

Place the strawberries, sugar and vanilla bean and seeds in a small roasting tin and mix to combine.

Cook, stirring from time to time, for 25 to 30 minutes or until thickened.

Set aside to cool completely. Remove and discard the vanilla bean or wash it, dry it and put it inside a pot of sugar.

Reduce the oven temperature to 150ºC.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting 30 seconds before adding the next tablespoon.

Once all the sugar has been incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl and whisk for a further 6 minutes or until the mixture is stiff and glossy.

Add the vinegar and whisk for a further 2 minutes or until glossy and combined.

Place spoonfuls of the meringue onto a baking tray lined with baking paper in order to make a 22cm round.

Reduce the oven temperature to 120ºC and cook the meringue for 1 hour.

Turn the oven off and allow the pavlova to cool completely in the oven.

Place the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk to stiff peaks.

Place the pavlova on a large serving plate and crush slightly with the back of a large spoon.

Spoon over the cream and drizzle with the strawberry jam.

Top with the berries and mint and dust with icing sugar to serve.

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Confesso que está a ser difícil retomar as publicações aqui no blogue.

Não porque tenha parado de cozinhar, já não goste de o fazer, ou não me apeteça, pois esses não são os problemas com que me deparo.

Continuo a cozinhar com o mesmo entusiasmo de sempre. O problema é que está dificílimo fotografar nesta terra! A luz natural é escassa, ou nenhuma e, para a rua não posso ir, pois chove quase o tempo todo e dentro de casa,  se desligo as luzes, é de noite 24 horas por dia.

Acreditem que nem à 1 da tarde é possível desligar a luz cá em casa... GRRR!!!.

Bom, dito isto e sem muito entusiasmo, devido à má qualidade das fotos, deixo-vos hoje esta receita da Donna Hay que, apesar da luz e das fotos estarem um nojo, é deliciosa demais para não ser partilhada.

A receita original é com compota de framboesas, mas como no dia em que a fiz, não encontrei framboesas, decidi fazê-la com morangos que, não estando na época, podem imaginar que lucraram e muito, com o facto de terem ido ao forno e terem sido transformados em compota.

ingredientes (para 8 a 10 pessoas):

225ml claras de ovo (cerca de 6 ovos)

330g açúcar refinado branco

1 1/2 colheres chá de vinagre de vinho branco

375ml natas para bater

200g amoras (eu usei amoras e uma mistura de groselhas)

folhas de menta, para decorar (eu usei micro ervas)

açúcar em pó, para polvilhar

para a compota de morangos:

500g morangos, lavados, arranjados e cortados em metades ou quartos

165g açúcar refinado branco

1 vagem de baunilha, cortada ao meio e sementes raspadas

preparação:

Aquecer o forno a 220ºC.

Num tabuleiro de ir ao forno, colocar os morangos, o açúcar, a vagem da baunilha e as sementes raspadas.

Misturar tudo muito bem e levar ao forno, mexendo frequentemente, por cerca de 25 a 30 minutos, ou até a mistura ganhar uma consistência de compota.

Retirar do forno e reservar até estar completamente fria. Retirar a vagem da baunilha e descartá-la ou lavá-la, secá-la e colocá-la dentro do açucareiro.

Reduzir a temperatura do forno para os 150ºC.

Colocar as claras na taça da batedeira eléctrica e bater em velocidade máxima, até as mesmas estarem em castelo firme.

Adicionar o açúcar, uma colher de sopa de cada vez, batendo por cerca de 30 segundos, antes de adicionar a seguinte.

Quando tiver incorporado todo o açúcar, raspar os lados e fundo da taça com uma espátula e bater por mais 6 minutos, ou até a mistura estar espessa e brilhante.

Adicionar o vinagre e voltar a bater por mais 2 minutos, ou até o vinagre estar incorporado e a mistura estar brilhante.

Forrar um tabuleiro com papel vegetal e sobre este, colocar colheradas da mistura, de forma a obter um círculo de cerca de 22cm de diâmetro.

Reduzir a temperatura do forno para os 120ºC e cozinhar a pavlova por cerca de 1 hora.

Desligar o forno e deixar a pavlova lá dentro, até estar completamente fria (eu costumo fazê-la à noite, desligo o forno e não lhe toco até ao outro dia de manhã).

Na altura de servir, bater as natas até estas estarem espessas (atenção para que não virem manteiga).

Colocar a pavlova num prato de serviço e com as costas de uma colher grande, esmagá-la (parti-la) ligeiramente, "aqui e ali".

Decorar a pavlova com as natas batidas e algumas colheradas da compota de morangos.

Distribuir os frutos e as ervas escolhidos por cima da pavlova e, por fim, polvilhar com açúcar em pó.

Recipe / Receita: Donna Hay magazine (Feb. - Mar. 2016).

Dark chocolate and blackberry cake / Bolo de chocolate preto e amoras.

Last Friday was my son's 14th birthday and, as I did last year, I told him to pick up one of my books and choose the cake he would like me to bake for him and so he did.

Last year, for his 13th birthday he chose this cake and I made it for him and this year, he picked April Carter's fabulous book and today's recipe is the one he chose as his birthday cake.

You can notice that he is a chocolate lover just by looking at both of the cakes, right?

When he showed it to me I thought to myself "Oh Lord, at this pace, when he gets married I'll have to bake him a skyscraper...", but oh well, I did my best and I baked him the cake he had chosen.

The cake sponge is superb and very light and the blackberry and mascarpone filling just makes it ultra indulgent and cuts through the richness of the chocolate. 

ingredients for the cake:

150g cocoa powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

350g unsalted butter

300g caster sugar

300g soft dark brown sugar

8 medium eggs, lightly beaten

550g plain flour

5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

360ml whole milk

for the chocolate ganache:

800ml double cream

800g dark chocolate, finely chopped

for the blackberry and mascarpone filling:

150g blackberries

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

400g mascarpone

150g icing sugar

to decorate:

225g blackberries

black edible glitter

method:

Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Grease the cake tins and line the bases with baking paper.

Place the cocoa powder, vanilla and 240ml of boiling water in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside to cool.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a clean bowl and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars until the mixture is pale and creamy.

Add the beaten eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the cooled cocoa mixture and beat well.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Add half of the milk, continuing to beat.

Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining milk followed by the remaining flour and beat until just combined.

Divide the mixture evenly between the 4 prepared tins and bake in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cakes comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes in their tins before turning them out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling, make the chocolate ganache and the mascarpone filling.

For the ganache, heat the cream in a saucepan over a medium heat until scalding point.

Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl and pour the cream over it. Gently whisk the mixture until is completely smooth and all of the chocolate has melted.

Set aside to cool and then chill for about 20 minutes or until firm enough.

For the mascarpone filling, place the blackberries, caster sugar and vanilla in a bowl and lightly crush the blackberries with the back of a fork as you combine the mixture.

In a clean bowl, beat the mascarpone with the icing sugar until smooth.

Fold in the crushed berries until just combined, leaving a ripple effect.

Split each cake in half so that you have 8 circles.

Fill a pipping bag with the ganache and snip off the end.

Fix the first circle of a larger cake to a board with a small amount of ganache.

Pipe some ganache around the edge of the first layer and fill with some of the mascarpone filling. The ganache stops the filling from escaping.

Place the second layer on top of this, add the ganache and mascarpone as you did with the first layer.

Repeat with the third layer, finishing with the fourth cake layer.

Repeat the same steps with the smaller cakes so that you have 2 cake tiers, each sitting on a cake board.

Cover both of the cake tiers with a thin layer of the ganache and chill for 30 minutes or until firm.

Meanwhile, for the decoration, dip the top of the blackberries into the black glitter.

Assemble the tiers, then cover the cake with the remaining ganache and decorate with the glittered blackberries.

If necessary, you can use hidden cocktail sticks to stop the blackberries from falling off the cake.

Notes:

• The original recipe is for a big cake and although I just made half of the recipe, I'll leave you the original one.
• The cake tins that the recipe calls for are 2 x 13 and 2 x 18cm deep cake tins but I don't have these sized tins so I used 2 x 19 and 2 x 21cm deep cake tins.

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Na passada 6ª feira o meu filhote fez 14 anos e à semelhança do que já tinha feito no ano passado, disse-lhe para pegar num dos meus livros e escolher o bolo que queria que eu lhe fizesse.

Bom, se o ano passado escolheu este bolo que, embora pequeno, foi uma trabalheira danada, este ano não se fez de rogado.

Pegou no novo livro da April carter e apresentou-me o bolo que queria para o seu 14º aniversário, ou seja, este que hoje vos mostro.

Se compararem os dois bolos, podem constatar que é um verdadeiro chocolate lover certo, pois é o ingrediente predominante em ambos os bolos.

Quando vi o bolo escolhido pensei cá para com os meus botanitos "a este ritmo, quando casar, vou ter de lhe fazer um arranha céus..." mas..., bem..., como boa mãe que me considero, lá fiz a vontade ao rapaz e posso dizer-vos que no fim, eu já não podia ver chocolate à frente, mas enfim.

O resultado final foi este bolo que tem uma textura leve e super fofa e o recheio de mascarpone e amoras é o complemento essencial para lhe dar o toque de frescura necessário e cortar a riqueza e sabor predominante do chocolate.

ingredientes para o bolo:

150g cacau em pó

2 colheres chá de extracto de baunilha

350g manteiga sem sal, amolecida

300g açúcar refinado branco

300g açúcar mascavado escuro

8 ovos médios, ligeiramente batidos

550g farinha de trigo branca

5 colheres chá de fermento para bolos

1 colher chá de sal fino

360ml leite gordo

para o ganache de chocolate:

800ml nats para culinária

800g chocolate preto (70%), picado finamente

para o recheio de amoras e mascarpone:

150g amoras frescas

2 colheres sopa de açúcar refinado branco

1 colher chá de extracto de baunilha

400g mascarpone

150g açúcar em pó

para decorar:

225g amoras frescas

glitter preto para culinária

preparação:

Aquecer o forno a 170ºC.

Untar as formas e forrar o fundo das 4 formas com papel vegetal.

Colocar o cacau em pó, a baunilha e 240ml de água a ferver numa taça, misturar muito bem e reservar para arrefecer.

Numa taça, peneirar a farinha, o fermento e o sal. Reservar.

Com a ajuda de uma batedeira eléctrica, bater a manteiga e ambos os açúcares, até obter uma mistura pálida e cremosa.

Adicionar os ovos, um bocadinho de cada vez, batendo bem entre cada adição.

Adicionar a mistura do cacau arrefecida e bater bem para incorporar.

Adicionar 1/3 da farinha e bater só até esta estar incorporada. Continuando a bater, adicionar metade do leite.

Adicionar mais 1/3 da farinha, o restante leite, seguido da restante farinha e bater só até tudo estar bem combinado.

Dividir a mistura uniformemente pelas 4 formas e levar ao forno por cerca de 40 a 50 minutos, ou até um palito inserido no meio de cada bolo, saia completamente limpo.

Deixar os bolos arrefecer por 10 minutos nas suas próprias formas, antes de os desenformar em cima de uma grelha para completo arrefecimento.

Enquanto os bolos arrefecem, preparar o ganache de chocolate e o recheio do mascarpone.

Para o ganache, colocar as natas num tachinho e levar ao lume até estas atingirem o ponto de ebulição (atenção, não deixar ferver).

Colocar o chocolate picado numa taça e deitar as natas quentes sobre o chocolate.

Mexer delicadamente até o chocolate estar completamente derretido e a mistura estar macia. Deixar arrefecer e depois refrigerar por cerca de 20 minutos, ou até estar suficientemente firme para utilizar.

Para preparar o recheio de mascarpone, colocar as amoras, a baunilha e o açúcar refinado numa taça e com as costas de um garfo, esmagar grosseiramente as amoras, misturando bem todos os ingredientes.

Numa taça limpa, colocar o mascarpone e o açúcar em pó e mexer com uma vara de arames, até obter uma mistura macia.

Adicionar a mistura de amoras à mistura de mascarpone, envolvendo ligeiramente, por forma a criar um efeito marmoreado.

Cortar os bolos ao meio, por forma a obter 8 círculos.

Encher um saco de pasteleiro com o ganache de chocolate e cortar o bico com uma tesoura.

Barrar uma tábua com um bocadinho de ganache e sobre esta, colocar um dos círculos grandes do bolo.

Com o saco de pasteleiro, fazer uma bordadura de ganache a toda a volta do extremo exterior do bolo e encher o centro com o recheio de mascarpone.

A bordadura de ganache vai impedir que o recheio se espalhe, mantendo-se assim no centro do bolo.

Colocar o segundo círculo de bolo em cima do primeiro e repetir o processo.

Repetir os passos anteriores com o terceiro círculo e terminar colocando o quarto círculo de bolo em cima das camadas anteriores.

Numa tábua à parte, repetir o processo com os 4 círculos dos bolos pequenos, por forma a, no final, ter dois andares (de 4 camadas cada), em duas tábuas separadas.

Untar os andares dos bolos com uma camada fina do ganache e levar ao frigorífico por cerca de 30 minutos, ou até o ganache estar firme.

Entretanto, preparar as amoras para a decoração do bolo, mergulhando o topo de cada amora no glitter preto.

Montar os andares do bolo num prato de serviço, cobri-los com o restante ganache e decorá-los com as amoras.

Caso necessário, usar palitos escondidos para que as amoras se mantenham estáveis e não caiam.

Notas importantes:

• Este bolo é enorme e embora eu só tenho feito metade da receita, deixo-vos a receita completa.
• A receita pede para usar 2 formas fundas de 13cm e duas formas fundas de 18cm. Eu não tinha essas medidas de formas e então utilizei 2 formas fundas de 19cm e 2 formas fundas de 21cm.

Recipe / Receita:

Berries and coconut milk ice pops / Gelados de frutos vermelhos e leite de coco.

I got this book last week and it's full of great suggestions and recipes and this one was the first to be tested and... well, it is totally approved!

ingredients (makes 10 pops):

2/3 cup thinly sliced strawberries

2/3 cup ripe blueberries (I used raspberries)

2/3 cup blackberries

1/3 cup + 1 tbsp demerara sugar

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1 can full fat coconut milk (395g)

method:

Put the berries, cardamom and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the berries are soft but slightly holding its shape.

Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut milk.

Divide the mixture between the pop moulds, insert pop sticks and freeze for at least 4 hours.

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Este é daqueles livros que, assim que o começamos a folhear, só apetece ir logo para a cozinha testar todas as receitas.

Recebi-o a semana passada e esta foi a primeira receita a ser testada e totalmente aprovada!

ingredientes (para 10 gelados):

2/3 chávena de morangos, finamente fatiados

2/3 chávena de mirtilos maduros (eu usei framboesas)

2/3 chávena de amoras

1/3 chávena + 1 colher sopa de açúcar demerara

1/2 colher chá de cardamomo em pó

1 lata de 395g de leite de coco (completo)

preparação:

Colocar os frutos, o açúcar e o cardamomo num tachinho e cozinhar sobre lume médio, mexendo com frequência, até os frutos estarem cozidos, mas não estarem completamente desfeitos. Este processo poderá demorar de 5 a 7 minutos.

Retirar o tacho do lume e adicionar o leite de coco, mexendo bem.

Dividir a mistura pelas formas de gelado e congelar por, no mínimo, 4 horas.

Recipe / Receita: