Summer Pudding Cake.

After making, for the first time ever, this Summer Pudding for the Sweet World challenge, an instagram friend sent me the picture of this Summer Pudding Cake, that is featured in this month's Good Housekeeping magazine.

Of course, after I've finally tasted my first Summer Pudding and loved it, I bought the magazine and couldn't resist this version.

The idea of transforming it into a cake sounded fabulous and although the version featured in the magazine is round shaped, I decided to recreate it in a square shape.

It is as easy to make as the original one and very pretty and delicious all the same.

This recipe is not suitable for kids, as it has Crème de Cassis mixed with the fruit juices but you can leave it out of course.

Last year I made homemade Crème de Cassis with the blackcurrants I picked from my friend B. garden and that's the one I used in this recipe and it is so delicious.

I really need to post the recipe for homemade Créme de Cassis here on the blog ASAP...

Meanwhile, the blog and myself, we're going to be in holidays for the next month.

I'll interrupt the holidays just to post the Sweet World round up on the 25th of August but that will be it until de 2nd or 3rd of September.

Until then, Happy Cooking and be as Happy as Summer Bees!

Sticky cassis pork ribs with mint and broad bean couscous / Costelas de porco caramelizadas com crème de cassis, acompanhadas com couscous de menta e favas.

I confess that when I was reading the ribs recipe I was afraid that it would be too sweet and that I would have to deal with lots of complaining and moaning here at home but..., as I am always truly curious about "strange" and different combinations, I decided to try it anyway and I'm very pleased that I did so, because it was a real delight and no complains at all.

Big smiles of satisfaction and lots of compliments of joy and delight that's what I got, which means, that I'll have to make them again!

ingredients (serves 4 to 6):

for the ribs:

160g blackcurrant jam

4 tbsp runny honey

125ml crème de cassis

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon, zested and roughly chopped

salt

1.5kg pork ribs

method:

Whisk together the jam, honey, crème de cassis, pepper, lemon zest and 2 tsp of salt.

Place the ribs, chopped lemon and the marinade in a freezer bag and seal it tightly. Give it a shake so the ribs are well coated with the marinade.

Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 150ºC.

Place the ribs, marinade and chopped lemons in a large tray. Cover with foil and cook for 2 hours.

Turn the heat up to 200ºC, remove the foil and baste the ribs with the marinade. Roast for another 15 to 30 minutes, basting a couple of times.

The sauce should be sticky and thick and the ribs should be dark and glossy from the sauce.

Remove from the oven, transfer the ribs to a dish and cover with foil.

Pour the sauce into a saucepan and boil for 5 to 10 minutes and then pour the reduced sauce over the ribs.

for the couscous:

20g fresh mint, leaves and stalks separated

200g fresh or frozen broad beans

425ml boiling water

200g couscous

2 tbsp olive oil

method:

Roughly chop the mint stalks and place in a pot with the broad beans, a pinch of slat and the boiling water.

Bring to a boil and then pour over the couscous.

Turn off the heat, cover with clingfilm and leave to stand for 10 minutes.

Remove the mint stalks and fluff up with a fork.

Stir in the mint leaves, olive oil and taste for salt.

Serve with the ribs.

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Embora todos cá em casa adorem costelas de porco, ou entrecosto, cozinhado, grelhado ou assado de forma tradicional, confesso que ao ler esta receita, tive um bocado de receio que ficasse doce demais e que no final ainda tivesse de ouvir comentários tipo "estás sempre a inventar...", "porque não fazes coisas normais...?", enfim... acho que alguns de vocês saberão do que falo, certo?

Ora, como eu sou adepta de experimentar tudo o que me pareçam combinações "estranhas" ou pouco prováveis, claro que pus de lado os meus receios e experimentei a receita.

O resultado final não podia ser melhor e os comentários, ao invés de serem os acima referidos, foram comentários de satisfação, agrado e "não há mais?"... ou seja, uma receita a repetir sem dúvidas e com confiança!

ingredientes (para 4 a 6 pessoas):

para as costelas de porco:

160g doce de groselha preta

4 colheres sopa de mel líquido

125ml crème de cassis (licor de groselha preta)

1 colher chá de pimenta preta moída na altura

1 limão - primeiro, casca zestada e depois o limão cortado em pedaços grosseiros

sal

1.5kg costelas de porco ou entrecosto separado em costelas

preparação:

Para preparar a marinada, numa taça, misturar bem o doce de groselha, o mel, o licor, a pimenta, a raspa do limão e 2 colheres chá de sal.

Colocar as costelas, os bocados do limão e a marinada num saco de cozinha com fecho (zip).

Fechar bem o saco e sacudi-lo, por forma a que todas as costelas fiquem bem cobertas com o molho da marinada.

Colocar o saco no frigorífico e deixar marinar por, no mínimo 1 hora, mas de preferência, de um dia para o outro.

Aquecer o forno a 150ºC.

Colocar o conteúdo do saco num tabuleiro, cobrir o tabuleiro com folha de alumínio e levar ao forno por cerca de 2 horas.

Aumentar a temperatura do forno para os 200ºC, retirar o papel de alumínio, e regar as costelas com o molho.

Cozinhar por mais 15 a 30 minutos, regando as costelas com o molho mais uma ou duas vezes, ou até que o molho esteja espesso e caramelizado e as costelas estejam tostadinhas e brilhantes.

Retirar o tabuleiro do forno, colocar as costelas num prato de serviço e cobrir com folha de alumínio.

Colocar o molho num tacho e ferver por 5 a 10 minutos, ou até que tenha reduzido.

Cobrir as costelas com o molho reduzido e servir com os couscous.

para os couscous:

20g menta fresca, talos e folhas separados

200g favas, frescas ou congeladas

425ml água a ferver

200g couscous

2 colheres sopa de azeite

preparação:

Picar grosseiramente os talos da menta e colocá-los num tacho, juntamente com as favas e uma pitada de sal.

Deitar a água a ferver por cima e quando esta voltar a levantar fervura, adicionar os couscous, desligar o lume, cobrir com película aderente e deixar repousar por 10 minutos.

Remover os talos da menta do tacho e discartá-los.

Soltar os couscous com a ajuda de um garfo e adicionar as folhas da menta e o azeite. Rectificar o sal e servir os couscous com as costelas.

Recipe / Receita:

Beetroot and Fontina cheese risotto / Risotto de beterraba e queijo Fontina.

Never in my entire life I cooked so much with beetroot like this year and I'm so glad that I did it because we all here at home had so many delicious beetroot based meals and this risotto was just another delightful and fabulous one.

ingredients (serves 4):

for the stock:

1 medium red beetroot, peeled

5 pink peppercorns

1 tangerine, finely sliced

salt

1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds

1 1/2 litres water

for the risotto:

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

200g arborio rice

80ml créme de cassis

150g Fontina cheese

method:

To make the stock, put all the ingredients in a large pan with a little salt and simmer until the beetroot is cooked.

Drain the stock into a clean pan and keep warm.

Blend the beetroot in a food processor until smooth, adding 2 or 3 tbsp of water if needed. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion, half of the beetroot purée and the garlic until softened.

Add the rice and fry for a further minute.

Add the créme de cassis and cook until the volume of the liquid has reduced to almost nothing.

Add the warm stock a ladleful at the time, stirring between each addition to allow the liquid to be completely absorbed, until the rice is cooked, adding the remaining beetroot purée half the way through.

Add half of the cheese and stir until well combined. Cover with a lid and set aside for 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve the risotto topped with the remaining cheese and some thyme leaves.

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Acho que nunca na minha vida cozinhei tanto com beterraba como este ano e, sinceramente, ainda bem que o fiz, pois é um ingrediente fabuloso e tivemos refeições magníficas.

Este risotto, foi mais uma dessas fantásticas refeições e quando o vi no blogue da Marmita, não só pela cor vibrante, mas também por toda a combinação de ingredientes, não resisti a reproduzi-lo, mas com o delicioso queijo italiano Fontina.

Experimentem esta deliciosa receita da Marmita e digam de vossa justiça, mas garanto que vão amar!!!

Recipe / Receita: Marmita blog.