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!

Babka with Chocolate filling / Babka com recheio de Chocolate.

Second recipe challenge of the month and Deborah asked us to make a Babka for her fabulous Rainydaybites Cook Book Club.

I love Babka, simple and enriched doughs and everything related to kneading and shaping doughs so, to be able to make this recipe was a real pleasure.

The only difficulty was the choice for the filling as there's a few options to choose from but, to make the "chocolate lovers" of the house happy, of course, I had to choose the chocolate filling.

The recipe, is another one from the gorgeous Brian Hart Hoffman "Bake from Scratch" book and it worked perfectly well and without any hiccups.

This Babka, with a soft and delightful dough, drenched with a simple syrup and oozing (literally oozing) with melted chocolate, was a hit and the requests to make it again are more than many.

I'm leaving you the complete recipe in case you want to make the two loaves, instead of making only one and regretting it after, like I did.

Spanische Windtorte.

Spanische Windtorte (Spanish wind torte) is an Austrian dessert and is one of the most complex to create and serve as it is composed mostly of meringue and whipped cream.

Often called "the fanciest cake in Vienna", it is a dessert that became popular during the Baroque period and the Austrian and the Spanish reference is due to the Austrian House of Habsburg and their fascination with Spain which was very similar to the Russian nobility's fascination with French culture.

A Spanische Windtorte consists of rings of meringue that have been baked into a cylindrical form with a bottom and a top lid. The piping of the meringue and the subsequent baking process require patience and careful attention to detail or the cake will not be symmetrical. When the shell of the torte is done it is then filled with whipped cream, fresh berries (usually strawberries), chocolate shavings and/or currants.

It was featured as the technical challenge in episode 4 of season 6 of The Great British Bake Off and is now the theme for the 17th edition of the Sweet World.

I confess that straight after we (Susana and myself) chose the theme, I started feeling very nervous and full of butterflies in my tummy..., Specially when I started reading the recipe.

The more I read it, the more nervous and confused I was so, I had to watch a lot of YouTube videos in order to understand the structure of this intricate dessert.

Even if I'm normally ok with meringue due to the amount of Pavlovas I make, this cake really got me all freaked out.

I remember watching the contestants making it on The Great British Bake Off, but I didn't remember the details, specially the part where it needs to go three times into the oven...

Anyway! I tackled it and I think it's an "ok" Spanische Windtorte. Not perfect, but acceptable and once more, I conclude that dainty and delicate bakes are not for me as I'm more of a rustic baker :))).

I admit that this is a real challenge and it requires patience and "meringue making" skills but, if you're like me and love a challenge, don't be scared and make a Spanische Windtorte!
This recipe is from my book, "The Great British Bake Off - Celebrations".
Just another detail...
Don't expect perfectly neat slices because, with meringue, you know that's not possible so, in this case, messy slices are synonymous of "perfection"... :))).

Chocolate Pain d'Épices / Pain d'Épices de Chocolate.

I have to admit that I've never been mad about Pain d'Épices but last year, after making this Mima Sinclair one, I totally changed my mind and became a massive fan of it.

This year, I decided to try a different recipe and I went for the Eric Lanlard - Chocolat cook book recipe, which is delicious although, I have to say, I still prefer this one here. For me, Mima Sinclair recipe, gives you a moister and less dense "cake" than the one I'm leaving you today.

Anyway, if you are a Pain d'èpices lover, you have to try both by yourselves and decide which one you prefer because tastes are different right?

According to Eric, this Pain d'Épices is delicious toasted and spread with butter or drizzled with honey and I agree!

Orange Madeleines / Madalenas de laranja.

Another Madeleines recipe, these ones from the legendary Chef Pierre Koffmann and flavoured with orange!

Madeleines are easy and quick to make and are always a treat.

ingredients (makes 12 large or 24 mini Madeleines):

melted butter and plain flour for the tray

2 eggs

100g caster sugar

100g plain flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp orange flower water

100g unsalted butter, melted

method:

Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

Brush the Madeleine tray with melted butter, then shake in a little flour to coat (tap the tray to remove the excess flour).

Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a bowl until frothy.

Lightly whisk in the remaining ingredients.

Spoon the mixture into the shell shaped tray.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the Madeleines have risen a little in the middle and are firm to the touch.

Transfer the Madeleines to a wire rack and leave to cool for a few minutes before serving.

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Mais uma receita de Madalenas, estas perfumadas com água de flor de laranjeira, uma receita do lendário Chef Pierre Koffmann!

Madalenas são uma iguaria fácil e rápidas de fazer e são sempre um sucesso em qualquer ocasião.

ingredientes (para 12 Madalenas grandes ou 24 mini):

manteiga derretida e farinha, para o tabuleiro

2 ovos

100g açúcar refinado branco

100g farinha de trigo branca

3/4 colher chá de fermento em pó

1/2 colher chá de água de flor de laranjeira

100g manteiga sem sal, derretida

preparação:

Aquecer o forno a 200ºC.

Untar com manteiga derretida um tabuleiro para Madalenas e polvilhá-lo com farinha, sacudindo o excesso.

Com as varas de arame, bater os ovos com o açúcar até estes estarem volumosos.

Incorporar os restantes ingredientes muito delicadamente.

Dividir a mistura pelas formas e levar ao forno  por 8 a 10 minutos, ou até as Madalenas terem crescido ligeiramente no centro e estarem firmes ao toque.

Arrefecer as Madalenas sobre uma grelha antes de servir.

Recipe / Receita: Pierre Koffman in:

Pomegranate and strawberry cake / Bolo de romã e morangos.

Last week (Tuesday the 31st) was my birthday and although I didn't have a party on the day, I had some friends around during the following weekend and therefore, I decided to make this cake, that was marked as my birthday cake since the day I bought this fabulous book.

Amber Rose is one of my favourite authors and all the recipes I try from her books are a stunner.

Pomegranate and strawberries are something I truly adore and that's why I marked this recipe to be THE cake to celebrate my birthday.

ingredients (serves 8 to 10):

300g unsalted buter, softened

300g white spelt flour, sifted

4 medium eggs, preferably free range

3 tsp baking powder

2 tsp rosewater (I used orange blossom water)

300g maple syrup

grated zest of 1 organic lemon

2 to 3 tbsp kefir or milk, to loosen the mix

for the filling:

250g strawberries

1 pomegranate, halved and seeds removed

squeeze of lemon juice

400ml double cream

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp rosewater (I used orange blossom water)

50g natural Greek yoghurt or kefir

6 tbsp rose petal jam or sugar free strawberry jam

method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease and flour 3 x 20cm loose bottomed tins.

Cream the butter until pale and fluffy.

Add 2 to 3 tbsp of the flour and the eggs, one at a time, and beat until you have a light and fluffy mixture.

Using a large metal spoon, fold in the rest of the flour and baking powder until combined.

Add the rosewater, maple syrup and lemon zest and fold gently.

Add a dash of milk or kefir to loosen if the mixture is too stiff.

Divide the mixture between the 3 cake tins, level the tops and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the centre springs back to the touch.

Remove from the oven and cool in the tins for 5 to 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Gently stir through the maple syrup and rosewater.

Fold in the yoghurt, then carefully dot spoonfuls of jam into the cream bowl and give a gentle stir to create a marble effect.

Place one of the cakes on a serving plate and gently spoon the cream mixture over. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

Repeat with the second cake and top with the third cake.

Top the cake with the strawberries, sprinkle over any remaining pomegranate seeds. Dust with a little icing sugar.

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Na passada 3ª feira dia 31 de Março, foi o meu aniversário e embora não tenha feito nada de especial no dia, aproveitei que tinha amigos em casa no fim de semana seguinte e fiz este maravilhoso bolo da Amber Rose, que estava marcado para ser o MEU bolo de anos desde o dia em que comprei o livro.

Sendo eu completamente louca por frutos vermelhos e romã (aliás é uma das queixas cá em casa é que só faço sobremesas com frutos vermelhos em vez de chocolate e caramelo, lol), decidi assim que vi esta receita, que iria guardá-la para reproduzir neste dia e assim o fiz, de acordo com o planeado há meses e meses atrás.

A Amber Rose é uma das minhas autoras favoritas e não há receita dela, seja doce ou salgada, que não seja uma maravilha e saia sempre uma perfeição.

ingredientes (para 8 a 10 pessoas):

300g manteiga sem sal, amolecida

300g farinha de espelta branca, peneirada

4 ovos médios, de preferência biológicos

3 colheres chá de fermento em pó

2 colheres chá de água de rosas (eu usei água de flor de laranjeira)

300g maple syrup

raspa de 1 limão biológico

2 a 3 colheres sopa de leite ou kefir, para aligeirar a mistura

para o recheio:

250g morangos

1 romã, partida ao meio e sementes removidas

umas gotas de sumo de limão

400ml natas para bater

2 colheres sopa de maple syrup

1 colher chá de água de rosas (eu usei água de flor de laranjeira)

50g iogurte grego natural ou kefir

6 colheres sopa de doce de pétalas de rosa, ou doce de morango sem açúcar

preparação:

Aquecer o forno a 180ºC. Untar e enfarinhar 3 formas de 20cm de diâmetro com fundo amovível.

Bater a manteiga até esta estar fofa e pálida.

Adicionar 2 a 3 colheres da farinha e os ovos, um de cada vez, batendo bem entre cada adição, até obter uma mistura leve e fofa.

Com a ajuda de uma colher de metal, adicionar a restante farinha e o fermento e envolver tudo muito bem, sem bater em demasia.

Adicionar a água de rosas, o maple syrup e a raspa do limão e incorporar delicadamente.

Adicionar um bocadinho de leite ou kefir, para aligeirar a mistura, caso esta esteja muito espessa.

Dividir a mistura pelas 3 formas, alisando a superfície e levar ao forno por 20 minutos, ou até os bolos estarem cozidos e um palito inserido no meio sair limpo.

Retirar os bolos do forno e deixar arrefecer nas próprias formas por 5 ou 10 minutos, antes de desenformar sobre uma grelha para completo arrefecimento.

Bater as natas até obter picos ligeiros.

Adicionar a água de rosas e o maple syrup e envolver delicadamente.

Envolver o iogurte na mistura anterior e adicionar o doce, ás colheradas, envolvendo de forma a criar um efeito marmoreado no creme.

Colocar um dos bolos num prato de serviço e cobrir com a mistura das natas. Salpicar com sementes de romã.

Repetir o processo com o segundo bolo.

Colocar o terceiro bolo em cima da segunda camada e decorar com os morangos e as restantes sementes de romã.

Polvilhar ligeiramente com açúcar em pó.

Recipe / Receita: