bounty chocolate: January 2011

Summer nectarine and vanilla pie

Not sure why, but I’ve realized that as I get older very simple things make me really happy; do you feel the same way?

You wouldn’t believe how pleased I was by making a pie that looked like the ones I saw in cartoons when I was little – those pies put by the window to cool down. It really made me smile. :)

Summer nectarine and vanilla pie
adapted from Bon Appetit

Crust:
2 ½ cups (350g)

Spiced banana breakfast loaf

Sometimes when I’m going through my cookbooks I say things out loud: things like “I am so making this”, or “I’ll make this next weekend”, and so on; just so you know it, the hubby doesn't find it weird. :)

A couple of weeks ago I was “talking” to my books again when I said I was going to make a banana cake. “Another one?” Joao asked. I smiled back at him and said nothing, but thought “hey,

Pebbly beach fruit squares - and a lovely friend

I’ve “met” great people since starting this blog back in 2006, and there are a few that became part of my days, despite the fact that in some cases we’re half a planet apart. :)

I know that she lives miles and miles away from here, but I would certainly love having the lovely Susan as my neighbor: I absolutely adore her (even though we haven’t met personally), I crave the yummy food she makes

Golden Raspberry-Rose Chocolates

It's getting close to that time of the year again, Valentine's day.

Since last year's post was a wee bit bitter, I'll provide some actual sweets for your sweetheart over these next few weeks. Starting with these raspberry and rose flavored chocolates (appropriate, right?), only bitter for their use of rich dark chocolate.

Raspberry and bittersweet chocolate is a common combination in the candy making universe. However, add a little rose oil (or rose water) and you have something very unique and delicious. The raspberry ganache centers in these chocolates finish with a wonderfully fruity-floral rose note without being perfumey.

As an added bit of fun, I'm going to teach you all how to turn your chocolates (or any chocolate) brilliant gold. (No pesky gold leaf required)

Linguine with peas and lemon - and our 6th anniversary

Joao and I celebrated our sixth anniversary last Saturday with a magnificent dinner – great food, some wine... Just beautiful. But all that indulgence called for a simple lunch on the following day – and this recipe instantly popped in to my mind: it’s so good – and quick – I’ve made it three times already.

Linguine with peas and lemon
from Holiday

1½ tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons (28g

White chocolate mousse with passion fruit

When I was a teenager I had this big dream of going to Australia to learn English; unfortunately, $$ was an issue then and I had to study the language here.

My love for Australia hasn’t changed – Joao and I plan to go there for vacation someday; while that doesn’t happen, I go on listening to Aussie bands and cooking recipes from Aussie mags and fabulous foodies. :)

White chocolate mousse

Rustic plum tart

I once told you that I can be pretty lazy from time to time; therefore, today’s recipe is dedicated to the lazy – and lovely – people reading me right now. ;)

It’s a tart, indeed, but there is no chilling of the pastry nor blind baking involved; you won’t need to wait for the crust to cool down to fill it and you can even serve this tart warm; in fact, it tastes delicious this way, and I tried

Cranberry lemon cake

One can tell there’s something wrong with this blog when the last lemon recipe was posted 2 months ago. :)

Nothing better to make things right than this beautiful, tender, fragrant and delicious cake, courtesy of the equally beautiful – and I bet fragrant, too – Ameixinha. ;)

Cranberry lemon cake

Cake:
2/3 cup (150g) unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups (300g) caster (superfine) sugar
3

Pandoro with peach jam

I’ve been trying, for a while now, to cook and bake using seasonal ingredients – influenced by my good friend Ana Elisa – and for that reason this recipe was kept on my messy files for almost a year. Finally the peaches are in season and I could make it – this jam is so delicious it was worth waiting that long for it.

The pandoro itself is not very sweet, therefore perfect to be eaten with the

Peanut butter financiers

Every time I get a new cookbook it takes me forever to choose which recipe to try from it first – the exception was Rose's Heavenly Cakes: I had to start with the weirdest recipe (in my opinion, of course). :)

I have made quite a few financier/friand recipes so far and these have gone straight to the #1 spot around here (sorry, pear friands). :)

Peanut butter financiers
from Rose's Heavenly

Oatmeal Ice Cream Sandwiches

Hungry photographer + delicious ice cream sandwiches = 25 photos of half eaten sandwiches.
Just like this one.

I'm back! Hope everyone had a nice new years and holiday season. Mine was extended by Mother Humble's fashionably late arrival for a post-new years Christmas but now everyone is back in their respective homes/countries and things are settling back into the normal Humble routine.

Routine being my destroying plenty of perfectly good ingredients during mommy-brained addled cooking attempts.

Just last week we had an epic cheesecake failure, which I will not go into detail about. Those of you who follow my occasional ramblings on Facebook know what I'm talking about and no, as I learned the next morning it did not taste good.

Not everything is turning out badly, thankfully. I made these ice cream sandwiches today and oh my goodness they are wonderful. Just sinfully good. Of course, this may be the pregnancy talking, since my feelings towards certain foods lately can be irrationally exuberant.

Spiced plum clafoutis

Let me introduce to you the most delicious dessert I have made in a long time – and that, my friends, is a HUGE thing for a blog as sugary as this one. :)

As much as I would love each and every one of you to try this recipe – yes, it is that good – I must be honest and tell you that if you’re not in clafoutis mood the plums, with that out-of-this-world syrup, would turn any vanilla ice cream

Peach frozen yogurt

A bowl of beautiful, ripe peaches was the beginning of this recipe, but my first idea was making the peach ice cream from the same book this frozen yogurt came from; I changed my mind after considering that using yogurt instead of cream would allow me to eat more dessert – talk about fat thoughts. :)

Peach frozen yogurt
from The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet

Plum tray bake with a cheesecake ripple

There was a rumor on Twitter last month saying that delicious would end – I was in complete panic because I find the tool extremely useful; luckily, it appears to be just that: a rumor.

How else would I have “remembered” this delicious cake – I mean, extremely delicious – bookmarked on Oct, 7, 2008? ;)

Plum tray bake with a cheesecake ripple
adapted from here

Cheesecake ripple:
200g cream

Cherry crumble

Happy New Year everyone!

After a month it’s time to (reluctantly) get back to work – I could definitely use a couple more weeks of vacation… *sigh*

If you, like me, need a boost to get back to work I highly recommend this dessert. :)

Cherry crumble
adapted from here

320g fresh cherries, pitted and quartered
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons demerara sugar

Topping