Incredible Banana Bread

Let me begin by saying I dont particularly like bananas, but have taken to eating them early every morning as a post workout boost of energy! However, having skipped my morning banana for a few days, I had a few bananas on their very last legs, begging to be rescued. 

I have made many banana breads/cakes before in an effort to consume the very healthy fruit, but have had minimal success; with a result that was cloyingly banana flavoured, dense and something I dislike as much as the bananas themselves. But this recipe from my beloved Nigella Lawson is out of the world awesome, its light, moist, has just the right amount of banana for my taste, coupled with nuts and when someone says you may want to add chocolate, I add chocolate and dark chocolate.

So I tweaked Nigella's recipe a wee bit out of my previous experiences with this cake. If you want the original, here it is; Nigella Lawson's Banana Bread

 And here is my version with a few tweaks

What you need:

• 100 grams raisins
• 75 ml dark rum (I used my favourite Old Monk)
• 175 grams plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 125 grams salted butter (melted, I always use Amul butter and skip any added salt)
• 150 grams caster sugar
• 3 eggs (increased this from the 2 large eggs in the original, because my eggs are not large and I wanted it to be more airy)
• 4 small very ripe bananas (mashed)
• 60 grams chopped lightly toasted almonds
• 1 teaspoon dark rum
• 100 grams dark chocolate chopped into chunks

How:

1. Put the raisins and rum in a smallish saucepan and bring to the boil.
2. Remove from the heat, cover and leave for an hour if you can, or until the sultanas have absorbed most of the liquid, then drain.
3. Preheat the oven to 170ºC//325ºF and get started on the rest. Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb in a medium-sized bowl and, using your hands or a wooden spoon, combine well.
4. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and sugar and beat until blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the mashed bananas. Then, with your wooden spoon, stir in the roasted almonds, drained sultanas and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, stirring well after each bit. 
5. Scrape into a loaf tin (23 x 13 x 7cm / 9 x 5 x 3 inches) and bake in the middle of the oven for 1-1¼ hours. When it's ready, an inserted toothpick or fine skewer should come out cleanish
6. My cake rose rapidly in the first 15 minutes scaring me that it may overflow from my tin, but it held steady for the rest of the baking time and was wonderfully light when done.

Leave in the tin on a rack to cool, and eat thickly sliced to get in all the nutty, chocolatey goodness of this cake in one bite. I personally like it cold better than hot, and is the perfect accompaniment to my peppermint tea!

My favourite part about this cake is the combination of the dark rum and banana, such a match made in heaven. 

Cranberry and Pistachio Biscotti

I have always thought there was something very fancy and un-achievable about Biscotti. Along came Nigella Lawson and showed me otherwise. How I love her!!!

This recipe for Cranberry and Pistachio Biscotti is an absolute breeze to make and it tastes just as fancy and exotic as I imagined it would. Further, Nigella says you can substitute the cranberry and  nuts for anything you have at home; cashew nuts, almonds,hazelnuts, raisins, as long as you match the weight. That makes this the perfect store cupboard treat to whip up to satisfy a craving.

I had so much fun making it and everybody who ate it absolutely loved it!

This recipe is exactly as printed in Nigellissima, I am however tempted to try it with almonds and raisins now.

What you need:

• 1 large egg
• 75g caster sugar
• 2 tsp finely grated orange zest
• 125g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
• ½ tsp baking powder
• nutmeg, for grating
• 75g pistachio nuts
• 50g dried cranberries

Makes about 25

How:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
2. Whisk the egg and sugar together until pale and moussy: the mixture should leave a ribbon-like trail when you lift the beater.
3. Beat in the orange zest, then slowly fold in the flour, baking powder and a good grating of nutmeg.
4. Fold in the whole pistachios and dried cranberries, then flour your work surface well. You may find it helpful to dust your hands lightly with flour, too, as the dough is quite sticky.
5. Form the dough into a flattish, oval ciabatta-like loaf, about 25 x 5cm, tapering the ends slightly.
6. Lay the biscotti dough on to the lined baking sheet and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until it’s a pale brown colour. It may help to rotate the baking sheet halfway through. This reduces the risk of the base scorching at one end.
7. Transfer to a wire rack and leave for 5 minutes to harden slightly.
8. Using a bread knife, cut the baked loaf diagonally into fingers about 1cm thick.
9. Put these back on to the lined baking sheet and cook again for another 10 minutes, then turn over the biscotti and cook for 5 minutes more.
10. Leave the golden-brown biscotti to cool on a rack. They store well in an airtight container.
    

Birthday Cheesecake!

It was a very special birthday last week, and the Birthday boy is not very fond of my usual rich, chocolate covered with more chocolate birthday cakes. So I decided to make a very special cheese cake for his birthday. And when I need something to be perfect the first time I make it I only go to Nigella Lawson

This one is her New York Cheesecake from How to Be a Domestic Goddess. It is a wonderful airy cake that is rich and light at the same time. I halved the recipe but otherwise followed the recipe exactly.Needless to say it was a huge hit, and a breeze to make. Here's how you go about it.

What you need:-

For the base

250 g digestive biscuits
150 g butter, melted
3 tablespoons caster sugar

For the filling

225 g caster sugar
2 tablespoons cornflour
750 g full fat soft cream cheese (like Philadelphia)
6 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
150 ml heavy cream
150 ml sour cream
1 lemon, zest of, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 egg whites

To serve 

Nigella suggests you use raspberries or blackberry. Having access to neither I used gorgeous apricot and cherries.

How:

•   Crush the digestive biscuits to fine crumbs in a blender or food processor. Add the melted butter and sugar and mix. Press onto base of greased 24cm springform cake tin. Chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
•  Mix the cornflour with the sugar and beat in the cream cheese, egg yolks and vanilla extract with an electric mixer (or by hand).
• Slowly pour in heavy cream and sour cream, beating constantly. Add the lemon zest.
• Clean and dry your whisk. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt to stiff peaks, then fold into the cheese mixture carefully.
• Scoop cheese onto base. Bake in a 170°C oven 1 to 1 1/2 hours without opening the oven door until golden brown on top. Turn off the heat and let the cake stand in the oven for two more hours. Open door, stand a further hour. Then chill it in the refirgerator for a few hours. 
• Serve chilled, dusted with icing sugar and decorated with whatever your heart desires.

Worlds Best Chocolate Icecream!!

Ice Cream and Dark chocolate are two of my greatest weaknesses!! And The Great Nigella Lawson puts these two together in the most fantastic way!! Nigella herself gets the recipe from Marcella Hazan.This ice cream is deliriously perfect!! Luscious, silky smoothness and so easy to make.

What you need:

• 4 egg yolks
• 130 g plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 500 ml milk
• 100 gr dark chocolate (min.70% cocoa solids)
• 40 g cocoa powder

Method:

• Whisk the yolks & 130 gr of the sugar in a bowl until thick & creamy, foaming pale ribbons when you lift the whisk. ( I just bought a new hand blender, so doing this was such a breeze)
• Bring the milk to the boil & add it to the beaten yolks, pouring slowly & beating all the while
• Melt the chocolate in a bowl above (but not touching) some simmering water in a pan or you can give it a quick blast of heat in the microwave to melt/
• Then whisk this, followed by the cocoa, into the egg & milk mixture
• Pour the chocolate-custard mixture into a pan & cook on a low to moderate heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until everything’s smooth & amalgamated & beginning to thicken.
• Put 2 tablespoons of sugar with 2 teaspoons of water into a thick bottomed saucepan & turn the heat to high
• Make a caramel: heat this until it’s dark brown & molten. Its such a beautiful colour.
• As it browns, whisk it into the chocolate custard; don’t worry if it crystallizes on contact as the whisking will dissolve it
• Turn into a bowl to cool and then transfer to an air tight container to freeze till solid.
• Nigella says to use a ice cream maker to churn  but I found that just freezing it made it so soft and un icy!
• Before serving, bring it into the fridge from the freezer for about 20 minutes and let it ripen!

Long hard day series Part V: Oeufs Cocotte

This gorgeous dish is like magic, the process is as delightful and the result!! P whipped this up for a lazy Sunday Farewell brunch for our little sister and a celebration of a wonderful relationship. We tweaked Nigella Lawson's recipe a wee bit and you can tweak this one to suit your taste-buds.

What you need:

• Eggs; 2 for each person
• 2 tbsp of cream
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
• fresh/dry herbs of your choice
• salt and pepper to taste

How:

•  Pre- heat your oven to 200 deg C.
• Cook the mushrooms in 1tbsp of olive oil till they are soft and add the herbs you have chosen
• In a ramekin first spoon the mushrooms in, break the eggs on top of them, pour in the cream, drizzle the olive oil, sprinkle the salt and pepper and you are done!
• Set your ramekin in a dish of warm water and place it in the oven for 12 minutes when the whites of the eggs will be cooked but the yellow is still  deliciously wobbly.
• Crunchy toasted bread is the perfect accompaniment but you can make it more glamorous like we did with a side of smoked bacon and a fresh corn and tomato salad. Not to forget the champagne that we popped. It was a celebration indeed, but so is the end of a Long Hard Day!!