nemisis too

Nemesis for Alex

Dutch apple tart

A weekend in Amsterdam saw me returning with all sorts of bicycle fittings, in particular a very large bell. In addition an unexpected enthusiasm for apple pie. This apple pie is tangy, the apples are chopped roughly, and heavily flavoured with cinnamon. I easily resisted repeated offers of whipped cream,- slag to the locals - and savoured many slices in the natural state. The biscuity pastry was delicious and intriguing.

I scoured the internet, found a variety of recipes, and made one in rather a hurry yesterday, to take to a family gathering for Sunday lunch. The tart went hot out of the oven on a car journey with a lot of hills, and spilled quite a lot of juice, the flavour was great, but I couldn't help thinking about that juice... Here is a very bad picture of the last slice. I had help with the eating. Better pics and recipe here.

Just a word about the pastry. It is really more of a biscuit. My sister asked if it was Betty's pastry, which is gloriously buttery and made with alcohol, and is biscuity, like shortbread. This pastry is lighter, as it's made with self-raising flour. Both have sugar added and have some egg in them, to help the pastry bind together. Both give great pleasure with the crust - and both are very easy to make. This Dutch apple tart crust is flavoured with lemon zest.

nemesis

Serves 8-10

dusted with icing and a royal A outlined for Alex's birthday

This is a recipe from the Telegraph newspaper, given in the article as an Easter cake. The writer clearly thought there wouldn't be enough chocolate in the recipe, so in the newspaper version they added a chocolate glaze, and some chocolate eggs. After all, no-one gets enough chocolate at Easter. It said it was the River Cafe recipe for their chocolate nemesis cake. Every recipe I have ever tried from the River Cafe cook book up to now didn't work out well. It can't fail to offend when that happens, I take it very personally. I expect that if I follow a recipe it will work. So I don't like that cook book, and was little nervous making this. As usual I added the pressure of making it for a friend, for a birthday party. The result, after over an hour, was a highly chocolate-y mousse. I reread a number of recipes referencing chocolate nemesis by the River Cafe, and found out that
it had a reputation of being impossible to make
the temperatures given online varied from 120C to 200C
you are meant to beat the eggs with an electric whisk for 10 minutes (I got bored after 4m)


The 'cake' was very well received, and held its own against a most delicious lemon cake (recipe follows). However, if I do it again I shall whisk the eggs for longer and bake it at around 200C. And use a cake tin of 25cm instead of 22cm.


Feeling like taking a risk, and really like chocolate? And have lots of friends who like chocolate? Have a go then.

Ingredients


340g 70 per cent cocoa solids chocolate

225g unsalted butter

270g caster sugar

5 medium eggs

100g water

Butter a 25cm cake tin with a loose base and line with baking parchment.

Preheat the oven to 120C/gas mark 1/2.

• Break up the chocolate and put in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Add the butter and melt together.
• Put 100g of the sugar in a pan with 100ml water and bring to the boil.
• Boil for three to four minutes, then pour into a jug to cool a little before pouring into the chocolate mixture.
• Mix well.
• Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the remaining sugar until doubled in size and foamy.
• Slowly pour in the chocolate/sugar mixture, continuing to stir.
• Pour the cake batter into the tin.
• Put the cake tin in a roasting pan, and add enough boiling water to the pan so it reaches halfway up the cake tin.
• Put the cake into the oven and bake for one hour or until the surface is still and set.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin before unmoulding on to a plate.

Chicken with tarragon sauce, mushrooms, mash, sticky carrots and leeks

Daughter two, for whom this blog was started, is cooking tonight with a friend. She found a recipe on the BBC website, however it was written in a rather complicated way, so I have rewritten it to make the process easier. I included a cooking sequence, to help the process along.

In the traditional manner the original rice in the recipe has been junked and mash is being made. The other veg is a lovely combination of carrots with leeks. The oniony nature of the leeks adds flavour and the cooking process leaves the vegs coated in a lovely, slightly sticky buttery residue. In our house we refer to carrots like this as caramel carrots. Other recipes I've seen use lemon juice, maybe honey, or sugar, but I like the sweetness you get from the veg itself.

For the chicken ·          2 tbsp butter ·          1 tbsp olive oil ·          1 free-range chicken breast, skin removed ·          200ml/7fl oz hot chicken stock For the sauce ·          100ml/3fl oz dry white wine ·          1 shallot, finely chopped ·          250ml/9fl oz double cream ·          handful chopped fresh tarragon ·          1 tsp Dijon mustard ·          salt and freshly ground black pepper For the chestnut mushrooms ·          1 tbsp butter ·          1 tbsp olive oil ·          1 garlic clove ·          5-6 chestnut mushrooms, chopped ·          1 tbsp double cream

Shopping list PER CHICKEN BREAST 3tbsp butter 2tbsp olive oil 1 chicken breast 1 mugful hot stock 1/3 mugful dry white wine 250ml double cream (1 mugful) Tarragon 1tsp Dijon mustard 1 clove garlic Pepper Salt Potatoes Milk Nutmeg 5 carrots 5 leeks Preparation sequence Start by preparing the carrots and leeks and set to cook, peel the potatoes, cut them into small chunks to cook quickly,  then make the sauce, and set aside, then start cooking the chicken, as it simmers prepare and cook the mushrooms, fitting in mashing the potatoes.

Mashed potatoes

·          Cook the potatoes thoroughly

·          Mash with butter and warmed milk, adding a good pinch of nutmeg, and pepper and salt to taste

Caramel carrots and leeks

A patent recipe for delicious slightly sticky veg. Ingredients for three people.

5 medium sized leeks

5 medium sized carrots

·          Peel carrots and cut into fine slices

·          Prepare leeks, cut into 3cm long slices, wash

·          Put carrots and leeks into a pan with a knob of butter, pepper, salt and enough water to cover (only just cover)

·          Put onto the heat and bring to the boil, simmer vigorously with the lid off, until the carrots are cooked

·          Make sure the veg doesn't burn, but only add moisture a spoonful at a time

For the chicken

·          2 tbsp butter

·          1 tbsp olive oil

·          1 free-range chicken breast, skin removed

·          200ml/7fl oz hot chicken stock

For the sauce

·          100ml/3fl oz dry white wine

·          1 shallot, finely chopped

·          250ml/9fl oz double cream

·          handful chopped fresh tarragon

·          1 tsp Dijon mustard

·          salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the chestnut mushrooms

·          1 tbsp butter

·          1 tbsp olive oil

·          1 garlic clove

·          5-6 chestnut mushrooms, chopped

·          1 tbsp double cream

Chicken 

·          Heat the butter and olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat.

·          When the butter is foaming, add the chicken and fry for 3-4 minutes, turning once, or until golden-brown on both sides.

·          Add three to four tablespoons of the hot stock (reserving the remaining stock for the sauce), reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook the chicken for 12-15 minutes, turning once, or until the chicken is completely cooked through.

·          Remember to baste the chicken regularly during cooking with the stock and chicken juices

Sauce

·          heat the white wine and chopped shallot in a non-reactive saucepan for 2-3 minutes, or until the shallots have softened

·          add the remaining hot chicken stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the volume of liquid has reduced by half

·          add the double cream and tarragon and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes

·          stir in the Dijon mustard and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

·          set aside and keep warm

Chestnut mushrooms

·          heat the butter and olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat until the butter melts

·          add the garlic and mushrooms and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until golden-brown

·          Add 1 tbsp double cream and cook gently until heated through

To serve

·          cut the chicken into thick slices, and arrange them into a fan shape on a serving plate

·          drizzle the sauce over the chicken and serve the mushrooms alongside

Raspberry almond cake

Kitty tells me that this cake is 'quite good'. That is a rave review, seriously four star. From the pictures you can see that it has gone down well. It was good warm, with a lovely chewiness, from the almonds and kind-of-meringue. Sort of soft macaroonyness. With a raspberry in the middle.I have to make this again, to be sure of the recipe, so this is just a log, or a tease, of the cake. 

Saturday roast

We've been invited to our first bbq of the year on Sunday, so we're having our roast on Saturday. Slow roast shoulder of lamb, done in the greek manner, kleftiko style. Flavour is provided by the bone remaining in, seasoned with lemon juice, oregano and thyme. Slow cooked while wrapped, the meat becomes extremely tender and flavoursome, and can be pulled apart with a couple of forks. Good for the dentally challenged amongst us.

I will make pommes boulangeres to go with, not dauphinoise, that is too rich. Pictures and recipes to follow.

Date and walnut cake - easy

 A lovely cake that is somehow light and sticky at the same time. It has a slightly treacly flavour, punctuated by spices. I think the gingery tang I was tasting may have been my

I made two loaf cakes, using Delia's recipe, with two eggs, as my chickens don't lay large eggs. I was feeling lazy and used mixed spice, cinnamon and cloves, and didn't ice it, despite the lemon icing sounding lovely. 12 hours later, there's only one loaf left: I live with greedy people.

The method is nice and simple and uses two bowls, or a bowl and a jug, and something for stirring. No need for a food processor. The dates are primed by being soaked, briefly, in a bicarbonate and water mixture, to which you add butter.

This is a low-fat recipe, which giveth and taketh away, as it is high in sugar. But hey, walnuts are good for you, aren't they?

vinegar chicken

This is a rich stew with a tang, the vinegar gives a kick that balances the sauce nicely. I have got to do a few more experiments, as the recipe I used asked for a small glass of vinegar, unlike most others that only used a few spoonfuls. It was a little sharp.. but I still managed to choke it down. The meat is beautifully tender, and, as you can see, it looks wonderful on the plate.

Burnt sugar cake

 Cruising the internet, I came across the intriguingly titled Burnt Sugar Cake. The flavour is reminiscent of butterscotch Angel Delight, for those old enough to remember that curious concoction. Chocolate Crunchie is an alternative reference. Intensely sweet.

It is a big cake, a very big cake. It went down well with friends.

The recipe I used is given in full below.

I may sometime try this alternative recipe, which may be lighter, but only once I've recovered from the extreme sweetness. It may be some time, and I think I’ll try using the syrup to flavour  some whipped cream, to put inside the cake.

Considering this recipe after time to digest, physically and mentally, I think this cake would be brilliant as a teatime bonne bouche, in a seriously reduced form. One mouthful would be an amazing an accompaniment to coffee, or coffee sorbet.

Burnt Sugar Syrup:

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup boiling water

Burnt Sugar Cake

3 cups/360g sifted cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup sweet butter, room temp

1¼ cups granulated sugar

3 eggs, room temp

½ cup Burnt Sugar Syrup

water

1 teaspoon vanilla

Burnt Sugar Frosting

¼ cup/60g unsalted butter

1 lb/450g icing sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup Burnt Sugar Syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

RECIPE

Burnt Sugar Syrup

1.    Melt ¾ cup sugar in a skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it turns into amber (burnt orange), then take it off the heat

2.    Add boiling water very carefully, as the mixture will spatter at first, the return the caramel to a low heat and simmer while stirring, until the sugar and water are thoroughly mixed together

3.    Set to one side to cool – use at room temperature

Burnt Sugar Cake

·         Set the oven to 350/180 (slightly less for fan assisted overns)

·         Grease and flour two 9”/22cm cake tins, and line them with parchment or waxed paper

·         Sift flour, baking powder and salt together

·         Cream the butter, beating until smooth, adding sugar and continuing to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy

·         Add the eggs, one by one, beating to a smooth mixture before adding the next egg.

·         Mix together ½ cup of burnt sugar syrup with enough water to make one cup of liquid and stir in the vanilla

·         Beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture alternately with the burnt sugar syrup mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients, until the mixture is smooth

·         Divide the batter between the 2 cake pans

·         Bake for around 25 minutes, or until the surface springs back slightly when lightly touched in the centre, and the cakes come away from the sides of the cake tins

·         Let the cakes cool for at least 10 minutes on wire racks before tipping out the cakes

·         Allow cakes to cool completely before starting to ice the cake

·         Split each cake into two, and fill each layer with icing, before covering the top and sides

Burnt Sugar Frosting: 

1.    Cream ¹/₃ cup unsalted butter until light and fluffy

2.    Gradually beat in the sifted icing sugar, almost ½ cup Burnt Sugar Syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla until creamy, smooth and spreadable

.

Incredibly rich!