Lamby Loves Cake

Poached pears in syrup

2011-05-22T16:49:00.001+10:00

Recycling easter eggs

2011-05-02T11:31:00.000+10:00

Turn this....

...into this!!!

As the title of this blog would suggest, I love cake. I especially like chocolate cake, coated in chocolate. Having said that, I don't often make chocolate cake coated in chocolate and seized on the opportunity provided by Easter overflow. I was also inspired by my Oma's cake.

Oma's cakes

This recipe is lifted straight from the Taste website. To get my pretty square shape, I baked the cake in a bread tin and sliced the cake in half. I added giant marshmallows for special effect!

Ingredients

For the cake:

200g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
200g butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk

For the icing:

200g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup thickened cream

For the filling (optional):

Jam of your choice (strawberry or cherry is a winner)
1/2 thickened cream, whipped

Make it!

Preheat oven to 170°C/340 Farenheit. Grease and line base of what ever pan you like depending on the shape you are after.

Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Stand over a pot of boiling water, stirring continuously with a metal spoon, until melted. Be careful not to splash water into your chocolate as it will be ruined! Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. If you are lazy like me, you can melt the butter completely and then mix with a wooden spoon.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add melted chocolate. Beat until well combined. Sift flour and cocoa together. Fold half the flour mixture into butter mixture. Add half the milk. Stir gently to combine. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and milk. Spoon into prepared pan. Smooth surface. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Yeah!

Stand cake in pan for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the chocolate icing, Combine chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl. Once again, stand over a pot of boiling water, stirring continuously with a metal spoon, until melted. Let it cool and thicken slightly before icing.

If you decide to use a filling, Slice your cake in half (diagonally or horizontally, depending on the tin you have used). Smear the top of one layer with jam and then smooth over your whipped cream. Place your second layer on top, then spread icing over top and side. Add decorative touches (like my marshmallows) and EAT!!!

Parmigiana di Melanzane

2011-05-02T11:04:00.000+10:00

In my previous post, I put up some memorable food photos from my time in Italy, but there was one dish worthy of its own post altogether - parmigiana di melanzane (eggplant parma).

It was always my firm belief that eggplant parma should not try to imitate a chicken parma, and my Italian food experience confirmed my view. My extended family in Italy presented this dish as part of a traditional nine course dinner and I was not prepared for the full foodie pleasure the dish could provide. I was also unprepared for the despair associated with not being able to eat everything plated up as part of the nine course meal!

The holy grail of melanzane

I now try to recreate this dish at home. While my version has never quite matched the flavours I recall from the original, it is a ripper of a recipe which can be prepared as a main or a side to another dish. In the final photo below, I've served it alongside panzanella (recipe to follow) and some delicious Italian sausages, which I bought from Belmore Biodynamic Meats on Miller St in Thornbury.

This recipe calls for frying and baking of the eggplants, but if you like you can grill them or steam them instead of frying.

This recipe is enough for four if serves as a side and is ample for two if part of the main fare.

Parmigiana di Melanzane

You will need:

One eggplant
1/2 cup of salt
Two capsicums (one red, one yellow)
1/4 cup white wine
1 Egg
2 cups of breadcrumbs
Vegetable Oil
One handful of buffalo mozzarella or bocconcini

Some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Tomato passata (I like the Bio-Nature brand)
Fresh basil

First Step: Prepare the eggplant

Slice the eggplant horizontally to half a cm or to your preferred thickness. Place the slices in a bowl or tray, coat with salt and set aside to rest for about 30 minutes. This will remove excess moisture from the eggplant and get rid of any bitterness. Drain and rinse the eggplant carefully - the last time I made this I rushed it and the dish ended up a tiny bit too salty, so make sure you rinse them well. Pat them dry with a towel and you are ready for the next step!

Next step: Coat, batter and fry!

Slice the capsicums as you please, ensuring you've cored them and rinsed out any seeds. I like to chop the capsicum into four to six pieces to get some good surface area for frying, but do as you like. Grab two big bowls. In one bowl, whisk your egg and white wine together. Put the breadcrumbs in the other. If you like, you can add dry herbs here for some added punch.

Coat each piece of eggplant and capsicum in the egg mix, then the breadcrumbs. Heat three to four cups of vegie oil in a pan (I like to use the wok). I test the oil first to see if its hot enough by putting a small piece of bread in there - if it starts bubbling happily, its ready to go. Fry your eggplant and capsicum in batches to avoid overcrowding and maximise crispiness. Each batch should take about five minutes to get crispy and golden.

Drain your fried goodies on some paper towel and move on to the next step!

Next step: assemble, bake and finish off your white wine!

Heat the oven to around 350 Farenheit (I have an old, old oven so I start this process before I've prepared the eggplant). This is the fun part. Slice your mozzarella or bocconcini to 1/2- 1cm thick. Pour about 1/4 cup of your passata into a deep dish, then add a few of your basil leaves. Add a layer of eggplant and capsicum, coat with more passata and then add a few slices of cheese. Repeat until you run out of ingredients. Then, add your parmesan to the top with any remaining basil and sprinkle lightly with breadcrumbs and cracked pepper.

Place in the oven for around 30 minutes, or until golden on top.

Drink and be merry!

Served with panzanella and Italian sausages

Holiday eats

2011-05-02T09:49:00.000+10:00

I'm back after significant neglect of this blog! Study and work are extreme time sucks, but although I've been absent from this page I have kept noshing and cooking!

During my hiatus from this blog I travelled to Europe to visit my homeland of Germany, where I hung out with my beloved Oma. We travelled together to see my cousin Gianni and his partner Claudia in Italy. The food experience was unforgettable, and though it was a six week trip I took over six months ago, I still have foodie flashbacks.

Italy was food heaven and most of the joyous experience was owed to the warm and inviting kitchen of Claudia's parents, who prepared several Puglian feasts for us at their home in Monteparano. Their cheap wine equivalent was some of the best wine I have ever tasted, made from the Negroamaro grape exclusive to the region.

Germany was, as always, a food pleasure: however, as a Bavarian I was extremely offended by the potato salad in Berlin. While some regions in Germany make potato salad creamy, Bavarians are all about the vinegar. I will share two variations of Bavarian potato salad with you in a future blog which will hopefully convince you the Frank way is the only way!

Here are some snaps of my food adventure...

My first taste of Italian food in Italy - antipasto!

Amazing chocolate in a gelateria in Lecce

Funghi salad

Schnitzel mit Kartoffelsalat from a Gasthaus in Sachen bei Ansbach,
near my home town of Lichtenau (recipe to follow)

The ultimate - bratwurst and sauerkraut

Easy, awesome beans (Ful Medames)

2009-09-10T23:58:00.000+10:00

I found this recipe on the serious eats website and have reproduced it here for your enjoyment. We made these with some steamed broccoli and cauliflower, put them in wholemeal tortilla wraps with tzatziki and hummus dip - absolutely delicious and much easier than re-fried beans!!!

Collect:

1 can of your favourite beans - I used kidney beans
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Then:

Drain and rinse the beans, then pour into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes, breaking up roughly with a fork. Stir in the olive oil, onion, tomato, cumin, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and parsley. Cook for another five minutes

Too easy!!

Muesli bars!

2009-09-10T23:41:00.000+10:00

After making up my own batch of washing powder (thanks to greenrenters.org) to save on dollars at the supermarket, I turned my attention to delicious but pricey Carmans muesli bars we love so much.

This recipe makes the equivalent of two boxes for the price of one - the only thing tricky about this is spelling muesli!!!

Get:
Five cups of your favourite cereal - I use organic oat, fruit and nut breakfast mix
Half a cup of butter
Half a cup of honey
One third of a cup of brown sugar
One teaspoon of Arabic all spice or cinnamon
One teaspoon of vanilla extract

Make:
Put your cereal on a baking tray and toast it in the oven until its slightly golden - the longer you do it for the crunchier it will be

In a small pot, melt the butter, honey, brown sugar and vanilla - bring to a simmer

Chuck your toasted cereal in a bowl and add your all spice or cinnamon

Add your hot gooey honey butter mixture and stir through until properly combined

Press the mix into a shallow dish, making sure its packed in tight

Cover with foil and leave in the fridge for 2 hours

Take it out, cut it into bars and you have yourself a snack for half the price!!!!

Spaghetti bolognese

2009-06-01T09:07:00.000+10:00

This family recipe is my favourite thing to eat of all time. Its my ultimate comfort food and I could probably eat it every day and not get sick of it.
For a twist, add the sauce to some penne or use it for lasagna and pop it in the oven!

Spaghetti Bolognese

Get thee:
One onion, finely diced
Olive oil
500g of mince (for vegetarian spag bol, use three cups of soaked lentils)
1 tub of tomato paste
1 big can of crushed tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
A bunch of fresh parsley, basil
1-2 tablespoons each of the following dry herbs: oregano, basil, majoram
1-2 tablespoons of hungarian sweet paprika
2 dry bay leaves
One pack of thin spaghetti or pasta of choice

Put together:
Fry onion in olive oil until translucent
Add mince and a bit more olive oil, stir through until meat is browned
Add the tomato paste and mix through, then add can of crushed tomato
Add garlic and fresh parsley, basil
Dump in all your dry herbs and stir
Cook for around 15 minutes and taste; add more herbs as needed
Cook for a further 15 minutes (it tastes even better the next day so if you have time, turn the heat down and let it slow cook for around 50 minutes)
Cook pasta
Serve with parmesan and a glass of merlot! Yeah!

Ginger and lemongrass soup

2009-06-01T08:21:00.000+10:00

Its...so...cold!!! This is a lazy soup to get you warm. Noodles are optional, but being a noodle-fiend I like to use two kinds. My other half tells me this soup kicks ass served cold too!

Ginger and lemongrass soup

Fetch:

Around two tablespoons of grated ginger

Two stalks of lemongrass

One chilli, finely chopped

An onion, peeled and quartered

Three tablespoons of peanut oil, sesame oil

7 cups of liquid vegetable stock

A bunch of baby buk choy

One carrot, peeled and cut into cute sticks

One red capsicum, cut into cute sticks

Two broccoli trees

One pack of baby corns

One pack of snow peas

One pack of hokkien noodles

One pack vermicelli noodles, soaked in hot water for 2 minutes

Dried shallots

Grab a pot:

Chuck in your sesame and peanut oil and when its hot, add onion

When onion looks a bit translucent, add grated ginger, chopped chilli and lemongrass stalks

Stir until it becomes really fragrant, then add your liquid stock

Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for around 5 minutes

Add your vegies and cook as you like; I like my vegies slightly crisp

Add noodles, cook for another minute or so and dish up!

Sprinkle shallots and serve

Stickydate pudding with butterscotch sauce

2009-05-31T16:30:00.000+10:00

I found this recipe on the MasterChef website and as I type this I'm eating a batch I've just made; bloody heaven!!

Stickydate pudding with butterscotch sauce

Basil pesto penne with crispy potato slivers and green beans

2009-05-31T12:20:00.000+10:00

We make this dish more than any other because its really straightforward and delicious. Its great to take to work the next day and I also love eating it cold like a pasta salad. This particular recipe is done with potato and beans, but we also like to have it with pumpkin and broccolini instead. In fact, you can put whatever you want in it because its so damn easy!

Basil pesto penne with crispy potato slivers and green beans

Hunt and gather:
One packet of penne pasta (or spirals or rigatoni - whatever you like)
One jar of imported basil pesto - I've found some of the bigger supermarket brands are too sweet
Two potatoes, skin on, thinly sliced
One handful of green beans, chopped in two
Two tablespoons of pine nuts
Salt
Pepper
Oliver oil

Put together:
Spread the sliced potato across a well oiled tray and liberally apply cracked pepper
Throw them in the oven for around 20 minutes, checking them and turning every 7 minutes
Boil your pasta
When the potatoes have been in the oven for 20, or they are looking crispy, add the beans and pine nuts to the tray and let them cook for another 7 minutes
Drain the pasta and return it back to its pot
Add your potatoes, beans and pine nuts to the pot of pasta
Now add your jar of basil pesto
Return the pot to the heat and stir reasonably vigorously to avoid anything sticking to the bottom
Once the pesto is heated through, plate up!!

Raspberry hot sauce (easy jam)

2009-05-31T12:11:00.000+10:00

When I was little, my Oma always used to put sugar on my pancakes. These days, I like to coat my pancakes in sticky and runny maple syrup which is why I was very excited when Nigella taught me how to make an easy hot sauce which can be poured on pancakes, ice cream or anything else you may fancy. If you put it in the fridge, you can spread it on to scones after its set.
Mmm!!

Raspberry hot sauce (easy jam)

You need:
One punnet of raspberries, or any other berries (blueberries work well)
Half a bottle of maple syrup (about a cup)

Then its too easy:
Simply dump the berries and the maple syrup into a small pot and let it simmer for about 6 minutes, stirring frequently to help break down the berries
Don't let it cook too long as you still want some lovely berry chunks in there
Pour on your pancakes, partner and serve or put into a jar and whack it in the fridge for an easy jam.
Easy!

Apple and vanilla pancakes with chocolate sauce

2009-05-31T11:57:00.000+10:00

Its never fun waking up with the flu and and white wine hangover only to find there is nothing to eat. Fortunately, I was able to scrape enough ingredients together to make pancakes. I didn't have any milk, so I was able to substitute it with water and oil. They still tasted great and took five minutes to make!

Apple and vanilla pancakes with chocolate sauce
Makes four reasonable sized pancakes

What goes in:
1 cup of flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 beaten egg
1 cup of water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1 tsp mixed spice
1 to 2 apples, peeled and diced as big or small as ye like

Melt half a block of your favourite chocolate for the sauce
Then what happened:
Mix all the dry ingredients together
In another bowl, beat the egg and add the oil and vanilla
Pour water and egg mix into dry mix
Mix!!
Add your chopped apple
Mix!!
In a preheated pan, add a dollop of butter
Cook your pancakes for a couple of minutes each side

Serve with chocolate sauce!