Tag: nuts

Loaded rocky road with cake and nuts
13Feb

Loaded rocky road

Rocky road is one of my husband’s favourite bakery snacks, he often has a slice with takeaway coffee  when he thinks I am not looking. I thinks it is really important not to be wasteful when it comes to cooking and baking and I love to incorporate leftovers in new recipes, so in this loaded rocky road version I have added leftover cake (vanilla with blueberries) which I had made a couple months ago but it came out of the oven looking a little bit sad with a big sink hole in the middle. I chopped it (whilst still a little frozen so as not to crumble too much) to add a soft texture to the rocky road slices, together with mini marshmallows, which are a must! The crushed biscuits and nuts bring in the crunch – add salted roasted nuts for an explosion of flavour, snicker-y in nature. The beauty of this recipe is that you can add almost anything you have in your cupboard: dried fruits, candy, pretzels, seeds, the list goes on! Just remember to keep the additions proportionate to the amount of chocolate used. Loaded Rocky Road 550g of dark chocolate 70% solids is best 220g
3 mins read
2009 Views
chocolate praline crepe stack
03Mar

Chocolate praline crêpes

Pancake day is imminent. A day where you are overwhelmed with the towers of Nutella and ready-mix packs as your enter the supermarkets. I have never made pancakes, the American style. In both England and in Brazil they are called pancakes but are made à la French, much thinner. The English tradition is to add lemon juice and sugar to your pancake, but I am partial to a crunchy praline. I am embarrassed to say I make praline waaay too often. At one point I had a huge jar in my cupboard and would sprinkle it on everything – from yoghurts to cakes. This praline cream game is strong and has definitely become a favourite. Chocolate praline crêpes (serves 5-6) For the praline cream 150ml whole milk 100ml double cream 3 egg yolks 3 tbsp cornflour 2 tbsp plain flour 100g mixed nuts 100g sugar 1. Line a baking tray with baking paper – i used a silicone mat. Cook sugar in a pan, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. 2. Once sugar has turned into an amber colour add nuts and stir to cover them with sugar. Pour onto prepared tray and allow to cool 3.
3 mins read
1503 Views
Banana bread trifle with custard and salted caramel
12Aug

Banana cake trifle

Our fridge has buckled during the heatwave, it has slowly given up on us and the amount of food we’ve had to throw away is tragic. We’re big on bananas but we haven’t been able to keep up with how quickly they have gone from green tips to freckled black, the perfect excuse to experiment with banana bread recipes. I have made banana bread with sour cream, yoghurt, buttermilk, black treacle. My work colleagues were sick of it and so was my family, my freezer started to work overtime to keep it all from going to waste. There are no rules when it comes to layering these trifle pots, mix and alternate as much as your glass is tall with banana, cake, custard and salted caramel. Top it with loads of caramelised nuts. Banana cake trifle (serves 3-4) For the custard: 150ml milk 150ml double cream 1 tsp vanilla paste 1 tbsp cornflour 3 egg yolks 50g sugar 1. Add milk, double cream and vanilla paste to pan and bring it to a slow boil, remove from heat and leave it to cool 2. Whisk the yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy, add to milky mixture, return to hob
3 mins read
2355 Views
17Oct

Apple and caramelised salted nuts ice cream

The freezer situation in our house has caused a few arguments. We have a small apartment and therefore a small fridge-freezer. I am completely in control of all food related things in our household: the planning, shopping and making. Not because the husband is not interested, but because I take so much enjoyment out of it, and he obviously does not mind. Testing recipes for the blog means a lot of non-photographic worthy creations, but still edible. I hate to throw anything away, my husband knows this and to be honest he is often in a bit of awe about it. But having to create new dishes with leftovers is something that gets my creative juices flowing. This week, sick of seeing so many apples sitting in the fruit bowl, I started to panic that they would go off soon as the two of us would not be able to eat it all. I don’t eat apples, but am drawn to them when they are in a dessert. I first tried appleasauce as a substitute for butter on this banana loaf cake, and feel in love with the power of applesauce. I decided to have add this magic ingredient to ice cream, and
2 mins read
1137 Views
28Jul

Cajuzinho (almond fudge)

My grandma left Italy in her early twenties to move to Brazil with her fiancé, my grandad. My grandad never stepped foot in Italy again, my grandma only went back a few times.  Although my grandma’s accent still has strong italian vowels, she has immersed herself  into the culture of her adopted country. She loves having papaya for breakfast, tends to her own jabuticaba trees and watches telenovelas. Her cooking has retained strong Italian roots, but most of her original recipes now often take typical Brazilian ingredients. I am now going through that same process, like her I moved to England still young, and I rejected the culture when I first arrived, but after a while I hated being and outsider. I made a big effort to refine the British accent, watch local shows, read the news, ask questions (beans for breakfast?!?!?). I now get the dry sense of humour and how to add just the right amount of milk to breakfast tea. A lot of natives now tell me they wouldn’t even be able to tell I wasn’t English, if it wasn’t for my looks. You would think that after 16 years of effort I would consider this a compliment, but it actually makes
3 mins read
1226 Views
01Mar

cashew protein boost balls

I love being outdoors…for a nice walk, a picnic or a bonfire party. But when it comes to exercising being outdoors is not my thing. I like a mud-free, climate controlled environment. Regardless of the environment being fit is very important to me, especially when I feel stressed, running and boxing are great ways to release stress. With an increase in my exercise routine in the last few months I have noticed that my body is asking me for more food, and it’s very hard not to oblige. If you are a serious gym goer, protein intake is no joke. A lack of protein in your diet can causes muscle weakness, fatigue and lethargy. And I ain’t got time for that. A gym buddy introduced me to protein balls, the popular brand I tried tasted nice but felt a little like a jawbreaker and were incredibly dry.  I liked the idea of a high protein snack so decided to start playing with a few ingredients. This is a great recipe, and it is not only for gym lovers, these little balls are a good pick me up for the slump in those hours between breakfast and lunch. Chia seeds is my favourite
3 mins read
796 Views