Passover Chocolate Layer Cake

The majestic Passover layer cake. Want to make one? Here's how. In this year's version I substituted sweetened black coffee for the orange juice of yore. If you can possibly wait a couple of days, which might be a challenge, it'll taste even better!

More Passover recipes may be found here.

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Matzah Pizza

The house is all crumb-free and clean but you're clean out of meal ideas for Passover week. Worst still, you have a craving for a thin-crust pizza? Here's something that could well save the day!

• matzah crackers, 4
• cheese, parmesan or mozzarella, grated
• pasta sauce
• baby spinach
• protein of choice

1. Preheat the grill/broiler
2. Lay the matzah crackers on a wide and deep baking tray
3. Spread the pasta sauce over it, then any veg and/or protein
4. Top with cheese
5. Bake under the grill for 2-4 minutes, watching carefully so it doesn't burn

See here for more Passover recipes.

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Charoset for Passover

Charoset, the fruit and nut jam-like confection which, at Passover, recalls the mortar which the enslaved Jews of ancient Egypt bonded bricks together with, is relatively simple to put together. This version is similar to the charoset made in Egypt, which includes dates, nuts and cinnamon. I have substituted orange juice for the more traditional red wine, and thrown in coconut as a nod to my Jewish predecessors in Cochin, Kerala.

• Fuji apple, 1, grated
• dates, 1 cup
• apricot, 1/2 -3/4 cup
• preserved orange peel, 2 tbsp
• walnuts, 3/4 cup
• orange, 1, zest and juice of
• brown sugar, 1 tbsp
• coconut shavings, 1/2 cup
• lemon juice, of 1/2 lemon
• red wine, 1/4 cup, optional
• cinnamon, 1-2 tsp

1. Put all the ingredients together in a food processor and blend, but not too finely
2. Serve at the Passover Seder, and on toasted matzah for breakfast.

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Cucumber Salad

My mother-in-law makes a very morish version of this salad. I asked her once what she put in it and she reeled off some ingredients hastily, probably embarassed that the seemingly humble dish had attracted such interest, when on the dinner table lay at least five other items warranting adulation. I hope I mentioned these others to her too, because she is such a superb cook!

Here is my approximation of this salad, with an added twist (of lemon).

• English cucumbers, 4, sliced thinly
• white vinegar, distilled, 1/2 cup
• water, 1/2 cup
• sugar (or sweetener), 3 tbsp
• celery seeds, 1/2 tsp
• mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp
• dill, handful, chopped finely
• mint, handful, chopped
  
• spring onion, 3, sliced finely
• lemon juice, of one lemon
• lemon zest, of a whole lemon

1. Slice the cucumbers thinly
2. Separately, add all the other ingredients, except herbs, in a saucepan
3. Bring the marinade to a simmer, just enough to ensure the sugar is well incorporated
4. Allow to cool slightly, add chopped herbs, taste and adjust sweetness, piquancy and seasoning, then pour over the sliced cucumber
5. Refrigerate at least 12 hours
6. Before serving, check seasoning and adjust if necessary, adding some fresh herbs on top

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Weetabix - the king of breakfast bikkies

Weetabix has been a regular fixture in this household's Seinfeldian display of cereals since our older son was seven months old, when he had it with milk and banana. That was 8 years ago, so you can imagine my reluctance to stop stocking our larder with this stuff.


Although his interest in it has waned a tad in favour of variety - other cereals too, or toast, or yoghurt and fruit - thankfully my younger son has decided this is his favourite breakfast - and eaten preferably as displayed, with cream cheese and strawberry jam.


This is an incarnation I'd never realised possible until a pregnant friend from Australia (one of the original homes of Weetabix) said it was the one thing she constantly craved. After I tried it thus, or slathered with butter, I couldn't blame her.

Two biscuits pack a welcoming 120 calories, 4 grams of protein , a miniscule 2 grams of sugar and 16 percent of one's daily fibre needs - what's there to think about?

For more Weetabix recipes, click here.

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Mango and Pepper Salad

Here's a salad that takes the challenge out of having one's daily government-mandated ten veggie servings. It's also the perfect antidote for those days when the leafy-green boredom sets in.

• Alphonso mango, 1, julienned
• red and green or variety of peppers, 2, julienned or sliced thinly
• English cucumber, 1, sliced thin and long
• carrots, 2 medium ones, as above
• corn, 1, boiled and sliced off the cob
• lime juice, about 4-6 tbsp
• fish sauce, 2 tbsp
• zest of 1 lime
• brown sugar or stevia, 1 rounded tsp
• garlic cloves, 2-3 large ones, minced
• sesame oil, 1/2 to 1 tsp
• mint leaves, handful, chopped
• coriander/cilantro leaves, handful, chopped
• thai basil, several sprigs, chopped
• handful peanuts, roughly chopped
  

1. Place all the sliced and chopped veggies in an attractive bowl
2. Using a whisk, combine the dressing ingredients, including herbs
3. Pour the latter over the former and toss
4. Serve in individual bowls with a sprinkle of peanuts over
   
5. Turn into a meal with a hunk of seasoned, pan-browned salmon or tuna

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Tiramisu

This one is strictly for lovers of lusciousness and anti-dieters. My plonk of choice was Bailey's, but the usual applicable liqueur is rum or perhaps marsala wine. Feel free to deconstruct it by serving in individual cocktail glasses or to experiment with flavours.

Hardcore tiramisu lovers might be horrified at the thought of experimentation but this is a pudding that lends itself happily to variation. Obviously it then ceases to be a tiramisu but you'd get to call it what you like.

Tiramisu, like many desserts, has a disputed origin. The one thing people seem to agree upon, apart from their wanting to devour it outrageously, is that it is a fairly recent invention.

I like to take my time making tiramisu because, from start to end, it's a sensual feast. I lazily observe the yolks double in volume and lighten in colour, the marscapone transforming into a creamy dream ... oh, and the sponge fingers disintegrating in the coffee due to the distracted chef aaargh!

• 250g marscapone
• 150ml cream
• 4 tbsp caster sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• vanilla bean or essence
• Bailey's Irish cream, 2-4 oz
• strong coffee, 1 cup of, with 2 tsp sugar
• rum, optional
• savoiardi biscuits, 1 packet or as needed

1. In one bowl, cream egg yolks and sugar till pale and fluffy
2. Add cream and blend, then add marscapone gradually
3. Add Bailey's and vanilla bean or essence. Keep aside
4. In second bowl, with a clean whisk, whisk the egg whites till stiff
5. Sieve the marscapone mixture to remove lumps
6. Fold the egg whites into the marscapone mixture
7. Dip savoiardi biscuits into the coffee (spike latter with rum if need be)
8. Layer them immediately in a clear bowl
9. Add a layer of marscapone cream, then savoiardi, and so on till done
10. The final layer on top should be marscapone
11. Shave some dark chocolate on top and/or dust with cocoa powder
12. Keep others at arms' length whilst you consume the lot. With a shovel.

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My Favourite Mint Dressing

My favourite dressing with mint and yoghurt - I whipped it up last night for a lamb salad, for which it was perfect. I then fancied a cucumber snack today, et voila, another winning combo!

• thick yoghurt, preferably Greek, 1 cup
• mint leaves, two handfuls
• ginger, fresh, 1 tsp grated
• garlic, 3 cloves
  
• lime juice, 2 tbsp (or more if you like things tangy)
• salt, 1/2 tsp
• pepper, grind of
• shallot, 1, small
  
• green chilli, 1 (optional)
  

1. Bung everything in a food processor and whizz
   
2. Consume immediately or refrigerate for salads

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Creme Brulee

I don't as a matter of habit make creme brulee in the middle of the week. All blame for today's extravagance is to be placed squarely on the slim shoulders of my son, who has picked Creme Brulee, or Burnt Cream, as the topic for his French project.

So, this is what I've discovered helping with this very important 3rd Grade assignment. Credit for this luscious vanilla-infused pudding, the declared favourite of both my children since a time when they, as chubby-cheeked tots, demanded their gran for ''kwem boolay," is claimed by the old nemeses, England and France.

A late 17th century Frenchman, Francois Massialot, who describes himself as a chef to royalty and "people of first rank," details creme brulee in a cookbook, and, in a later book, renames the recipe Creme Anglais, or English Cream. Cambridge's Trinity College is celebrated as the birthplace of the same. We may as well throw the Spanish into the fray with their crema catalana, which is flavoured with cinnamon.

A version with chocolate can be found here.

The dessert's 'brulee' is a layer of luscious, hardened caramel on top - which gets this way from the process of grilling or burning sugar over the custard.

And so, here's how you can recreate a slice of heaven in your kitchen. This unplanned mid-week dessert turned out absolutely divine :D---- (that'd be drool)

• heavy cream, 600 ml
• caster sugar, 1/4 cup
• egg yolks, 6
• vanilla pod, 1

- Prepare the vanilla pod by slicing it, but not through, and using a blunt spoon to scoop out the seeds
- Add vanilla seeds and cream to a pan and allow to simmer for a minute and take it off the heat


- In another bowl, cream the yolks and sugar
- Add a little hot cream to the yolk-sugar mixture, then slowly add all the cream to the yolks, whisking continually
- Preheat the oven to 150C, about 275F
- Sieve the hot custard into ramekins


- Place ramekins in a deep roasting dish, pour hot water halfway up the sides of the ramekins
- Bake the custards for about 30-45 minutes. When done, they will be a little wobbly in the centre
- Allow to cool and refrigerate
- Remove the custards from the fridge hours later, or a day later, add about 2 tablespoons of sugar on each of them and place directly under a preheated broiler
- Grill, watching closely for a couple of minutes and remove as soon as the sugar has melted
- Once they're outside the oven, the caramelized sugar will settle into a hardened layer on top
- Serve with a cast iron spoon and oversized bib to catch preemptive dribbling

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Chilli Sauce (for Hainanese Chicken Rice)

I made Hainanese chicken rice last week thanks to a desperate craving. The dish is a stalwart and staple of the average food centre or hawker's market in Singapore or West Malaysia, but practically impossible to find in North America.

Although I have discovered Penang, a restaurant chain that serves up authentic Southeast Asian Peranakan Malay and Chinese cuisine, there's still a ten-mile gap between the place and I, via a horrendous highway. It's only so often that I risk life and limb for a culinary yearning.

From my experience making it recently, I say with confidence that despite the simplicity of its appearance, Hainanese chicken rice is not the quickest of things to prepare in its entirety - comprising a voluptuous chicken soup, stock-infused rice, boiled yet flavoursome and tender chicken and accompanied by a gingery-chilli sauce. May not sound like much but the children and I regularly get a hankering for the stuff. Mr Diva Indoors enjoys the dish a tad less enthusiastically, as the chicken (necessarily) includes its bones.

This entry, unfortunately, isn't about the chicken rice itself - a testament to how quickly the dish disappeared once I'd made it (greedy me and the kids!). With the relatively early dusks of late winter/early spring, it's also been tricky photographing food in general in natural light as I am a determined low-tech photographer.

So, for now, here's the yummy condiment. The rice will have to wait for another time!

• long, red chillies, fresh, about 8-10 (see photo)
  
• ginger, 1 1/2 inches worth
• garlic, about 5 cloves
• rice vinegar, as needed, approx. 1/4 cup
• sesame oil, 1 tsp
• lime juice, about 1 tbsp
• salt, 2 tsp
• sugar, 1 tsp
• chicken soup, boiling - a few tbsp
  

1. Prepare the chillies, de-stem and chop roughly
2. Skin the ginger and chop, same as the garlic
3. Place chillies, ginger, garlic, lime juice, salt, sugar, vinegar in small food processor and blitz to a vivid, red sauce, with no chunky bits
4. Add sesame oil and whizz again. Add a bit of the chicken soup (boiling hot)
   
5. As Gordon Ramsay commands, 'Taste, and taste again!' The final result should be hot but not overpowering, tangy and gingery
   
6. Steam a clean jam jar to sterilize it and bottle the sauce
7. Should keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. I use it as a condiment to pep up dishes, including turkey sandwiches :D

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Bananagram Pancakes

We love breakfast in this house. Pancakes are the No. 1 request, and they're a great way to experiment with different ingredients to use in oven-baked cakes, being, as they are, little flat cakes cooked on a pan.

I'm always on the lookout to make the calories count and not all my experiments have made the cut. But this one did, and I (lacking any tall DNA to bequeath my offspring) find it supremely satisfying that the children have started their day with a protein-packed meal.

The surprise ingredient - which I didn't immediately reveal to the family for fear of clearing the table too quickly - is gram flour, which comes from chickpeas or garbanzo beans. Proteinous gram flour is commonly used in South Asian-style savoury pancakes and works well with them, so I figured, why not?

• gram flour, 1/2 cup
• soy flour, 1/2 cup
• wholemeal flour, 1/2 cup
• ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup
• eggs, 2
• milk, 1 1/2 to 2 cups (as needed for a thickish batter)
• salt, pinch of
• orange zest
• sugar, 1 tsp
• baking soda, 1 tsp
• baking powder, 1 tsp
• bananas, chocolate chips or toppings of choice

1. In a separate bowl, sieve together the flours and baking powder and soda
   
2. Then, in bowl 2, cream the eggs, sugar and cheese with a handheld mixer
   
3. Add the ricotta, zest, salt
4. Lower the speed and add the milk and blended flours in gradual succession
5. You are looking for a batter of a thickish consistency that will coat the back of a spoon
6. Ladle a scoop onto your Pam-ed pancake pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips or banana slices. Chocolate goes beautifully with the oranginess of this pancake, but the yummy pancakes didn't make as picturesque a photo :)

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Anniversary on South Beach, Miami

Breakfast. Note the shadow of a palm tree on the plate ..


Miami vice ;)

Warning - chips are probably smaller than they appear in the picture! If the background looks like a dream, it's because it was.



The anniversary couple.

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Cookie Monster Cookies

My husband and I are (and boy, is this a big deal) going away without the kids for the first time since we've had them. For a good cause, no doubt - a decade of wedded bliss.

Along with all the excitement and building of suspense, we've been ridden with guilt. What with the "Why are you going away without us?" "Do you have to be alone on your anniversary?" and "Are you sure you're coming back?" questions, my main man has found himself shopping for all manner of bribes. Today, for example, he came home with two Club Penguin sleeping bags that I know we will struggle to keep the children out of until the weekend.

I, meanwhile, have been unable to say No to any kiddy food requests. Here is one of those adamant Yesses - the boys' favourite Cookie Monster cookies!

• butter, 1 cup, melted
• brown sugar, 1 cup
• white sugar, 1/2 cup
• wholemeal flour, 1 cup
• plain flour, 1 2/3 cup
• vanilla, 2 tsp
• salt, 1/2 tsp
• baking powder, 1 tsp
• baking soda, 1 tsp
• semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 cup
• chopped pecans, 3/4 cup
• dessicated coconut, 1/2 cup

1. Preheat the oven to about 190C or 375F
2. Cream the butter and eggs, then add the sugar
3. Beat till fluffy and butterscotchy
4. In a separate bowl, sieve together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt
5. Slowly add the flour to the creamed butter/sugar mixture
6. Stir in the coconut, nuts and chocolate chips
7. Refrigerate for 10 minutes, then shape into balls and press into a cookie sheet
8. Bake for about 11-12 minutes

COOKIEEE!.. um yum yum yum!!


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Cajun Chicken Wrap with Roasted Peppers

For those times when you're clean out of ideas, here's a no-fuss one-dish meal. All you have to do is grill the veg and chicken. I particularly like having the oven do all the work so I can multitask - by doing the laundry, cleaning up after the kids or updating this blog!

• chicken fillets, 2
• red and green peppers, 1 of each
• large red onion, 1, sliced
• thick Greek yoghurt or sour cream, as needed
• smoked paprika, for seasoning
• cummin, 1 tsp
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

1. First, marinate the chicken fillets with a squeeze of lemon juice, some paprika, cummin and salt and pepper - or use ready-prepared cajun seasoning
2. Preheat the oven with the grill setting on High or bake at 425F
3. Grill the chicken and sliced red and green peppers and onions together on a tray lined with tin foil, drizzling them with olive oil first
4. The chicken will be done in 10 minutes. Depending how you like your peppers, either start grilling them with the onions 20-30 minutes earlier or together with the meat, if you like a bit of crunch
5. Allow the filling to cool a little
6. Toast a wholewheat wrap on a heated pan, slather it with some sour cream or thick yoghurt and bung the chicken and grilled peppers and onions on top
7. Roll it up and allow the yummy juices to dribble down your chin!
   

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Feel-good Apple and Banana Breakfast Muffins

This muffin has surprised me, in that the children regularly ask me to bake it and are proud of the fact that it's relatively healthy. Made of wholemeal flour, it's also chock full of apples, bananas, hazelnuts and I couldn't resist that universal feel-good ingredient, chocolate. These are best eaten warm, but also wonderful as a lunchbag or after-school snack.

• wholemeal flour, 2 cups, sifted
• baking soda, 1 tsp
• baking powder, 1 tsp
• salt, 1/2 tsp
• zest, of 1 orange
• apple, 1, peeled and grated
• bananas, 3, mashed with fork
• milk, 1/2 cup
• canola oil, 1/2 cup
• egg, 1, large
• brown sugar, 1/2 cup
• chocolate chips, 1/2 cup

1. Mix the wet ingredients in one bowl, ensuring the cold items are at room temperature
2. In another bowl, process sugar, oil, egg, milk with the zest
3. Sift the flour together with the soda and baking powder
4. Add the flour to the wet ingredients, 1/3 at a time, mixing as little as possible but
5. ensuring the elements all come together
6. Bake in preheated 410F oven (200C) for about 15 mins. Insert a skewer to see if the muffins are done.

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Date and Ginger Meringue Slice

One of the appealing things about a meringue, apart from how it miraculously transforms from an unremarkable, gooey liquid into a fluffy, glossy cloud of loveliness, is the fact that you could - just about - throw anything into it and produce a delicious cake. This one has ground almonds and dates in it, crystallized ginger, orange peel, macadamia and walnuts. Perfect for a Passover dessert really, since it's void of any flour and raising agents. It's aromatic and its sweet, sticky fruitiness will guarantee its swift disappearance.

• egg whites, 4
• sugar, 1 cup
• orange zest, 1 tsp (or lemon zest)
  
• ground almonds, 3 tbsp
• dates, 1/2 cup, chopped
  
• coconut shavings, 3 tbsp (optional)
• crystallized ginger, 2/3 cup
• orange peel, 1/4 cup
• macadamia and walnuts, to total 1 cup

1. Whisk the egg whites till they're fluffy and almost stiff
2. Add the zest, then sugar, a few tablespoons at a time and continue whisking
3. Using a spatula, fold in all the rest of the ingredients
4. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 30-35 mins
5. Remove, cool, slice and be transported to heaven!

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Birthday Cupcakes II - Frosting and Gallery

My son insisted that I present a choice of frosting for his classmates - apparently the vanilla lovers among his friends don't care for chocolate and vice versa. Sigh. Fast forward several hours and this is the result. Good job his mummy loves baking!

Vanilla icing:

• butter, 1 stick, room temperature
• icing sugar, 3-4 cups
• whipping cream, 1/4 cup
• vanilla, 1 tsp
• salt, pinch

Chocolate icing:

• butter, 1 stick, room temperature
• dark chocolate, 6 oz
• whipping cream, a few tablespoons
• vanilla, 1 1/2 tsp
• icing sugar, 3 cups

1. Cream all the ingredients together
2. Frost as desired

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Birthday Cupcakes - Slideshow

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Birthday Cupcakes - Butterscotch Vanilla

Hooray, another birthday comes around and with it, the opportunity to play with food! This recipe, which yields about 40 butterscotch-vanilla flavoured beauties, will particularly be enjoyed by those who like digging into their cupcakes before they're baked - what a pretty caramel colour the batter is too :)

Pour les petites gateaux:

• plain flour, 4 cups
• white sugar, 2 cups
• brown sugar, 3/4 cup
• butter, 2 3/4 sticks, softened
• eggs, 5
• milk, 1 1/3 cup
• vanilla, 2 tsp
• baking powder, 1 tsp
• baking soda, 1 tsp
• salt, 1 tsp

1. Preheat the oven to 350F, 180C
2. Cream the butter and sugar till pale and fluffy
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, process further
4. In another bowl, sieve together all dry ingredients
5. Add dry ingredients and milk, in small portions, to creamed sugar/butter
6. Use an ice cream scoop to pour batter into paper cupcake liners in baking pan
7. Ensure the cupcake liners are no more than 3/4s full
8. Bake for about 18-20 minutes, till the centre feels firm and looks golden brown
9. Cool and frost as desired
   

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Shortbread

Reminiscing about Vi, my lovely Scottish neighbour in Toronto, and our shared passion for shortbread, I had to bake some immediately (of course). This is a proper Scottish shortbread recipe. No shortcuts, no compromises on taste, and with the requisite amount of full-fat, cow-derived butter.

• butter, 2 sticks, softened (best quality)
  
• plain flour, 2 cups (best quality)
  
• cornflour, 1 cup
• sugar, superfine, 1/2 cup
  
• salt, 1/2 tsp

1. Cream the butter in a food processor
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients
3. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and process till it comes together
4. Remove the dough from the processsor, shape into rounds and refrigerate 15 mins
5. Then, roll out the dough, cut into whatever shape you like, leaving the shortbread at a thickness of about 1 cm
6. Use a fork to prick the shortbread, allowing it to rise evenly
7. Bake in a preheated 420F (200C) oven for about 15 mins, watching so they don't brown
8. Allow to cool and store in a biscuit tin
9. Don't eat all at once ;)
   

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