Cheese, Pistachio and Apricot Cake

Recipe adapted from Rachel Khoo from UK. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/cheese_pistachio_and_85849

Savoury cakes are very popular in France, they appear in boulangeries and with a side salad on lunch menus in chic cafés, but they’re most likely to appear at a picnic.

Ingredients 

250g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
150g soft goat’s cheese, cut into small pieces
80g pistachios, roughly chopped
100g  dry apricot, roughly chopped
4  eggs
150ml olive oil
100ml  milk
50g  plain yoghurt
1 tsp salt
pinch freshly-ground black pepper

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a loaf tin measuring 8½ x 4¼  with baking paper. 
2. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cheese, pistachios and apricots. 
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until fluffy and pale in colour. Then gradually whisk in the oil, milk and yoghurt. Season with the salt and freshly-ground black pepper. 
4. Fold the flour mixture into the whisked eggs. Try not to overbeat as this will make the end result tough (it’s better to undermix). 
5. Pour the batter into the prepared tin. 
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. 
7. Leave to cool in the tin.

You can also find her other recipes in this book.

Pink Peppercorn

Pink peppercorns are not true peppercorns but actually the dried berries from the Baies rose plant. They're cultivated in Madagascar and imported via France, hence their exorbitant price. These rose-hued berries are pungent and slightly sweet. It is a super mild chilli pepper. They have a very thin skin, little heat, and a pine-like quality, sweet fruitiness, and a bit of floral at the same time.

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Birthday Cake

Yoghurt mousse base with fondant doggie.

Blackberry Cupcake w/Vanilla Buttercream

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History of Pavlova

Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova.It is a meringue dessert with a crisp crust and soft, light inside.

The dessert is believed to have been created in honour of the dancer either during or after one of her tours to Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. The nationality of its creator has been a source of argument between the two nations for many years, but formal research indicates New Zealand as the source.

The dessert is a popular dish and an important part of the national cuisine of both countries, and with its simple recipe, is frequently served during celebratory and holiday meals. It is a dessert most identified with the summer time, but is eaten all year round in many Australian and New Zealand homes.

Source retrieved from Wiki

I follow the Pavlova recipe from this book:

Strawberry jam infused with Earl Grey Tea

1.4 kg hulled and chopped strawberries
1 kg sugar
2 lemons' juice and zest
2 (85ml) packets of liquid pectins
200 ml water
5 Premium Earl Grey tea bags
5 to 6 250ml sanitized jars

Makes 5 (250ml) jars

In a nonreactive bowl, combine the chopped strawberries with 200g sugar. Let the mixture sit at room temperature until the sugar begins to pull the liquid out of the berries, about 15 to 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

When you're ready to make the jam. Boil the 200ml water to 100°C/212°F, then steep the tea bags for 3 minutes.

Remove the macerated strawberries from the fridge and pour everything into a large, nonreactive pot. Add the remaining 800g sugar, Earl Grey tea and tea bags, lemon juice and zest, stir to continue. Bring to a boil over high heat (be careful that this mixture will foam madly), cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until it becomes a thick syrupy consistency.

Remove the tea bags from the mixture. You can blend the mixture with an immersion blender or transfer about a third of the jam to a blender and purée, then return the purée to the pot.

Add the pectin to the mixture and bring to a rolling boil. Insert your candy thermometer into the jam and attach it to the side of the pot. Let the jam boil vigorously until it reache 220°F/105°C.

Once the jam reach 220°F/105°C and remains at that temperature for 2 minutes, remove thepot from the heat and ladle the jam into your prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Store the jams in a cool place and refrigerate once open.

To learn more about preserving fruits, I recommend this book.