Monday, November 21, 2011

Week 46: Mushy-Mushy Chocolate Cake

The Recipe
200g dark chocolate (60-70%) chopped coarsely
200g unsalted butter in 1cm cubes
2,75dl sugar
5 eggs
1 tbsp flour.

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Put butter and chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and heat it up for 30 seconds at a time (stirring between each pulse) until just melted (alternatively, melt over waterbath). When chocolate and butter has melted, stir to combine. Add sugar and stir thoroughly until the sugar has been incorporated completely. Set it aside to cool for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly between each. Add flour and stir again until the flour has disappeared completely.

Put the mixture in a spring form and bake it for 20-25 minutes until the top is firm and just a tad cracked. The center should jiggle only slightly, if at all.

Leave it to cool for 15 minutes and then remove the 'circumference' of the spring form. Let it cool completely before serving.

This cake can be frozen for up to a month. Allow 24 hours to defrost completely.

The Verdict
It felt really, really weird to make a cake with just one tablespoon of flour, but it was ridiculously yummy! Filled with mushy-mushy chocolaty goodness. It's very rich though, so though small in size, the above recipe is easily enough for dessert for 8 people.

It was a very easy cake to make - took hardly any time at all. I'll definitely be making this again!

Edit I made this again on May 30th, but substituted 100g of the plain dark chocolate for dark chocolate with orange. WOW! It was good before, but this made it SO much better! Also, I used salted butter instead of unsalted, and really couldn't tell the difference.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Week 45: Orange Chicken Soup

The Recipe

Soup Base
2 chicken thighs/drumsticks
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 small onion, quartered
1-2 red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 small squash, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 orange, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rings
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups water
1 tsp honey
thyme

Soup
1 large onion, chopped
3 red potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 small squash, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bell pepper, cut into strips
1 can stewed tomatoes (400g)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp curry
150g bacon cut into strips
2-3 cups vegetable broth

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper to taste; place in a pot and add remaining ingredients for the soup base. Bring to a boil, cover and leave to simmer for 1 hour.
Once done, discard all the vegetables but save the stock (it boiled down to less than a cup for me - you might end up with more in which case the additional stock for the soup won't be necessary). Pick the chicken from the bones, discard the skin and bones and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

In a large pot, add onion, potatoes, carrots and bacon, paprika and curry. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add bell pepper and squash and cook for a minute or so. Add tomatoes, chicken stock and enough vegetable stock for the soup to have the desired consistency. Cover, bring to a boil, and leave to simmer for at least 30 minutes, 1 hour if possible.

The Verdict
Wow, it wasn't until I started typing this out that I realized how elaborate the recipe had gotten! It felt easy to me, but that might have been because I'd prepared the soup base ahead of time. Anyway, it was really, really good. I loved it, and ate more than my fill :-) You can probably make it with just regular chicken stock rather than this elaborate base - I couldn't say how big a difference in taste that would make.

Week 44: Orange chicken with potatoes

The Recipe
2 chicken thighs/drumsticks
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 small onion, quartered
1-2 red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 small squash, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 orange, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rings
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp honey
thyme

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper to taste; place in a slow cooker and top with remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours or until chicken is cooked through.

The Verdict
Easy to make, but pretty non-descript. Made a terrific base for a soup though (recipe to follow ;) ). I didn't care much for the cooked oranges, as they seemed too sour in comparison to the rest of the dish.