ORANGE AND DARK CHOCOLATE NANAIMO

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better. A classier take on Nanaimo bars.

Now that is sexy. Eat your heart out, Nigella.

Cut after a few minutes, when still a bit soft.

This is how nicely these cut at fridge temperature.

First layer:
As before

Second layer:
As before, with added orange oil.

Third layer:
75g dark chocolate
50 unsalted butter
10ml sunflower oil

Method for third layer: Melt butter and oil in a saucepan, add chocolate and mix until melted. Allow to cool down a little and spread on the cake. Set in the fridge. Cut and eat.


The original Nanaimo bars were wolfed down quite fast but after two batches I was feeling a bit adventurous. Certain recipes online use some additional ingredients in the custard cream layer to give it a new flavour and that got me thinking about the Polish orange oil in the depths of my cupboard. I also wanted to create a shinier, softer chocolate layer that wouldn't crack at fridge temperature.

Maybe the milk chocolate was to blame? Dark chocolate works better with orange anyway so I sent the hubby away to Tesco's to get some of that.

The first layer works as it is. I did use a bit of pistachios, though, when I ran out of pecans but only a little bit.

I also prepared the second layer as before, apart from adding some orange oil. You can also use an alcohol-based orange flavouring.

The smell of the custard cream was divine. I could hardly spread it on the biscuit base for feeling so dizzy at the aroma.

At this point I let the cake set in the fridge until the second layer was very hard to the touch.

Meanwhile I prepared the top layer using dark chocolate, also adding a little bit of oil to keep the chocolate soft at fridge temperature. The result was a beautifully glossy surface that was easy to cut into.

Should you, however, prefer to eat your bars at room temperature, remember that condensation will happen – at least if you live on this humid island. Some unfortunate bars ended up looking like they had blisters.

COMING UP: NORFOLK FOOD FESTIVAL

The Norfolk Food Festival consists of various events spread around the near future though the main events are around the end of September.

There will be a food fair on Sept 25th that I will not miss. You will also have a chance to have a Norfolk afternoon tea, witness The Tallest Jelly Competition and a sausage competition Battle of the Bangers.

Click here for events calendar.

The Norfolk Food Festival is also on Facebook and Twitter.

NANAIMO BARS

Criminally good stuff.






The defendant was doing her washing at the laundrette in question when a photograph in the complimentary magazine she was reading caught her attention. It was of a cake-stand filled with the most decadent treats, and a man standing next to it with the expression of a proud father on his face. One of the treats on the stand was a chocolaty bar-shaped object, temptingly glistening in the perfect lighting the photographer had arranged.

It emerged that the man was a former shoe designer starting a cheeky brasserie in London. The defendant was first tempted to perform the vile act she is accused of, when she noticed that the shoe man had kindly provided the magazine with a recipe for the bar.

The defendant thought long and hard. She had no pen or paper. Her mobile phone could perhaps be used to store the recipe until she got home, but writing it in the manner of text messages did not appeal to her.

She then looked around her and found that the only other customer at the laundrette was a darling of an old man, who was already packing up his newly washed clothes. When the man was gone, temptation proved too much and the defendant tore off the page. The defendant would like to plead guilty, Your Honour.





Evidence: The dedendant was in possession of the above objects.


NANAIMO BARS

Bottom layer:
100g unsalted butter
50g sugar
5 tbps cocoa powder
1 egg, beaten
200g digestive biscuits, or similar
75g desiccated coconut
100g finely chopped pecans

Pop the biscuits in a plastic bag and whack them with a rolling pin until fine. Melt the butter with the sugar and cocoa in a saucepan.




Mix in the dry ingredients and then the beaten egg. At this point I panicked at the amount of biscuit mix I had and decided to make two trays of bars. Next time I'll make just the one.




Line a 23x23cm baking tray with greaseproof paper or foil. Press the biscuit mixture in evenly and chill in the fridge.


Second layer:
2 tbsp custard powder
3 tbsp milk
50g butter
250g icing sugar

Mix together custard and milk, add butter and sugar. Be patient and beat until very light – lighter than what I've got here. Spread on the biscuit base and chill.





Top layer:
75g dark chocolate
50g butter

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Let the chocolate melt in the warm butter and mix well.




Allow to cool but not set. Spread over the second layer and chill.




When set, cut into bars or squares. The top layer will cut neatly when room-temperature, not fridge-cold.




This is a traditional recipe named after a town in Canada. The second and third layer are so sweet you definitely need a thick biscuit base for balance. I decided to make mine half as thin, as I mentioned earlier, and it ended up a little bit too thin in comparison.

The terrorised magazine was the Style supplement of The Sunday Times, the latest issue, I think. Name of recipe quoted by the article was Mrs Cox’s killer Nanaimo bars, and I don’t think killer was used purely to mean ‘awesome’. Carb alert! These will give you a nice sugar high if that’s what you’re into.

Mrs Cox’s son Patrick the Shoe Man will be opening Cox Cookies & Cake at 13 Brewer St., Soho, London on September the 1st.

A BIT OF FUN

Here's a couple fun websites for your enjoyment.

Pimp That Snack is about creating ginormous versions of world-famous snacks. We love photos, don't we, and this website has plenty. The users range from college rascals who have never cooked before to mature foodies. Check out the ganstalicious fig roll or the monumental Creme Egg. Yes, a lot of the recipes are British, which is refreshing. Put the kettle on while you browse, love. http://www.pimpthatsnack.com/

Ooh, I think one of the chocolate bars would make a nice gift for a teenage boy. Evil plan emerging...

Another fun website is Apocalypse Cakes: Recipes for the End http://apocalypsecakes.wordpress.com/

Now this is baking made fun. The names of the cakes are great but the recipes seem functional and the final result always looks quite professional. Have a look at the Branch Davidian Texas pecan pie with a flaming cross stuck upright in the middle. Now that's impressive, even though it may not be something to make for your mum. I think any mum would appreciate some Sodom and Gomorrah fruitcake, though! Boy, that cracks me up. Or maybe make yourself a Raining Blood cake while listening to the Slayer song? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO5T2MHmHnk&feature=av2n

One cake they're definitely missing is one raleted to a zombie apocalypse. I definitely need to send them feedback on that after I finish typing this.

An impostor has emerged! Since June 2010, there has been a saltandthyme.com competing with my saltandthyme.blogspot.com. They must be doing quite well, too, since I found them first when looking for my own blog. Boo!

CARROT CAKE

Sam's Famous Carrot Cake, the best of it's kind. Great for a wedding cake, though the one above was for a less happy occasion. The light is a bit strange in the photo; the cake is white, not yellowish.

The original recipe has been adapted to yield a 28cm cake.


5 eggs
290ml milk
10ml lemon juice or vinegar
295ml sunflower oil
500g sugar
15ml vanilla extract -- 0r 16,25ml to be exact!
15ml cinnamon
2.5ml salt
415g flour
15ml bicarbonate of soda
365g grated carrots
125g desiccated coconut
195g chopped nuts
1 very small tin crushed pineapple with liquid (200ml)



In a large bowl, mix together eggs, grated carrots, coconut, nuts, pineapple, sugar, spices and liquids.


In a medium bowl, mix together remaining ingredients, which will be flour and bicarbonate of soda.



Combine by sifting the flour into the wet mix.

Bake in 175 for 1 hour and then in 150 for any remaining time.



FILLING:
Orange marmalade.

Cut the cake into three layers. Dampen all layers by brushing on orange juice or milk before spreading on a thick layer of marmalade. Make sure the top and the sides of the cake do not remain dry or crusty before applying the icing.




ICING:

200g unsalted butter
icing sugar to taste
800g cream cheese
15ml lemon juice


Beat together butter and sugar until white. Push the cream cheese through a sieve to soften it and add to the butter with the lemon juice. Mix together well. Add more sugar if necessary.

If you want an even finish, it may be easier to achieve it if you pop the icing in the fridge for a while to harden it a bit.




Cake recipe from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sams-Famous-Carrot-Cake/Detail.aspx

DOG-SHAPED CHOCOLATE CAKE

This was for my sister-in-law's birthday. The cake itself is a Black Forest cake, or Black Forest gateau, as Delia Smith likes to call it. As gateau is just a French word for a layer cake, I'll call this a cake. The recipe is from Delia's book Delia's Complete Cookery Course. Anyway, Black Forest, or Schwarzwald is in Germany. Why the French then?

Black Forest cake is a very traditional cherry cake, and something I wanted to try but you can use any recipe you like because this post is just about creating the dog-shape.


Delia's Black Forest gateau:

6 large eggs
150 caster sugar (Non-British readers: that just a type of sugar that's slightly finer than usual)
50g cocoa powder

Filling and topping:
300ml double cream (I'd say you need 400ml)
sugar
450g tin or jar Morello cherries
(I also used raspberry jam for the semi-circle)
1-2 tblsp Kirsch or rum
(50g plain chocolate to decorate - didn't use any because I wanted the dog to remain perfectly white.)

Use a 20cm deep cake tin. Separate the egg whites from the yolks, do not discard anything. Whisk the yolks with the sugar until they just begin to pale and thicken, which will not take long. Fold in the sifted cocoa powder. Beat the egg whites on their own until white. Stir a little bit of the egg white into the chocolate mix to loosen it up and fold in the rest of the egg white. Bake in 180°C until done but not dry.

The cake should be very moist so I used the liquid from the cherries to dampen the cake when I filled it.

What I used to paint the mouth, eye and ear is a mixture of honey and cocoa powder.


When the cake has cooled down, cut it as demonstrated below.



Thinnen the head and legs of the dog. Leave the semi-circle thick. Adjust any bits if they look wonky.




Cut the cake into layers and fill it.



Then it's time for the cream. I forgot to save some to make a tail.




Paint on the eyes, etc, just before serving if you're using honey-cocoa mixture because it will bleed a little.

ROYAL ICE CREAM COMFORTER

Today was the second Monday I wanted to go dancing in the effort of starting a new hobby. Last week I had a bad day so I stayed home and ate, and ate a bit more. Today I took so long finishing my dinner (eating again?!) that I would've been very late so I decided to give it a miss again. I wish I had some ice cream and lemon curd now to cheer me up.

Next time I will be there, and I will be on time. I'll have to go now that I've written it here.

Here's an older photo and my recipe for a treat good enough for the Queen. I bet she eats her ice cream with lemon curd like I do. I bet she loves it.


A few scoops of vanilla ice cream
Maybe four spoonfuls (tbsp) lemon curd
Fudge shavings or pieces (from 1 bigger piece of pick-and-mix fudge)
Vine fruit: raisins, sultanas, currants, whatever you like.