O bolo chocolate da fraude com azeite e flor de sal

 
It was the Thespian´s birthday this week, and we all know how much he loves his chocolate. Although he has been a little abstemious of late, I thought I would surprise him with a chocolate cake.This is an amazing cake for cheats.The olive oil keeps it lovely and moist, it might have something to do with the subtle, earthier quality olive oil imparts in chocolate. Typically, any good quality oil could be used but I opted for an extra virgin olive oil that imparted a slightly sweet and fruity flavour, with an almost imperceptible presence of bitter and spicy notes. Instead of real chocolate you use cocoa powder.The proportion of cocoa powder to flour in the recipe is relatively low; it yields a rich brown cake, but not one chocolatey enough to please the likes of me. I changed the proportions of the specified cake tin to make it taller and tweaked the cocoa quantity to lend more dominance and ended up with a nearly pitch-black cake. I found in this the perfect chance to realize my chocolate olive oil cake dreams. I think we should all stop what we are doing right now and make this,especially when flecked with Flor de sal.How can you possibly resist ?

He loved it!!!!

Cheats Olive oil chocolate cake
Serves 10
7 eggs separated
1 cup caster sugar
425ml (1 2/3 cups) delicate flavoured olive oil
1 cup self-raising flour,sifted
13/4 cups cocoa,sifted
125ml (1/2 cup) warm water
1/4 cup sugar when beating the egg whites

Preheat the oven to180C(350F)
Beat the egg yolks with caster sugar until fluffy.If the mixture tends to be thick,add 1 tablespoon of warm water.This will help the mixture turn fluffy again.
With the beater on medium speed add the olive oil bit by bit,as you would making mayonnaise.Add the dry ingredients to the mixture on low speed and beat until completely combined.Add the water.Whip the egg whites until thick,add the sugar and beat until it dissolves.Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl and gently but swiftly fold in the egg whites.when well combined pour into a greased 8x8inch(20 X 20cm) square cake tin. and bake for 1 hour until cooked.

FOR THE ICING
165g dark chocolate cut into small pieces
135ml whipping cream
35g unsalted butter diced
1 Tbsp Amarguinha,Amaretto or other almond liqueur

 Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.Put the cream in a small saucepan and heat almost to boiling point,then pour it over the chocolate using a rubber spatula to stir until all the chocolate has melted and come together with the cream.Add the butter and liqueur and beat until smooth.
Transfer the icing to a clean bowl and cover with cling film.Leave at room temperature until the cake has cooled completely and the icing has started to set.You need to catch it at the point where it spreads easily but isn´t hard.DO NOT speed things up by refrigerating.
Spoon a generous amount on top of the cake and swirl with a palette knife

The slotted spoon can catch the potato!

 Pure summer comfort

Question:What happens when you mix one nations ancestry with another  nation´s deeply rooted traditions?

Answer:One nation´s flavours are in the blood and the other nations are in the method.

There is a classic example of this in a soup most aptly named Réconfort.The name comes from the French word to comfort and restore the body and soul.At first glance this soup appears to be traditionally French,full of bright flavours and even brighter colours but bears a huge similarity to a classic Italian minestrone.Making this soup brought to mind one of my favourite Songs from  "Into the Woods" when Stephen Sondheim gave Jack´s mother the wonderful lyrics

Slotted spoons don´t hold much soup..

....but a slotted spoon can catch the potato!

In terms of a Réconfort soup the particular recipe would not include potato but should include some sort of meat,whether it be meatballs as in this version,shredded chicken or perhaps beef. I suppose it depends what time of year you are serving it and how hearty you intend it to be.This incarnation features veal meatballs.It makes a lovely light summery supper with a difference, and I feel it restores body and soul perfectly.
serves 6
2 white onions,peeled and halved
1 red onion
4 carrots
2 celery stalks,halved
5 garlic cloves
3 large ripe fresh tomatoes,peeled,seeded and coarsely chopped
7oz8200g) parmigiano reggiano rinds
8 asparagus spears,halved
Flor de sal
5oz(140g) orecchiette pasta or other short pasta
9oz(250g) stale bread,cut into large cubes
generous 3/4 cup (200ml) milk
1lb 2 oz (500g) finely minced veal
teaspoon dried oregano
teaspoon dried basil
teaspoon dried parsley
teaspoon dried chilli flakes
teaspoon crushed garlic
Flor de sal
freshly ground black pepper
In a large pan,combine the onions,carrots,celery,garlic,tomatoes,parmesan rinds,and 2 litres of water.Cook over low heat for 30 minutes.Fish out the carrots and celery,slice,and set aside.Continue cooking for 2 hours.Strain through a fine mesh sieve and return to the pan.Cook over medium heat until reduced by one third,about 10 minutes.Add the sliced carrots and celery and the asparagus.Season to taste with salt and set aside.
Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to a boil over medium heat.Add the pasta and cook until al dente.Drain and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the bread and milk and let soak until soft,about 5 minutes.Drain and squeeze out the excess liquid.Return to the bowl,add the veal,the dried herbs and seasonings and mix until well combined.Season with salt and pepper and mix again.Form 24 x  3/4" (2cm)  meatballs.Bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat.Add the meatballs and cook for 10 minutes.Add the pasta.ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Roasted vegetable gazpacho

sunshine radiating from a bowl of soup

I thought recently while making yet another variation on the theme of gazpacho,that I could write a book about it, then I discovered that one was already in existence.On examining the contents of the book I realised that I had never made any of the 50 types of gazpacho on the list.The chief reason I suppose being that most of my recipes were my own creations,or re-interpretations.I have notched up ten gazpachos to date and continue my search for further inspiration.
Gazpacho is a hearty soup that is served cold, making it a perfect way to cool down and replenish the body on a hot, summer day in Andalucía. There is the classic gazpacho recipe, but there are many other variations. Gazpacho is typically served along with the main course, or afterward. Some Spaniards serve it in a glass, as a beverage to accompany the meal. 
Here are my top ten favourites

Cordoban samarejo
Beetroot gazpacho
Ajo blanco
Melon and ham gazpacho
Avocado gazpacho
Cherry gazpacho 
Tomato and Pequillo pepper Gazpacho with Sherry
Indian gazpacho
Watermelon gazpacho
Roasted vegetable gazpacho (above)

My favourite to date has to be the watermelon incarnation.The amazing thing here is that coincidentally it is gluten free.Traditionally gazpacho is made with day old or stale bread.The watermelon gives the soup the same texture.
My most recent venture was the  Roasted vegetable gazpacho from the young Irish chef Mark Moriarty,who cooked the soup at Reffetorio.I had cooked all the ingredients the night before as a side dish for our guests,so all I had to do was add some passata and blitz it all in the blender.The soup would work equally well made from scratch.Here is the recipe.....
Serves 6
2 garlic bulbs
2 aubergines,peeled and sliced 1/2inch (1 cm) thick
4 courgettes,sliced 1/2 inch(1cm)thick
2 red bell peppers
1 fennel bulb,trimmed and thickly sliced
6 canned whole peeled tomatoes
10 basil leaves
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp flor de sal
1/2 cup(125ml) extra virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 350ºF(180ºC) gas mark 4.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Wrap the garlic in foil and bake until soft,about 30 minutes.Let cool,then squeeze out the garlic and set aside.Meanwhile arrange the aubergines on a prepared baking sheet and bake until soft,about 20 minutes,set aside.
Arrange the courgettes on the second lined baking sheet and bake until soft,about 15 minutes,set aside.
Char the peppers over the open flame of the stove until the skin is completely blackened.(If you dont have a gas stove,char under a hot grill.)Transfer to a bowl,cover,and let sit for 5 minutes.peel,seed and roughly chop,set aside.
In a food processor combine the aubergine, courgette, peppers, fennel, tomatoes, basil, garlic, vinegar, sugar,and salt and pulse until smooth.
With the machine running,stream in the olive oil.
Season to taste with more salt.
Transfer to a bowl,cover and refrigerate to chill.

Culinary hedonism

There are few things as memorable as the aroma of home cooking.Summer for me says buxom, sweet beef steak tomatoes in a panzanella salad, the original home for leftovers. They leak sweet juices over your lips and into the golden-brown croutons of fried bread and across huge, breathy basil leaves that are so fragrant they’re practically narcotic.
Just a hint of perfume and food can become powerfully alluring. Just a few drops of a fragrant essence can make commonplace dishes memorable and good dishes great.Vanilla, citric flavours,yuzu, saffron, ginger,and and a spray of cucumber mist or tomato water from an atomiser. How about rose-infused steamed bass,or a peach-jasmine sorbet,

Autumn quinces steeping in wine and bay leaves

Aroma permeates every cuisine, from ancient to modern, in every culture and at every level.Aroma, not taste, is our primary experience of food. Without aroma there is no flavour. By focusing on aroma, we intensify all aspects of food, and immeasurably enhance the experience of cooking and eating.
Lavender takes creme fraiche to another level, while white truffle makes for a haunting perfume.I love a cumin vinaigrette or an orange blossom custard.
I am a firm believer that a dish should deliver on the flavour of its featured said ingredient.If I am perusing a menu and the dish I have chosen says Chilli,ginger or lemon,I expect those flavours to come shining through loud and clear.Nobody wants to be on the receiving end of a scantily clad bowl of pasta or a half dressed salad. 
A Caesar salad should have the strongly defining taste of anchovies and parmesan,not just a coating of a drab mayo.
One of the reasons I enjoy cooking so much is because the result often transports me to another happy time in my life. The taste of homemade raspberry ice cream reminds me of hot summer days as a child picking and eating raspberries and coming home with blood-red hands and not a care in the world.There is a certain joy to peeling beetroot, getting purple hands and spilling turmeric on your jeans while currying flavour.And while on the subject of culinary stigmata, even carrots leave their mark.

Travelling in foreign countries brings with it distinctive smells.The smell of a Portuguese market is completely different to that which you would experience in Borough market, London. Pass by an Italian market with a whole lot of gabbing going on, and you not only get an  entertainment reminiscent of a Fellini film, but the air is rich with exotic and alluring culinary aromas,celery in particular.Vai passagare beneath the window of an Italian kitchen in Florence and a flurry of nonna´s soffrito hits you.Brush past a pot of basil on a terrace or crush the fragrant leaves for a waft of the Med.
People cook their kind of foods in their homes so indian homes are permeated with the aroma of spices, such as curry.The Italians literally reek of garlic,its in their bloodstream for life.No vampires there mother.

You can tell where you are in the world by the smell of food.Sardines grilling outdoors in Portugal.The heady aroma as you walk into a store specialising in Jamon in Spain.The smell of spices emanating from a souk, if its Monday it must be Morocco.There is nothing quite like the smell you get as you enter a French fromagerie or the smell of mint or coriander wafting off a market stall.One of the best scent experiences happens when you walk into a home where the kitchen has been in full use — dinner’s almost ready and the aromas of the ingredients are lingering in every corner of the house.

 fresh from the vine with a distinctive aroma

Lets put it to the test,shall we? I found it quite difficult to choose a particular recipe that would deliver on hedonistic aroma and flavour.Onions sautéeing in butter and olive oil came to mind,curry,coconut and tomatoes fresh from the vine.It was not until yesterday when I made a prawn risotto that it came to me.This Thai inspired recipe is for me definitive.It fills the kitchen with a heady aroma while you make the stock.It answers the head to tail philosophy of using all parts of the shell fish,and delivers on strong independent flavours shining through the finished dish. Chilli,lemon,coriander,garlic,shallot and of course prawn,represented both in the stock and the shelled meat. Stirring can be strangely soothing, as you'll find when preparing this summery seafood risotto.

Lemon infused prawn risotto with chilli, 
peas and coriander
Serves 4
400g raw prawns,in their shells, de-frosted if frozen
3 tbsp olive oil
1 red chilli, deseeded, half sliced and half finely chopped
1½ l fish stock, preferably home made
50g butter

2 shallots chopped
2 cloves garlic grated on amicroplane
handful coriander including stalks
300g arborio rice
1 small glass white wine
200g frozen peas
juice 1 lemon, and zest (optional)
 
Peel the prawns, keeping the heads and shells. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the prawn shells and heads with the sliced chilli until they have toasted and changed colour. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer.
Bring the stock to the boil and keep on a low simmer. In a separate pan, melt half the butter over a medium heat. Stir in the onions and sweat gently for 8-10 mins until soft but not coloured, stirring occasionally. Stir the rice into the onions until completely coated in the butter, then stir continuously until the rice is shiny and the edges of the grain start to look transparent.
Pour in the wine and simmer until totally evaporated. Add the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring with each addition until absorbed. Stir through the prawns and peas. Continue adding stock a ladleful at a time and stirring the rice over a low heat for 25-30 mins, until the rice is cooked al dente (with a slightly firm, starchy bite in the middle). The risotto should be creamy and slightly soupy. When you draw a wooden spoon through it, there should be a wake that holds for a few moments but not longer. Cook until the prawns change colour. Stir through the chopped chilli, lemon juice and remaining olive oil. Let the risotto rest for a few mins, then serve, topped with the lemon zest.

Conchiglioni pasta with asparagus,almond, and turmeric bechamel

When most people think of pasta the first thing that comes to mind is heavy tomato-based sauces.This particular recipe is a very non-traditionalist approach to the pasta sauces we have become used to, but is light and perfect for a balmy summer supper.It has entirely new-to-me flavour combinations,and offers a refreshingly new alternative from the tomato excess we experience at this time of year.
With  spring fully sprung, we see new produce appearing in the  markets, something that will remain for a few months and we should definitely take advantage of is asparagus. It is one of those symbolic summer vegetables that in May and June I find Irresistible to create dishes with. Low in calories, high in fibre and water, asparagus is a delicate and refreshing product.I picked up some new season asparagus while across the bridge in Spain.Always wanting to be aware of food miles and the origin of the food I am purchasing, I dutifully examined the minimal plastic label attached to my bunch of asparagus,the main stems being held together by a recyclable rubber band.The source I found was a small agricultural cooperative founded 20 years ago on 17th January, 1995, in the region of Ventorros de San José (Loja),Western Granada where a group of thirty farmers devoted to their farming, decided to create a small cooperative aimed to boost the commercialisation of their production.400 kilometres (250miles)from field to plate satisfied my conscious. This bunch of asparagus was ethical and had not been shunted around the world and back again.I was happy and set about incorporating it into a pasta dish along with some local Algarvian almonds and an amped up bechamel sauce.I hope you like it as much as we did.As a possible addition some crispy fried ham or pancetta and some parmesan could have been added.
Serves 6
1/4 cup (30g whole almonds
6oz (180g) asparagus,cut into2-inch(5cm pieces
Flor de sal and freshly ground black pepper
20g butter
21/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
11/2 cups 350ml milk
1 tsp flor de sal
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
600g conchiglioni rigati,lumaconi or other shell like pasta

Preheat the oven to 325F (160C /gas mark 3).line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Arrange the almonds on the lined baking tray and toast in the oven until golden brown,about 6 minutes.roughly chop and set aside.
In a medium frying pan,heat 5 tablespoons water over a medium heat.Add the asparagus and cook until al dente,about 10 minutes.Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.Meanwhile in a medium saucepan,melt the butter over a medium-high heat until foaming.add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula until bubbling,1 to 2 minutes.Remove from the heat and slowly add the milk,whisking constantly,until the mixture is smooth.return to the heat and cook,stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula,until the sauce begins to boil and is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon,10 to 12 minutes.remove from the heat and stir in the salt and turmeric.
Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil over a medium heat.add the pasta and cook until al dente.Drain well.Toss with the asparagus and bechamel.Divide among 6 bowls and scatter the toasted almonds over the top.

Collecting lemons by the pound

My windfall at the moment is lemons.I´m having to think on my feet literally as every day  they come tumbling off the tree like a set of yellow balls rolling out of a lemon lottery machine. When life hands you lemons, you can make a lot more than lemonade.You can preserve them Moroccan style or use their acidic zing to brighten almost everything.Who would have thought you can even freeze freshly squeezed lemon juice in ice cube trays to preserve in small amounts. It's nice to have on hand when you forget to buy lemons for a recipe and haven´t got the time to pop out for just that one item.Lemon juice works as a natural household cleaner and it gets rid of odours too.If you have animals, lemon juice is a natural alternative to harmful weedkillers .For natural highlights squeeze some lemon on your hair before going out in the sun A little lemon juice, splashed into a dish at the very end of cooking, can be transformative. Even if its citrus notes are too subtle to notice, lemon adds a bright freshness, a finishing touch. It's a cook´s unheralded secret weapon.Sauces aside they amp up your baking ability.Some tart lemon makes for a wicked tart and while on the subject of tarts my rediscovery of the Shrewsbury pudding tart will dispose of 3 lemons from your glut while at the same time bringing an intense natural colour to your cooking.

If you have a penchant for a lemon tart try Peter Gordon´s and that will use up half a dozen lemons from your surplus.I recently baked a lemon pound cake with a lemon drizzle for double the citric intensity and when I was baking it I realised I had the added bonus of the kitchen smelling like a bakery,with a heady aroma of citrus.

Syrupy lemon pound cake 

Cheery, puckery, and tender, this lemon pound cake is what golden sunshine and happiness would look like if you could slice it and put it on a plate.Pucker up peeps, this lemon pound cake brings a triple threat of lemon and all its glorious tartness. First, there is lemon zest and juice in the batter. Second, the cake is soaked in lemon syrup, and to finish, the cake is coated with lemon icing.Pound and drizzle cake all in one.
For the cake:
2 1/2 cups (350 g) bread flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
Zest from 3 lemons
1/3 cup sour cream
4 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup lemon juice, from about 1 lemon

For the lemon syrup:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice, about 1 lemon
2 tablespoons water

For the icing:
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 Preheat oven to 325°F.
2 Prep the pan: Butter the bottom of a loaf pan. Cut a piece of parchment paper so it covers the bottom of the pan and goes up the long sides of the pan like a sling. The short sides shouldn’t be covered. Leave enough parchment hanging over each side so that you can easily lift the loaf out of the pan.
3 Whisk dry ingredients: Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
4 Begin making the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the sugar, butter, and lemon zest on medium to medium high for 8 minutes. Stop occasionally to scrape down the bowl.
Add the sour cream and beat for one more minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through. One at a time, add the eggs and egg yolk, scraping down the bowl between additions.
Add the lemon juice and beat for 1 more minute scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through, and once more before adding the flour.
5 Add the flour to the batter: Set the stand mixer to stir (or the lowest setting) and add the flour mixture. Stir for about 1 minute or until the flour is just incorporated. Shut off the mixer and remove the bowl.
Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and finish folding the ingredients together. The batter will be thick and velvety.
6 Bake the pound cake: Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake for 1 hour and 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
7 While the lemon cake bakes, make the lemon soaking syrup: In a small saucepan set over medium high heat, combine sugar, lemon juice, and water. Stir occasionally and bring to a low boil.
The syrup is ready when it looks transparent and is no longer cloudy. This should take about 5 minutes. Let the syrup cool.
8 Soak the cake with syrup:  Once the cake has finished baking, remove it from the oven. It will have a slight crack down the center. That’s ok. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
With the cake still in the pan, pour half of the lemon syrup over the entire cake. Let it soak in. Then pour the remaining syrup over the cake. Let it continue cooling in the pan for another 15 minutes.
Run a knife along the ends to help release the cake. Use the parchment sling to lift the cake out of the pan, and set it on a baking rack to let it cool completely.
9 While the cake cools, make the icing: Melt the butter,add the powdered sugar. Whisk together while adding the lemon juice one tablespoon at a time.
10 Frost the cake: Once the cake is completely cool, pour the icing over the lemon pound cake. Gently spread the icing so it completely covers the top. It should be white and thick. Slice and serve.

Box clever

STEP 1
There is a clue in the dressed leaves on which the box has been sitting

I was watching a cooking show on television the other day and it just came to me.A new twist on how one presents a Caesar salad.The chef on the show was deconstructing the Caesar.It looked delicious but involved a sous-vide egg mayonnaise,a lot of work for a go-to meal that should be ready in less than 20 minutes, something that should be straight forward and simple.What do I know?
I've never been a fan of elaborate, vertical food presentation or stacking,that´s best left for a club sandwich and there is a good reason why it is held together with a skewer.
 Well imagine you are seated in a restaurant apprehensively waiting for your food to arrive and suddenly you are presented with a teetering assemblage of ingredients,which you then have to figure out how to approach the task of getting it from plate to mouth.
Do you start picking ingredients from the top? Pierce through everything and hope for the best? Being  impatient to get stuck in I usually take a fork to the pile and give it a good topple,ruining the chef´s precious presentation.  
To me, the best plating is when the plate continues to look good even after you have eaten half the plate, not when it looks like a demolition site before you have even begun.Aha demolition site,I know I have just dissed it but I think it could become part of my plan.I have created a clearly organized and systematic way of eating a Caesar salad that no one has ever dared come up with before.The actual salad is served,concealed in a toasted bread box with a lid.That is the first stage.It provides a bit of theatrical suspense before you take the lid off the box.

STEP 2 
Lid removed,the promised pleasure of eating a delicious Caesar salad lies before you

Then there  is a bit of a surprise as to what is inside.There is a clue in the dressed leaves on which the box has been sitting.The box and the lid form the crouton part of this illustrious salad. Curiosity gets the better of you, you remove the lid and hey pandora,its not what you expected.No misery or evil like the Greek story that unfolded centuries ago but the sheer delight, joy and promised pleasure of eating a delicious Caesar salad lies before you.The next stage is what appeals to me most is smashing the box with knife and fork and breaking what initially was perhaps the worlds largest crouton into smaller bite sized fragments.This is when the resulting plate starts to look like a demolition site and you can begin to clean it up,such fun!! 

STEP 3
the resulting plate starts to look like a demolition site

Here is how its done 

Take a standard white sandwich loaf 

Remove the crust and make rectangular loaf with straight sides

Cut a  slice 2" (5cms)thick 

and trim it to make a 9.5cm cube

With a circular pastry cutter ( 8.5cm diameter)

Cut into the cube to the depth of the pastry cutter

Carefully remove the cutter taking the circle of bread within it out of the cube.

Set the circle of bread aside this will form your lid.

With a teaspoon carefully round off the inside of the cube 

to make a bowl like shape and discard the resulting crumbs.

Line an oven tray with baking parchment
place your bread box  on the parchment and brush all over,inside and out
with olive oil.Do the same with both sides and the rim of the lid.
cut the remains of the loaf into thick slices and then into strips.
Cut the strips into bite size cubes and put them in a bowl 
with a few tablespoons of olive oil.
Toss well to coat them all over.
Transfer them to the baking tray with the box and its lid.

Transfer the tray to a medium hot oven and toast all the bread elements 
until golden brown and crisp
Remove from the oven and cool.
This can be done in advance.The toasted bread and croutons 
will keep in an airtight container for about a week.

While the bread is in the oven prepare the Caesar salad

 CLASSIC CAESAR DRESSING
2 cloves garlic
4 anchovy fillets
1Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 eggs plus two egg yolks
Juice of 1 lemon
125ml white wine vinegar
250ml extra virgin olive oil
300ml sunflower oil
Blend all the ingredients in a processor 
until smooth and creamy. 

FOR THE SALAD
Roughly diced cooked chicken breast or whole anchovies
1 large head crisp cos or romaine lettuce, centre stems removed
and leaves torn into bite-size pieces
⅔ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

TO ASSEMBLE
In a large bowl, toss the torn up lettuce with the croutons and chicken. Add the dressing to taste, reserving any extra for another use. Add the Parmesan and toss again so the cheese and chicken adhere to the salad leaves.Serve immediately.

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte

Can I let you into a little secret,that is if you dont know it already? What is the origin of Charlotte? When taking a closer look at history she was not French born and bred. Charlotte was created in England in the early nineteenth century and was named after Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III. Originally, this dessert was prepared in a high pan with flared edges lined with bread and butter and filled with apple or plum compote. This dessert was then baked in an oven for a long time, similar to a pudding.But how did we go from a British dessert that looks nothing like a Charlotte to the French specialty that we know and love today?
We owe Charlotte to Antonin Carême, aka the “king of chefs and chef of kings”, the precursor of Haute Cuisine. It is in the kitchens of the Prince Regent George IV that Antonin became familiar with Charlotte. This is where he changed the recipe for this dessert and started using ladyfingers, the same ones that he adapted from their original round shape to their elongated shape produced today. Russians love French culture and cuisine, it is a known fact.
He called this creation the “Parisian Charlotte” to differentiate it from the English dessert. Thereafter, Antonin worked in the kitchens of Tsar Alexander and he renamed it “Charlotte Russe” which is the other name by which we know it today.
It was extremely popular and fashionable during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. My mother used to regularly make Charlotte Russe for her dinner parties when I was young.As was traditional, she included alcohol, such as sherry or brandy, and candied spices.As a child I therefore was never allowed to taste it, not that it really appealed to my prepubescent palate anyway. Her recipe was, I believe, a classic Mrs Beeton recipe and although recognisably similar in texture,it bore very few palatable similarities to the Charlotte Russe or fridge cake that has been popularised today.So with the summer season almost upon us how about a show stopping version with strawberries, rasberries and lashings of cream,hurrah!!

Charlotte de morangos
This incarnation pings with pastel colours and chimes with some of the finest flavours that have ever been collated. But this is much more than a collation, it adds old-world solidity to a classic pudding with an aerated buoyancy of textures. What makes this dish so enjoyable and still so gladsomely alive today is how closely it adheres to those distinctive and traditional, celebratory tastes. It carries with it lashings of new wave energy and colour which its predecessor lacked.
200g lady fingers
300g strawberries (puréed)
80gstrawberriescut int pieces
2 greek yoghurts (2x115g)
2 tsp strawberry jam home- made if possible
6 leaves of gelatine
3 tbsp water
200ml cream
1 soup spoon lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla sugar

To decorate:
sliced  strawberries

Line with plastic clingfilm a 16cm in diameter loose bottomed cake tin (10cm high).Cut your lady fingers to the height of the tin, and set them aside while you make the filling.
Wash the strawberries and reduce to a purée.
Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 10 minutes.Squeeze out all the water and transfer them to a heatproof metal container with 3 soup spoons of warm water and place over a low flame.If it does not dissolve immediately, raise the heat slightly.Leave to cool a little.In a bowl mix together the strawberry jam with the yoghurt, stir in the gelatine and beat well to amalgamate.In another bowl beat the cream to stiff peaks with the vanilla sugar.Stir the cream into the yoghurt mix.in ashallow bowl pour some licore de morango (strawberry licore) I used some rum that I had been macerating arbutus. Dip the lady fingers one by one very briefly into the licore and then stand them up round the edge of your cake tin.Dont let them soak too much or they wont stand up.Pour the yoghurt and cream mixture into the inside of the wall of biscuita and leave to set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Variations on Charlotte Russe:
Apple Charlotte – It is a golden-crusted dessert made by baking a thick apple compote in a mold lined with buttered bread.  This dessert was originally created as a way to use leftover or stale bread. Some historians think that this sweet dish took its name from Queen Charlotte, known as being a supporter of apple growers.
Charlotte Malakoff – It has a lining of ladyfingers and a center filling of a souffle mixture of cream, butter, sugar, a liqueur, chopped almonds, and whipped cream.  It is decorated with strawberries.
Cold Charlottes – They are made in a ladyfinger-lined mold and filled with a Bavarian cream.  For frozen charlottes, a frozen souffle or mousse replaces the Bavarian cream.

Roasted garlic,a free pass into a world of condiments

 Roasted Garlic and Avocado Toast,(recipe below)

"A condiment  is a spice, sauce, or preparation (such as onions) that is added to food to impart a specific flavour, to enhance the flavour, or, in some cultures, to complement the dish. The term originally described pickled or preserved foods, but its meaning has changed over time".

Being a loyal and faithful cook,my garlic press is the "chosen one" But if I ever do find myself stranded on a garlic-growing desert island with just a match, some tin foil and a pan of water, I'm just about fickle enough to survive and cook the next meal,without it.
I love my garlic press,I do; in fact, it is probably my one true desert island gadget. But I'm happy to put it aside whenever the smell and sweet taste of slow-cooked garlic is called for.
We all know garlic can overpower a dish with its pungent, sometimes spicy flavour, but with a quick sit in the oven garlic takes on a whole new quality of rich, sweet, melt-in-your-mouthness. I love to use roasted garlic in homemade pesto, garlic butter, or stirred together with olive oil and brushed onto bread to make bruschettas, or tossed into pasta. In fact, there’s really no wrong way to use it.You can put it on spoons.Wait, who said spoons? Feeling poorly? That’s okay. Roasted garlic cures all ailments.With a spoon, so you can spoon feed yourself this delicious unctious paste.You´ll be on the road to recovery in next to no time.
As the garlic roasts in the oven, it becomes extremely mild. So mild, in fact, that you can eat it plain. It becomes soft, buttery, slightly sweet, with a rich, deep garlic flavour. Because of its soft buttery-ness when mashed, it becomes the perfect spread.I feel a batch of garlic and lime hummus coming on. 
Recipes for baked, roasted or braised garlic often come with a pre-emptive disclaimer that the quantity of garlic cited is not a typo:  whether it's a recipe that uses one head of garlic or a whopping 44 cloves, and  David Leites Chicken  uses another 40 cloves of garlic. Make this a few times and you'll be all well on your way to garlic utopia. Prego no Pão has been the most popular and widely eaten sandwich in Portuguese cuisine for many years,each one containing at least 6 cloves of garlic.
… How can a dish handle so much of this pungent little allium? Go to the market, pick up fifty heads of garlic, roast every single one of them, and bask in the perfection that ensues.
The magic, of course, is in the cooking method, and the transformative effect of some high heat and a little oil. This breaks down the fructose chains in the bulb and converts them into something mellow and sweet. The savoury, nutty, almost meaty result never ceases to delight me.

1.Lop off the top fifth of the head, so that the cloves appear in cross-section

2. wrap it in tin foil with a little olive oil and cook in a hot oven for about an hour

3. Remove and gently squeeze out the soft, sweet unctuous cloves

From here, you've got a free pass into a world of purées, sauces,spreads, dressings and mayonnaises, all characterised by a mellow smoothness that makes them receptive to being spread on toast with something salty such as crumbled feta or chopped anchovies. This method is also fantastically effective for vegetable mashes and stews.

Roasted Garlic and Avocado Toast                                                 
The perfect thing to pair with this wonderful roasted garlic? Whole wheat toast and a ripe, sliced avocado topped with a little salt and pepper. The avocado has a super mellow flavour, so it doesn’t overpower the roasted garlic, allowing you to still taste everything.The flavours of the garlic and avocado pair so well together, and it tastes like you are eating something rich and decadent when you aren’t. It just ticks all the boxes Whole wheat toast? Tick Healthy. Garlic? Tick Healthy. Avocado? Tick Super healthy.

1 head garlic, cloves removed (but left UNPEELED)
½ - 1 avocado
2-3 slices of whole wheat bread
1 teaspoon olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Place the individual, unpeeled, cloves of garlic onto a sheet of aluminum foil
Drizzle your olive oil on top of the cloves, and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper
Close the foil around the garlic cloves, creating a little pouch
Roast for 25-35 minutes, or until the garlic cloves are very soft when pierced with a knife
Set the garlic aside until cool enough to handle
Squeeze the garlic out of each clove and into a small bowl. Mash with a fork until smooth
Slice your avocado in half, remove the seed, and carefully scoop out each half, leaving it as in tact as possible. Slice the avocado halves into thin slices - you will need about ¼ - ½ of an avocado (depending on the size) for each toast
Toast your bread slices in the toaster
To assemble, spread 1-2 teaspoons of roasted garlic spread onto each slice of bread (amount will depend on garlic preference - I used 2 teaspoons). Next, add your avocado slices. Top with a little salt and pepper, and serve. 

Boozy Pelargonium scented strawberry confiture

Its hard to believe I know, and our our guests are always surprised too,to find that strawberries are at their peak here in the Algarve in March.They are now coming to an end and I am happy that I had put my preserving pan to good use while they were in season.But jam or confiture? that was the question.
In a classic jam, the fruit is diced small and partially mashed before cooking, and the suspending syrup is thick and opaque. Confitures and preserves are kissing cousins: whole or elegantly sliced fruit suspended in syrup is a confiture, which comes from the French verb confire, meaning “to preserve.” In confitures, the fruit is shown to great advantage, glistening in a clear gel; the texture tends to be looser than that of jam.So here it is, an oh so easy confiture recipe just in time for picnics,Wimbledon and the Holidays! ...You never know when a bit of boozy strawbery confiture could come in handy.More on that story later,Kirsty.
Boozy Pelargonium scented strawberry confiture 
Makes 2 x 450g jars
Adding scented pelargonium (geranium) leaves to the jam, as the Greeks often do, enhances the flavour. If you can't find them, adding black pepper is a delicious alternative – it cuts the sweetness of the jam.

• 900g fresh strawberries, hulled
• 4 scented pelargonium leaves, or a good grinding of black pepper
• 250ml Vodka
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 900g granulated sugar, warmed in the oven

Place a saucer in the fridge, ready for when you come to test for setting point later on.
Put the strawberries and pelargonium leaves (or pepper) into a large glass bowl starting and finishing with a layer of sugar, heavy-based, stainless steel pan and use a potato-masher to squash the fruit slightly. Don't push too hard - you just want some of the fruit to release a little juice, not to be completely flattened.Pour over the vodka,cover with a clean cloth and leave to stand overnight.
The next day,drain the fruit sugar and liquid into a preserving pan.Add the lemon juice and bring to the boil and boil rapidly for a few minutes or until it reaches 116ºC (240ªF) on a sugar thermometer.Add the strawberries and lemon juice.Bring the boil and boil for 18-20 minutes or until setting point is reached 104-105°C. Remove the leaves.
Pull the pan off the heat and test for setting point. Take the saucer from the fridge and place a teaspoonful of the jam on it. When cool, it should wrinkle when you push it with your finger.
Cool slightly and pour into dry, warm, sterilised jars (you can sterilise them in a very hot dishwasher, or boil them in a pan of water for 10 minutes). Cover with a wax disc, then seal and label with the date. This jam will last for several years. Once opened, store in the fridge.
A WORD OF WARNING
Don't make strawberry jam in huge batches; it's harder to get it to set, and with endless boiling you lose the freshness of the flavour.