THE SECRET RECIPE CLUB: PUMPKIN BOLO DE FUBA’ CREMOSO

The Secret Recipe Club took a break in the month of December, but now we are back! For those who don’t know, the SRC is a fun blogging event in which you are paired (in secret) with another blogger, and on reveal day post a recipe chosen from that blog. Everyone in the same group posts at the exact same time, even if you are blogging from Japan. 😉 This month I was paired with Shirley, from the blog Enriching your Kid. Shirley is a clinical psychologist who, after having kids, opted for working very hard at home taking care of them and paying particular attention to a healthy nutrition. She cooks a lot of Indian food, so at first I had my mind set on one of her many paratha recipes, but then I spotted a very familiar Portuguese name – “bolo de fuba’ cremoso” – and that was it. I knew it would be my choice for the first SRC post of 2013. She added a nice twist to the classic, by incorporating pumpkin in the cake. Check out her post about it here.

PUMPKIN BOLO DE FUBA’ CREMOSO
(adapted from Enriching your Kid)

1 cup masa harina (corn flour)
3/4 cup pumpkin puree’
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups milk
2 eggs
pinch of salt
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1 tsp grated nutmeg
lemon zest

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place all of the ingredients (up to the salt) in a blender or a food processor and mix for 4 minutes or until the mixture is smooth (it will be very liquid). If your processor or blender is very large, you can add the rest of the ingredients. Otherwise, transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the cheese, baking powder, nutmeg and lemon zest, mixing well with a whisk. Pour into a buttered and floured pan (8 x 8 inches).

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top of the cake is golden. Cool the cake before cutting it into slices.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: First, a little bit on language, as Shirley was puzzled about the gender issue in Portuguese. All nouns have a gender, and for the most part words that end with “a” are feminine. Words that end with “o” are masculine. However, there are exceptions. Fuba’, for instance, the term that describes a particular type of corn flour, ends with “a“, but it is masculine. Therefore, the adjective that goes along with it, “cremoso” (creamy) must agree with the gender, and end with “o“. Let’s suppose we were talking about a coconut concoction called “cocada“. Cocada ends with an “a“, and it is indeed feminine. In this case, creamy coconut would be described as “cocada cremosa“. Clear as mud? Well, mud is feminine: A lama. Earth is feminine: A Terra. Love is masculine: O amor (gotcha there! Amor ends with “r” to confuse non-native speakers ;-)).

Now, to the recipe: I made a few small modifications, using cooked pumpkin instead of raw. I absolutely had to put my beloved pumpkin puree to use, and that was a perfect opportunity. I also reduced the sugar slightly. If you are Brazilian and grew up enjoying bolo de fuba’, this version seems like a different sweet, mainly because of the nutmeg. If you are not too fond of nutmeg, or if you want something closer to the Brazilian version, reduce the amount or omit it. Pumpkin was a great addition to bolo de fuba’, I loved what its subtle taste brought to the cake.

Shirley, I will definitely be cooking other recipes from your blog, as Indian cuisine is fascinating and I don’t have enough experience with it. I hope you are having a great reveal day… 😉

For my readers: if you want to see what the crowd from SRC Group D came up with in this first posting of the year, click on the happy frog and a new page will open with plenty of great posts.

ONE YEAR AGO: Citrus-crusted Tilapia Filets

TWO YEARS AGO: Bran Muffins, not just for Hippies

THREE YEARS AGO: Flourless Chocolate Cake

4Jan2013

A FESTIVE POMEGRANATE DESSERT

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

If you are looking for a dessert that is elegant, feels quite special, but is surprisingly light, you must try this one. I saw it over at Chucrute com Salsicha, hosted by Fer, the Brazilian blogger who lives in California and was my main inspiration to start the Bewitching. Anyway, after following her blog for so many years, it is clear that when she raves about a recipe, I better get to work. She served this pomegranate gelee’ for her Christmas dinner, and I immediately decided to make it for our New Year’s Eve dessert, closing the year in a very festive mood! 😉

POMEGRANATE GELEÉ WITH SAFFRON-YOGURT CREAM
(adapted from Deborah Madison, via Culinate)

for the gelee:
2 cups pure pomegranate juice
1 package gelatin
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp rose-water

for the yogurt cream:
2 Tbsp milk
small pinch of saffron threads
½ cup Greek-yogurt
1 Tbsp honey

for garnish:
2 Tbs pistachio nuts, finely chopped
fresh pomegranate seeds

Pour ½ cup of the pomegranate juice into a bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on top, and let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat half the remaining juice (¾ cup) just to the boiling point. Stir it into the gelatin, add the sugar, and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Gradually stir in the rest of the juice, then add the orange-flower water. Divide among 4 to 6 small glasses and refrigerate until set, allowing at least 6 hours or overnight.

Lightly heat the milk with the saffron threads and let cool. Stir the yogurt and honey together. Blend the saffron-milk mixture into the yogurt. Refrigerate until needed.

To serve, spoon the yogurt cream over each glass of pomegranate jelly. Garnish with the pistachio nuts and pomegranate seeds.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: One of the things I love the most about Fer, is that she is not afraid of improvisation in the kitchen. If she doesn’t have an ingredient, she comes up with a substitution, and moves on, always with a happy ending! She is also a wizard with her ice cream machine, often designing her own recipes, all quite creative and unique. This dessert gave me opportunity to improvise too: it originally called for orange flower water, which I did not have, and also had no idea where to get it in town. Plus, there’s no way this Brazilian would drive around the Little Apple with snow everywhere.

I had a bottle of rose-water, acquired months ago, and decided to try it in this recipe. It seemed to me that pomegranate and rose-water could not end in litigious divorce. To be on the safe side, I reduced the amount, using one teaspoon instead of two. Worked like a charm! If you don’t divulge what’s in the gelee, your guests won’t be able to detect the rose flavor, but once you know it’s there, the palate gets a subtle awareness of it, quite wonderful…

I used non-fat yogurt because again that’s what I had in the house, but go full-fat if you prefer. This dessert had everything I enjoy: a light and refreshing feel, a luscious creamy topping, and the crunch of pistachios mixed with the slightly softer crunch of the pomegranate seeds. Heaven, my friends, heaven!

Fer, thanks for another gem of a recipe, this one will be on our menu again and again!

ONE YEAR AGO: My First Award!

TWO YEARS AGO: A Message from WordPress

THREE YEARS AGO: Turkish Chicken Kebabs

21Dec2012

PUMPKIN ESPRESSO LOAF

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Baker Street strikes again! For the most part, I want to make everything she blogs about, but my frantic life gets in the way. One of the things that happens as you accumulate more experience in the kitchen, is a certain “feeling” for a recipe. I usually spot a winner just by reading the ingredients, and this pumpkin espresso loaf, covered with crushed hazelnuts made me dream. I knew we would love it. It is quite simple to prepare, and it smells AMAZING (all caps required) as it bakes. It is moist, not too sweet, the coffee flavor quite subtle, and the crumb topping gives that contrast of texture which is always a nice touch on this type of loaf.

PUMPKIN ESPRESSO BREAD
(from Baker Street)

for the loaf:
¾ cup (150 grams) brown sugar, packed
1 cup (245 grams) canned pumpkin puree
½ cup (118 ml) vegetable oil
¼ cup (59 ml) milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt

for the topping:
½ cup hazelnut, chopped roughly
3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
½ teaspoon espresso powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 350F and generously grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Prepare the topping by combining all ingredients in a small bowl, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, espresso powder, spices, and salt. Reserve. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, pumpkin puree, oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Gently fold in the flour mixture and spread the batter evenly into prepared pan.

Sprinkle the espresso topping evenly over the pumpkin batter. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

This was SUCH a delicious bread, loaf, whatever you want to call it. With a cup of cappuccino in the morning, it starts your day on a perfectly warm note. After the loaf was in the oven, I said to myself that some cardamon could be a good addition. Phil, on the other hand, thinks that mini-chocolate chips would take this loaf to unprecedented levels of decadence. Interestingly enough, that is exactly the variation recommended over at Baker Street. Keep that in mind if you make this loaf. And I hope you do! 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Caramelized Carrot Soup

TWO YEARS AGO: Miso-Grilled Shrimp

THREE YEARS AGO: A Special Holiday Fruitcake

26Nov2012

THE SECRET RECIPE CLUB: CHOCOLATE ORANGE DRIZZLE CAKE

Posted in Desserts, Sweets, Secret Recipe Club by sallybr

Last Monday of the month, and it’s Secret Recipe Reveal Day for my group. For those not familiar with it, the SRC is a monthly event in which food bloggers are paired in secret, and after stalking the assigned blog for a couple of weeks, they cook and blog on a chosen recipe. I was paired with royalty this month: Lavender and Lovage is a great food blog that I’ve known long before I joined the group. Karen, the host, has lived in many different places, teaches cooking classes in the Southwest of France, and does a lot of research on British cooking. In fact, she is writing a cookbook about it! Her About Me page is a must read. I had four recipes high on my list of possible choices, but finally decided to bake a cake. And one that takes creaming the butter with sugar, which proves I am a very daring person. 😉

CHOCOLATE ORANGE DRIZZLE CAKE
(from Lavender and Lovage)

for the cake:
6 oz (150 g) softened butter
6 oz (150 g) superfine sugar
6 oz (150 g) self-raising flour
3 large eggs, beaten
grated rind from 2 oranges
2 tablespoons milk
(7″ to 8″ round cake pan ~ greased and lined)

for the drizzle:
Juice from 2 oranges
2 oz (50 g) sugar
2 oz (50 g) 85% chocolate

Heat oven to 170C/350F. Beat the butter and sugar together until
light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs and flour,
alternately, mixing well in between. Add the grated orange rind and
mix well before adding the milk to make a soft dropping consistency.

Pour the cake mixture into a greased and lined pan and bake for 35 to
40 minutes, until risen and light golden brown; test the center of the
cake with a skewer, if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. Cool in the pan.

Make the orange drizzle by gently heating the orange juice and sugar
together in a pan until the sugar has dissolved. When the cake has
cooled, pour the orange drizzle over the cake in the tin. When the
cake is completely cold, take it out of the tin and place it on a
serving plate.

Heat the chocolate in a saucepan over a low heat, do not allow to
boil, and as soon as it has melted, drizzle the chocolate over the
cake, using a fork to make patterns.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

This cake was delicious, and Karen’s description of it was spot on: some cakes that are drizzled with syrup after baking will end up soggy and overly sweet. Not this one. She coated it with a full layer of chocolate and decorated it with chocolate swirls, I stayed with a humble drizzle, as my chocolate reserves in the pantry were unexpectedly low. One wonders why. 😉

To see what my fellow bloggers from group D cooked up this month, click on the smily frog below. To see who got my blog and the recipe chosen (it’s delicious!) click here for Avril’s site. The Secret Recipe Club will take a break in the month of December, but we’ll be back in full swing next year!

Karen, it was great to spend time stalking your blog!
I hope you are having fun on your Reveal Day…

ONE YEAR AGO: Turkey Day, Tryptophan, and Fluorescence

TWO YEARS AGO: The Ultimate Apple Cake

THREE YEARS AGO: Trouble-Free Pizza Dough

2Nov2012

JUMPING ON THE BISCOFF BANDWAGON

Posted in Cookies, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Every once in a while an ingredient takes the spotlight and it seems that every cooking magazine, cooking show, food blogger uses it. And oohs and aahs about it. Smoked paprika had its turn. Macha powder. Farro. Chia seeds. And then, there’s Biscoff. One of the reasons it took me a while to join this crowd was the realization that I would be powerless once that jar was open. As I mentioned in the past, Delta Airline cookies make me lose all my composure. And Biscoff, dear friends, is a Delta cookie in spreadable form. My knees go weak, my mind goes wild. Please make these cookies. They will use half a cup of the addictive spread, so you’ll have a little less left to tempt you every time you pass by your pantry. And if my own post doesn’t convince you to bring a jar of the spread home, click here to see what Jessica had to say about it over at Feastie.

Heads Up: Cookie dough must be refrigerated for 3o minutes before baking!

BISCOFF OATMEAL COOKIES
(from Two Peas & their Pod)

1 + 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup Biscoff spread
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, Biscoff spread, sugar, and brown sugar and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extra and beat until smooth.Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Chill the dough 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

As it cools, turn your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Form the cookie dough into rounded tablespoons and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are golden and just firm around the edges. Do not overbake.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then remove with a spatula onto a cooling rack

.ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

If you are new to Biscoff, open the jar, close your eyes and take a good sniff at it: such a heavenly smell! These cookies are very close to perfection in my book. The inclusion of oatmeal gives them that “I am good for you” aura, so that you don’t dwell on the number of calories packed in a teaspoon of Biscoff. Go for a run, join Tony Horton for a session of plyometrics, do whatever you need for damage control, but please, make these cookies!

Need more Biscoff inspiration?

Snickerdoodle Biscoff Sandwich Cookies

Biscoff Blossoms

Biscoff Swirl Muffins

Creamy Biscoff Pudding

Chewy Biscoff Blondies

Biscoff Molten Lava Cakes
(be very very still, my heart!)

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