Cookbook Challenge 2013 - Week 42

I find that there is no better start to a week than making a cake, so this week my first new recipe was Cappuccino Squares from Rachel Allen’s Cakes. All it involved was sticking everything into the food processing and switching it on for a few seconds – even I can manage that! I did have a bit of a problem when I discovered there wasn’t enough icing sugar to make the topping, but luckily hubby came to the rescue and cycled to the shop for me (what a swell guy!). The cake was lovely and soft but I’m not sure the coffee flavour really came through enough, I think next time I’d be tempted to put in more of the essence, or even some freshly made coffee – seemed a shame not to get a stronger flavour. Though that said the cake was still much enjoyed and every last crumb of it was consumed before too long.

 

Hubby and I were celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary this week and although we went out for a meal on the day itself we also cooked for each other (a sort of Come Dine with Me, without the annoying guests!); so my next new recipe was a starter of Baked Figs stuffed with Herb Ricotta and Wrapped in Pancetta from Gino’s Italian Escape. This was an incredibly good dish for a dinner party as everything can be prepped in advance and simply popped in the oven just before serving. The pancetta really crisped up nicely and added a salty element to the dish while the ricotta gave a lovely creamy texture which complimented the jammy figs amazingly. Served with a lightly dressed salad this was a nice light start to the meal.

Next up was my main course which was Lorraine Pascale’s Salmon Saltimbocca from Fast Fresh and Easy, continuing with my Italian theme and also using up the remainder of the pancetta from my starter. Again everything could be prepared in advance and all I had to do before serving was pan fry the salmon and sort out the sides. I served in on a polenta cake with a pea puree and some roasted vine tomatoes so there was a little bit of work involved at the last minute and I saw myself in a frenzy of activity in the kitchen (while hubby relaxed with a glass of vino). Everything came together nicely and I even did a fairly decent job with the plating up! The salmon stayed incredibly moist wrapped in the pancetta and worked well with all the accompaniments, I was hoping for a lighter meal given that we were having three courses and I think I achieved it – I definitely didn’t feel overly stuffed by the end (so room for pudding!).

So onto the dessert! I don’t really make many desserts as I feel they’re more of a luxury and shouldn’t be enjoyed too often, so when I get the opportunity I have a rather difficult decision to make from the many recipes I have to hand. Continuing with my Italian theme meant my choices were narrowed somewhat (thank goodness!) and I eventually settled on the Baileys Panna Cotta from Gino’s Italian Escape. As this needed time to cool I cracked on with it first thing in the morning and started by making the caramel…I hate making caramel, a fact that might have contributed to me burning the first batch I made – oops! Second time around I managed to remove it from the heat before it got too dark and duly poured it into the bottom of my moulds. Making the next part of the panna cotta was much more simple and I had them in the oven to bake shortly afterwards. I was a little concerned because when the time was up they were still mostly liquid (albeit it with a skin on top) but during the ten minutes when I was considering my other options they set brilliantly and I removed them from the oven when they still had a good wobble to them. The next tricky point is removing them from the moulds when it came time to serve them, I dipped the moulds briefly in some boiling water and prayed while I turned them on to the plate…they turned out beautifully, with the caramel running down the side just like the best crème caramel! The flavour of the baileys really came through well but was not overpowering in the slightest, the caramel sauce really complimented the creaminess of the panna cotta and the texture was spot on. The bonus was that I’d halved the recipe and there was still a spare one in the fridge, we gobbled that up the following day!

Recipe Count: 137
New Target: 156