It was fig season and I bought a tray of fresh figs. I decided to roast them using a David Lebovitz recipe as a guide. The idea for this flourless and gluten free cake followed. For the roasted figs: Preheat your oven to 200ºC (400ºF). Wash 900g (2 lbs) of figs, trim off the stems…… Continue reading roasted fig, ricotta and almond cake
Tag: almond meal
individual flourless almond and berry cakes
Here’s a mini flourless cake that’s easy to prepare ahead and serve as a hot dessert. Or, if you’re on your own and craving a quick dessert, cook it in a mug in the microwave for 2 minutes. Delicious either way! For each cake combine ⅓ – ½ cup of almond meal with 1½ -…… Continue reading individual flourless almond and berry cakes
torta de Santiago
This Spanish cake is named after the cruz de Santiago (St.James cross) with which it is decorated. The cake originated in Galicia in the Middle Ages and is made from almonds, sugar, eggs and a little flavouring. Sometimes made with a shortcrust or puff pastry base, I decided to keep it simple. Preheat your oven…… Continue reading torta de Santiago
flourless almond apricot cake
Apricots and almonds are both members of the same family of plants which is probably why they complement each other so well. This cake is easy to make, flexible (you can use fresh stewed apricots, canned apricots or stewed dried apricots) and very yummy. Preheat your oven to 160ºC (320ºF). In a food processor combine…… Continue reading flourless almond apricot cake
peach and berry friand bake
Made of almond flour, egg whites, butter and sugar, friands are an Australian / New Zealand invention, a relation of the French financier. Usually small oval shaped cakes, Yotam Ottolenghi’s version, from his cookbook SIMPLE, is a further reinvention into something between a friand and a clafoutis. This one was made by Deborah with peaches,…… Continue reading peach and berry friand bake
almond crusted fish with prunes
Moroccan savoury dishes often include fruit. This recipe, from the cookbook The food of morocco by Tess Mallos, features prunes stuffed with almonds. To feed four, you will need 900g (2 lbs) of fish fillets. I used ling but any firm white fish will work. Salt the fish and set it aside in the fridge.…… Continue reading almond crusted fish with prunes
flourless lemon and poppy seed cake
This wonderfully moist, flourless cake is a variation of Claudia Roden’s classic orange and almond cake. In this version I used lemons and poppy seeds, a classic combination. And with a glut of lemons, why not? First boil 3 large or 4 small lemons until very soft. You can do this ahead of time and…… Continue reading flourless lemon and poppy seed cake
flourless mini chocolate cakes
Another recipe from SWEET by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh. We ate these delightful little cakes while they were still slightly warm. With a thin crispy crust, they were moist and light on the inside and had a wonderful deep chocolate flavour. The amazingly glossy chocolate ganache was not so easy to make but tasted great…… Continue reading flourless mini chocolate cakes
flourless apple almond cake
Here’s a simple variant on that popular orange and almond cake. Just as moist as the original this one uses apple sauce instead of puréed oranges. Preheat your oven to 160ºC (325ºF). Oil and line a 23cm (9″) cake tin. In a bowl combine a jar of apple sauce, ½ a cup of sugar, 6 eggs, 340g (12…… Continue reading flourless apple almond cake
cooking class in Provence part 2
In my last post I detailed 2 amuse–bouches, a first course and main course I learnt at Jean-Marc Villard’s hands-on French Cooking School. Now for the dessert, a strawberry frangipane tart. The pastry was a very short shortcrust, easy to cut, firm enough not to break and wonderfully crumbly. This was made from 200g (7 oz) of plain flour,…… Continue reading cooking class in Provence part 2
michelle picker cooks 