Strawberry and Cream Cake
June 22, 2010 | Filed Under Baking, Cakes, Strawberries, Strawberry and Cream Cake | 14 Comments
Strawberries. Cream. Cake. What more can one ask for?
Paz
Strawberry and Cream Cake
Lululu at Home
(makes a 6" cake)
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups double cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
1/4 cup icing sugar
few fresh strawberries for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.
Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat for another 3 mins. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Fold in flour mixture.
Pour mixture into a greased 6" springform cake pan lined with parchment paper. Bake 45 mins until top of cake bounces back when pressed. Cool cake in pan for 10 mins. Release cake ring, let cake cool completely before halving the cake in 2 layers.
To prepare filling, whip double cream with sugar until the mixture holds soft peaks. Place into the fridge to chill.
Line parchment paper along the inside of the cake ring. Place the bottom cake layer in. Scatter the strawberry pieces on, then top with cream mixture and smooth the top with a palette knife. Place the other cake on top. Dust heavily with icing sugar.
Carefully remove the cake ring. Peel off the parchment paper. Garnish with whole or halved strawberries.
the beginning: first layer of cake before the cream is added.
the end: dusted with confectioner’s sugar and decorated with strawberry.
My Comfort Food
October 2, 2009 | Filed Under Plantains, Plantains, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways | 8 Comments
My regular readers know that my favorite comfort food is plantain. My friend Tina made this the other day — sliced ripe plantains, seasoned with a little salt, and fried in a little oil.
*sigh of bliss* I. Am. Happy.
Thanks, Tina!
Paz
Nectarine and Blueberry Pie
May 31, 2009 | Filed Under Baking, Fruits, Recipes | 23 Comments
I like to bake, but I don’t do it often enough. It’s therapeutic for me — the kneading, the shaping, the rolling out of the dough, the baking smells…. However, one needs time and energy to bake (or at least, I do) and lately, I haven’t had a lot of time or energy for that — not until I saw this delicious recipe for a Nectarine and Blueberry Pie on Sweet Paul. I saw nectarines and blueberries at the grocery store, just calling my name, and there was no holding me back. I made the time and found some energy to try out this pie.
While I could use the practice slicing the nectarines, rolling the dough and making the petals for the pie crust, I still had a good time making this pie and enjoyed my finished product.
The instructions called for using a tablespoon of white vinegar in the pie crust ingredients. Hmm… Very interesting. I’d never heard of that before. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any white vinegar, so I couldn’t use it. I’m not sure if the lack of vinegar in my crust made a difference in its taste of my crust, but I thought it tasted just fine.
I liked that overall, my pie wasn’t too sweet. The fruits and crust tasted good. My Nectarine and Blueberry Pie was a nice treat for a long-awaited weekend. Now it’s time to start a new week.
Have a good week, everyone.
Paz
Ed. Note: Thanks, Courtney and Mari for letting me know that the vinegar in the crust ingredients makes it nice and flaky. Ahhh! I didn’t know that. Now I do. 
Nectarine and Blueberry Pie
Serves 8
4 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 3/4 cups unsalted cold butter, in cubes
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 large egg
1/2 cup iced water
Combine flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
Add butter and use your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Mix vinegar, egg and water in a bowl and mix into the flour with your hands just until combined.
Press the dough gently together, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.
Take it out and roll it flat.
Fill a 9 inch pie plate with it.
Cut of excess dough.
Cut out small circles with a cookie cutter to go around the edge of the pie.
Filling:
5 nectarines, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup blueberries
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
Place the nectarines and blueberries in a bowl and toss with flour.
Place it in the pie shell. Pour over the lemon juice and sprinkle with sugar.
Line the edge of the pie with the small dough circles.
Beat egg and milk and brush the dough with it.
Bake at 450F for about 40 minutes, or until golden.
Cool and serve.
Vegetable Soup with Orzo
November 24, 2008 | Filed Under Carrots, Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once blog, Fellow Bloggers, Green peas, Orzo, Pasta, Soups/Chowders/Gumbos, Sweet Peas, Vegetables | 19 Comments
Oh! The past couple of days have been extremely cold. This past Saturday was the coldest day so far. Freezing.
I wanted something hot. Something to warm me up. Then I remember a simple soup recipe from Haalo (Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once). I’d saved it a long time ago. It was time to pull it out. I liked that the recipe was simple. I like simple recipes. I like no fuss recipes. This was my kind of recipe.
It called for fresh peas. I bought frozen peas, which worked fine. The recipe also called for capsicum. Capsicum? What was that? I had no idea. After looking it up, I found that that it’s a common name in Australia and Britain for pepper. In North America and Canada, it is commonly known as Bell Pepper ( In other countries it’s also known as Cayene Pepper, African Chillies, Tabsco Peppers, Pimiento and more.). Ahhh! Now I understood. One Red Bell Pepper coming up. I love to learn something new from my fellow bloggers.
I prepared my soup. It tasted delicious! I offered some to my mom. At first she was hesitant and then she said, "yes."
She finished one bowl and then asked, "Is there any more soup?"
LOL! Yup! My soup tasted Mmm, Mmm good. We were both warmed up by this simple, delicious Vegatable Soup with Orzo.
Even one of my dogs got in on the action when I left a few drops in the bowl. I turned around for just a second and she reached up on her hind legs and pulled the bowl down to the ground from the table. She quickly cleaned it out with her long tongue. Yup! I’ll say that even the dog enjoyed the soup, too.
Thanks Haalo for this recipe!
Paz
Little bit of soup left in the bowl, before the dog got to it. *sigh*
Vegetable Soup with Orzo
Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once
For two
1 large red onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 small red capsicum, finely diced
1 large stalk of celery, finely diced
1 zucchini, finely diced
1 large tomato, diced finely
fresh peas
salt and freshly ground white pepper
handful of orzo, per person
I’ve made a very simple vegetable soup and the ingredients should only be used as a guide – feel free to substitute whatever you have on hand.
Place a little olive oil and butter into a saucepan over a medium heat – when butter has melted add the onion, carrot, celery and red capsicum and cook slowly until the vegetables start to soften (you may need to turn the heat down to ensure they don’t colour).
Now add the zucchini and cook until it has started to soften and then tip in the tomato. Wait until the tomato starts to break down before adding the orzo followed by enough boiling water (or stock if so desired) to cover the vegetables by about 2cm/1inch.
Turn the heat up to maintain a boiling temperature and cook for about 5 minutes. Remember to keep stirring so the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Add the fresh peas and then taste and season with salt and freshly ground white pepper.
Turn off the heat and cover and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes – during this time the pasta will finish cooking by absorbing the cooking stock but won’t become mushy.
Before serving add a little more stock if it looks a little dry and bring it back to temperature.
Pear, Gorgonzola, and Pecan Salad
November 3, 2008 | Filed Under Cheese, Fruits, Gorgonzola, Nuts, Pears, Pecans, Salad | 21 Comments
This summer, while convalescing in bed, using my laptop was one of the few things I could do without feeling pain. As I caught up with my blog reading, I came across this salad on Bleeding Espresso.
Later, when I felt better and could go into the kitchen, I made the salad. I loved it and made it over and over again. Never got tired of it. It’s supposed to be a summer salad but if I find the main ingredients like the pears, I plan on making it any time of the year. I think I’ll try canned pears. Thanks, Michelle!
Pear, Gorgonzola, Pecan Salad
For salad:
- Salad greens of your choice
- Pears, washed, sliced in half and cored
- Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- Raisins
- Pecans
For dressing*:
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt to taste
* This makes enough dressing for about 2-3 salads depending on personal taste and the size of the salads.
1. In a small bowl, mix together lemon and honey until honey is dissolved.
2. Stir in vinegar, then oil, and adjust for salt and other ingredients.
3. If making individual salad plates (recommended), assemble as shown in the photos with pear sliced in half lengthwise and cored placed in the middle of the plate–or any way you like really. It’s your salad!
4. Be sure to brush the pear slices/halves with lemon juice so they don’t brown before serving.
5. I would also recommend serving the dressing on the side at the table but that’s personal preference. If you’re adding it to the plates, serve immediately so things don’t get soggy.
