What should friends who help you move get? You know, after a long trip to pick up heavy mail-delivered luggage and boxes and after carrying them to your place? You should give them something as a thank you, right? So what should it be?
One answer could be a quick to make delicious moist banana cake studded with chocolate chunks :). Served directly over said boxes (see above). Straight from the oven, before having a chance to unpack, because there's nothing that says "home" more than warm cake :).
Enjoy.
The cake is not to sweet or fat, the banana fragrance and flavor can be felt all throughout it and the glorious dark chocolate chunks are a winner (especially when the cake is still warm and the chocolate is melted and gooey) :).
Recipe adapted from here.
Last year: Brownies with mixed seeds and vanilla.
Two years ago: Cinnamon and brown sugar palmiers.
Three years ago: Diet muffins with cranberries, dark chocolate and spices and Risotto with caramelized onions, artichokes and bacon.
I've figured that the blog needed a list like this too, because the labels "dessert", "soup", "beef" and so on will eventually include too many dishes and browsing through all the results might get tedious.
So, in this list you'll find the recipes by the type of course they yield or the type of meat (or not) they use, if they're vegetarian, or vegan, if they're starters or drinks, if they're cakes or cookies or mousses and so on.
(If you're looking for a more specific ingredient than a type of meat, say if you want a list of all broccoli recipes, then check out the link to the ingredient index just below.)
For a recipe index by country or region of origin, go here.
For a recipe index by ingredient used, go here.
Happy browsing! :)
A flourless version of a rich chocolate cake. It comes out moist and fudgy and yet with a light consistency, sort of like a solidified chocolate foam :). It's of course great as a gluten-free alternative to a classic celebration cake, but the texture and taste are so good you should make it just because, not for fitting any special diet. :).
The cake slices, still warm, are to be drizzled with a hot whiskey and chocolate sauce and decorated with a few strands of whipped cream, as you can notice above. (The sauce is really the ka-boom part of the whole experience, so don't skip it. It contains a lot of alcohol which you can still taste after it's done, it's not sweet - as it has no sugar - and it's made with dark chocolate, it has a "serious" taste about it, but somehow compliments the cake perfectly). :)
Cake recipe adapted from: Cătălina. Whiskey sauce recipe is my own.
Last year: Poulet Vallée d'Auge (Chicken, apple and Calvados cream stew) (French).
Two years ago: Sprinkle butter cookies (Italian).
Three years ago: Chinese fried rice, Broccoli and ham torte and Cardamom lassi (Indian).
A lovely dinner for two with sophisticated undertones. If you like the classic addition of truffle-flavored oil to potato mash and if you're a fan of spicy foods you'll love this. The mozzarella and olive side bring just the right amount of flavors needed to complete the experience. Enjoy :)
P.S: I neither approve or disapprove of the holiday many people celebrate today. Some years ago, I passionately despised it for what I perceived to be its stupidity and kitsch. Nowadays I'm indifferent-tolerant to it. If people feel the need to celebrate love this way, who am I to stand in their way or be the grumpy Grinch? I guess it's not the worst thing in the world. (*Feeling peaceful, non-judgmental and trying to be a better anthropologist*).
Last year: Crispy cheese and guacamole tortillas.
Two years ago: Sprinkle butter cookies (Italian).
Three years ago: Tirolese spinach and cheese dumplings (Austrian), Spinach and cheese crostini and The perfect fluffy fried bananas.
