Flourless Choc Orange Cake - Nigella style

Today is my older brother's birthday and he is a long time choc orange fan, so when it came to baking him a cake, there was no alternative really! I didn't want to cop out and bake him a normal chocolate cake with a bit of orange essence or orange zest thrown in... although I do admit that the thought did cross my mind. I wanted to give it a real shot, and so took to google to do some research and came across a Nigella recipe for a flourless choc orange cake. It looked simple yet yummy, and I didn't let the fact that I didn't own a food processor stop me - nor the fact that I'm not at all a Nigella fan!

The cake turned out fantastic - not too sweet, not too chocolatey, but definitely with the orange flavour coming through. And best of all, the orange flavour was real - no zest, no juice, no essence, but rather two whole real oranges! For those who don't have a food processor, don't let it stop you. I made it in my blender, and yes, it was a little troublesome but it wasn't at all difficult.

Ingredients

Cake
2 whole oranges, skin still on
200g almond meal
6 eggs
250g caster sugar
50g cocoa
1 heaped tablespoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of bicarb

Choc Orange Ganache
1 block of good quality eating chocolate - I used Lindt
1 cup thickened cream
1 shot of Cointreau

Method

1. Bring a pot of water, with the two whole oranges, to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 2 hours.
2. Drain, let the oranges cool and then roughly chop.
3. Grease and line a 20cm round springform cake tin and preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
4. Put the oranges in the food processor (or a blender if you don't have a processor!) and process until smooth.
5. Add the egg, almond meal, sugar, bicarb, baking powder and cocoa and continue to process until all ingredients thoroughly mixed.
6. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 45 minutes. After 45 mins, cover the top with foil to prevent burning and bake for a remaining 15 minutes.
7. Let it cool completely in the tin before turning out and icing.
8. For the icing, break the chocolate into small pieces into a bowl.
9. Heat the cream in a pan on the stove, bring to the boil but immediately take it off the heat when it has done so, pouring onto the chocolate.
10. Let the cream stand for 2 -3 mins and then start stirring. Continue to stir until all the chocolate is melted and smooth.
11. Add the Cointreau at the end, mix thoroughly, and then ice the cake!

Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of the baking process or the finished product as I was in such a rush! However, here are some of my observations, hints and tips:

• The cake will rise during the baking process but will collapse to form a dense cake when cooling - I was surprised by this but it turned out perfectly! 
• If any of the top burns, trim with a serrated knife before icing.
• 1 hour was the perfect baking time - it resulted in a cake that was dense but still very moist, probably helped by the fact that there were two whole oranges in there! 
• Dark chocolate probably tastes better in the ganache. As my brother is a milk chocolate advocate, I had to use milk but my personal preference would have been to use dark!
• Decorate with trimmed orange peel or crushed Jaffa chocolates, or even segments of the Orange D'Anvers chocolate (available from supermarkets).

I was most pleased by the orange flavour that came through - it was something quite special, and could not have been adequately replicated by the use of juice, zest or essence. This really is a very easy recipe, and perfect for gluten free indulgences as it is flour free. Highly recommended... and perhaps this means I should reconsider my stance on Nigella? ;-)

thesuzchef x

Speaking of Oreos...

Even though this amazing delectable indulgent item was not made by my hands, I had to post this because it was just too appropriate following my last post which was essentially a big gush of Oreo love!

At work we had our morning tea fundraiser for the Cancer Council's Biggest Morning Tea campaign. Off I went with lemon and coconut brownies / blondies (post to come!) and we had the most amazing spread of gluttony ever - meat balls, rissoles, spinach and ricotta rolls, cupcakes, chocolate and caramel brownies, my lemon and coconut slice, choc chip cookies, cheese platter, fruit tray, and then this piece de la resistance:

It is an Oreo cheesecake!!!!! I was immediately in awe of it - it smelt amazing and I loved the presentation, with the Oreo cookies sticking out of the top. Made lovingly by the devoted and talented wife of a guy at work, it garnered lots of compliments and lots of pictures!

After being told it required no baking, I was even more sold, and it was a definite done deal for me when I cut myself a slice and had my first mouthful. Not overly sweet, a great thick consistency, it was absolutely fantastic. So of course I got the recipe quick smart and here it is!

Ingredients

Base
250g of Oreo cookies
100g unsalted butter, melted

Filling
15 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped
400g pack of Philly light cream cheese
250mL double cream
50g icing sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Topping
Spare packet of Oreo cookies

Method

1. In a food processor, process the cookies until fine. Mix in the butter and then press into the base of a springform pan and refrigerate.
2. Beat together the cream cheese, vanilla extract and sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the double cream until it thickens, and then slowly add the cream cheese mixture, beating the entire time until all mixed. It should have a thick and creamy consistency.
4. Fold in the coarsely chopped Oreo cookies and then pour filling over the biscuit base, smoothing the top.
5. Stick in the Oreos as decoration as you see fit, and stick the whole thing into the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
6. Remove springform pan and let the ooohs and aaaaahs roll in!

I'll definitely be making this one in the future! Love my Oreo love.

thesuzchef
x

Giant oreo cake!

"First you twist it, then you lick it..."

Remember that super cute ad with the two kids and the dog for Oreo? The Oreo, bastion of American junk food, took over Australia pretty quickly and now everyone has heard of it and loves it. Cookies and cream flavours have taken over everything from chocolate to ice cream, and it a perennial favourite. Australia still doesn't stock all the weird and wonderful Oreo flavours that can be found in the good old U.S of A - fudge, peanut butter, mint cream, white chocolate, etc. They also have in the US Oreo pie crusts and chocolate coated Oreos!

So with this love of Oreo cookies instilled within me, when I was surfing the daily deals websites this caught my eye and I had to have it:

Everyone should know that I love novelty items and so when I was tempted with the ability to make a cake that looked like a giant Oreo, of course I was going to take it. Catch of the day indeed - hook, line and sinker!

This pack of two silicon cake moulds cost me the princely sum of $9.95 (plus postage and handling of course). Before I had even finished checking out and paying for the item, I was already thinking of what variations I would make. Here are some ideas that I've already accumulated:

1. Of course I'd start with the ordinary cookies and cream - vanilla frosting in the middle, sandwiched between two chocolate sponge cakes...
2. Then I'd jazz it up - chocolate sponge cakes with vanilla frosting, but with bits of Oreo mixed through the frosting...
3. Peanut butter for sure!!! Not sure if I'd do straight peanut butter, but maybe mix it through with some frosting to make it the right consistency...
4. Strawberries and cream perhaps? Make it like a trifle, but in Oreo form... some strawberry jam and chantilly cream...
5. Ice-cream sandwich - I could make an Oreo ice-cream and instead of making chocolate cake, use the moulds to make two biscuit bases... and then create a giant ice-cream sandwich!

The fact that I have so many ideas for this novelty item is already rendering it an investment in my mind! Not sure how long delivery takes, but when it does, keep your eyes peeled for the first giant Oreo cake from the suz chef!

New name, new home!

eatingcookingliving.blogspot.com is no more!

For all my readers and beautiful friends, my blog has now been renamed, rehomed and has undergone a lot of cosmetic surgery - my passion piece now looks different, at a new address and has a new name!

"the suz chef" name came from one of my best friends - when Kylie and D celebrated their wedding anniversary, I baked them a cake to celebrate and congratulate, and got coined with the nickname of "suz chef" after that, what Kylie thought was a clever play on the more original sous chef! So when it came to the blog, I thought I needed to rename it to make it more personal, and there was nothing was more perfect than "the suz chef".

For readers of the blog, you can now also follow me on twitter @thesuzchef. We can chat in 140 character increments!

Am excited about the new look and new name!

Lots of love,
the suz chef x

Sushi Hotaru - Galleries Victoria

The hubby and I love our sushi. So much so that I'm dreading the fact that it's on the black list for pregnant ladies - I don't know if I could survive 9 months without sushi!

Our usual sushi joint in Sydney is Makoto on Liverpool St. It's always such good quality fresh sushi and even though we often line up for at least half an hour to get in, it's always worth while. Over the Easter break, we walked past Sushi Hotaru in Galleries Victoria, and enticed by the flat $3 sushi plates, went in for a snack. We walked away conceding that though it wasn't as brilliant as Makoto, it was worth a comeback visit. And comeback we did!

The hubby and I went back to the restaurant tonight. We got there early so although there was a little wait, it was only about 10 minutes. By the time we left though, there was a Makoto / Mamak-esque queue out the front, so here's a tip - get there early! Whilst waiting, I noticed for the first time the amazing feature wall at the restaurant - a landscape of Tokyo's bright lights and buildings, all exquisitely mosaic tiled. I wish I could have something that cool in my house!

uber cool tiled feature wall

The first time the hubby and I came here we were seated at the front, at the sushi conveyer belt. This time, we were taken all the way to the back where we had a cute little 2 seater booth next to the sushi belt. What made it super cool though, and way better than sitting up the front, was the fact that it had an iPad built into the wall as a self-order and service. It was great to just put in our orders there instead of waiting for them to come around on the sushi train, and ordering it meant it was made fresh!

uber cool iPad ordering system

Sushi Hotaru has this all figured out. All plates of sushi is $3, except for sashimi which is $7.90. There are two menus for side dishes - one also at the flat fee of $3 which included edamame, okonomiyaki, etc and one at varying prices which had the usual suspects of udon noodles, tempura, etc. At $3 a plate, the hubby and I were definitely more adventurous in our sushi selections and we've now found a new favourite - freshly made grilled scallop nigiri is AWESOME.

Liberated by our dollars having higher purchasing power at Sushi Hotaru compared to Makoto, the hubby and I went a little crazy - we were ordering plate after plate of the grilled scallop nigiri, and trying all sorts of weird things that went by on the sushi train. That said, after eating until we almost passed out, the damage done to our wallets was minimal - less than $50 for all of this:

All these plates + loads of ginger = Zzzzz...

Sushi Hotaru is great value compared to other sushi places around town. The iPad is a cute novelty and it is pretty cool to order food / drinks without having to flag someone down. I love the iPad ordering system and I love the feature tiled wall, and I also love the grilled scallop nigiri made fresh. Definitely will be back... I think it may also have taken over Makoto as our top sushi spot!

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/70/1573127/restaurant/New-South-Wales/CBD/Sushi-Hotaru-Sydney%22%3E%3Cimg
http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1573127/biglink.gif

Low fat baking - an oxymoron?

Anyone who enjoys baking knows that it is really all butter, sugar and eggs, with some flour tossed in for good measure. The reason why people love cupcakes, brownies, cookies, cakes and icing so much is because it's decadent and not at all good for us. It's a treat, and a very special one at that!

The other week I made brownies for a work morning tea and was astounded when the recipe called for a block of melted chocolate and a whole block of butter, with sugar as well! Yes it was delicious but it was very off-putting to have known what went into it. So I was determined to find a low fat brownie recipe that would not compromise on taste. So the googling started and with some adaptations to the recipes I found online, and came up with my own variation. To make it low fat I reduced the butter and substituted it for a low fat butter spread, omitted the chocolate and instead just used cocoa powder... resulting in a lighter (in terms of texture and fat content) but still tasty brownie!

Ingredients

2/3 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup low fat butter / margarine spread
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/3 cup wholemeal flour (it's probably nicer to use plain white flour)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup light sour cream

Method

1. Grease and line a small slice pan. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
2. Beat together the caster sugar and butter spread until light and combined.
3. Beat in the vanilla extract add the egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
4. Sift into the mixture the cocoa, baking powder and flour. Fold through until combined.
5. Stir in the sour cream at the end and pour into slice pan, smoothing the top.
6. Bake for 20 mins in the oven. I checked it after 15 minutes with a skewer and it came through clean but the top was still very soft, so I left in there for another 3 minutes. Do it bake for longer than 20 minutes or it'll dry out!
7. Cool in pan, then lightly dust with icing sugar before cutting up into pieces.

The brownie is not at all brownie like in texture - it's not fudge like, it's not dense either, it's very light and cakey. However, it was delicious! The light sour cream keeps it moist and it's the right amount of sweetness without being too much. It's more-ish, and the good thing about it being low fat baking is that you can have more!

So low fat baking doesn't have to be an oxymoron... you just need to be a little inventive and be prepared to compromise a little bit!

Happy low fat baking! x

New toy!

It's been too long since I last posted, and so much has happened since then... The hubby and I had our hearts stolen by a little fluffball that came into our home in sad circumstances and then left in happier ones. Our thoughts are with her, and we hope that she is safe, healthy and happy... The hubby and I are also firming up our plans to relocate to Hong Kong next year - we're now in the stages of getting quotes to ship our things overseas, talking about what we'll keep and what we're going to get rid of.

Due to all this activity, I haven't been doing much cooking in this time - nothing fun anyway. That said, I have made a lemon cheesecake slice using Aeroplane Jelly (true!) and chocolate brownies that used an entire block of butter (also true!) - but alas, they were made in such a rush that no photographs were taken... I will be making the lemon cheesecake slice again, so I'm sure there will be a post in due course!

This blog is inspired by my new toy - the hubby came home yesterday with it and we're so excited about it! After watching Jamie Oliver whip up fresh pasta in 5 minutes on TV (you can watch it at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0XVDpPBHho&feature=related), we decided we wanted to get a pasta maker.... and here it is!

It's so shiny and so pretty! And RED!

Benzer brand - bargain for $30!

I had made fresh pasta before, years ago at the cooking classes that I did. And yes, it really is very easy! Ingredients and method listed below -

Ingredients - for 500g pasta

2 1/2 cups sifted flour - plain flour will do, but you can also buy the Italian '00' flour at supermarkets
1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 eggs - at room temperature

Method

1. Start with a clean work surface. Make a well out of the sifted flour and salt and crack the eggs into the well.
2. Using a fork, lightly whisk the eggs to break the yolks - use your other hand to keep the flour well intact and preventing the eggs from spilling free.
3. Putting aside the fork, gradually add the flour to the egg until all incorporated and it's crumbly. That's when you start kneading!
4. Flour the work surface as necessary and knead the dough for a few minutes. The consistency is achieved when you press your finger into the dough and it bounces back.
5. Split the dough into four pieces and wrap each one individually in plastic wrap - this keeps it from drying out when you're making the pasta. Let the dough sit for 10 mins - use this time to clean up the work surface and clamp the pasta machine to the kitchen bench.
6. Taking one piece of dough at a time, unwrap and flatten with your hands. Roll it through the pasta machine (set on the widest setting), flour lightly and fold in half, and put through again, before repeating.
7. After the third time, put the pasta rollers onto a thinner setting and roll through another 2 times, folding as before, flouring only if you feel the pasta dough getting sticky.
8. Now on the thinnest pasta roller setting, roll the pasta through once or twice. Be very sure to flour the completed pasta again before you either cut into lasagne sheets, make ravioli, or put through the spaghetti / fettucine settings. This will prevent the pasta from sticking to the machine or to one another!
9. When complete, toss in flour again before cooking. Cooking the pasta in salted boiling water only takes 2-3 minutes!

A really good video that shows how to do the above can be found on youtube at the link below - i heart youtube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LHk0AJI7U

We hand cut our pasta last night into fat strips and had it with delicious ragu, and it was beautiful... you can definitely tell the difference, in that the texture is unlike any supermarket pasta - it's so light, so silky, so fresh! We'll definitely be making lots of fresh pasta in the future - can't wait to experiment and make chili and herb pasta, spinach pasta, etc. Next I'll probably make spaghetti and toss it through with olive oil, capers, lemon zest and loads of fresh herbs - yum yum yummy!

x