This recipe, like many, was born out of sheer frustration and lack of ingredients. My friend Annette and I had hoped to make the Baby Bundts from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess but instead made do with an ad hoc variation, Blueberry Yogurt Baby Bundts. As such, this recipe has strayed a fair bit from its inspiration. You'll need a baby bundt cake pan (6 cake capacity) for this recipe, available at most good kitchen stores.
Ingredients
1/2 cup plain bio yogurt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups plain flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda (bicarb)
pinch of salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
a bit of lemon (or any other citrus you have on hand) zest
Whisk together the yogurt, butter, eggs, and zest. Gently mix the flour, sugar, bicarb, and salt together, and then pour the wet ingredients over, mixing consistently. Toss in your berries, and give the batter a gentle stir. It should be wet, but not liquidy. Spoon equally into your greased bundt pan, and bake at 340 degrees F (170 C) for about 25 minutes. Test with a skewer for doneness. Allow the cakes to cool for a few minutes, and then gently turn them onto a cooling rack. I think these blue-speckled cakes are best served with creamy lemon yogurt spooned over top, although you may enjoy them with whipped cream or marscapone.
Enjoy!
Bake and eat these while listening to: Belle and Sebastian
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
A Picnic Lunch.
Okay, so I've been a little slow with the updates lately. I'd like to say that I have a good reason for this, but alas, I've really just been on holiday and outside enjoying the nice weather. So, in keeping with the season, I thought I'd give you a picnic menu. I took a few of these dishes on a picnic this week, and they were well received. In short, prepare that picnic basket, put on something nice, and get outside. You'll notice that these recipes don't really follow much of a theme, except for ease and simplicity of preparation. They are very different, which is suitable for picnicking with people whose tastes you may not know so well.
***Springtime Picnic Lunch***
- Puff-pastry Pizzas
- Grapefruit and Chili Noodle Salad
- Dilly Potato Salad
- Blueberry Custard Tartlets
- Pink Lemonade
Puff-Pastry Pizzas
Ingredients
2 sheets of storebought puff pastry, thawed
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced*
1/3 cup cherry tomatos, sliced*
1/4 cup black olives, pitted and roughly chopped*
1/4 cup dry pressed cottage cheese or feta
2 tbsp. parmesan cheese, grated
a little olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Roll your pastry on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 4x6 inch rectangles and lay on a greased baking sheet. Using a fork, punch a few holes in the centre of each rectangle. This will prevent the centre of your pizzas from rising, giving you a raised crust.
Spread a bit of tomato sauce in the centre of each crust, and top with the ingredients in whatever combination you see fit. I like to do a few with just mushrooms, a few with tomatos, and a few with all of the ingredients. Make sure to be moderate with your toppings; if it is too heavy, it won't cook properly, so I'd go for about 4 slices of mushrooms per pizza.
Drizzle each with a bit of olive oil and season to taste. Bake on the centre rack for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a rack before packing for your picnic! Makes about twenty small pizzas.
*Variations*
* You can use whatever toppings you like, really, but I like these ones. You might try torn fresh bocconcinni with basil and tomatos, or zuchinni and onion, both thinly sliced.
Grapefruit and Chili Noodle Salad
This recipe is very similar to my cold noodle salad so feel free to take that on your picnic instead! I think the grapefruit here adds a nice bitterness against the salty soy.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups vermicelli, cooked, rinsed, and drained
1/2 grapefruit, peeled and diced
1/3 cup mixed baby greens
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. chopped red chilies
1 tbsp. Sriracha chili sauce
1 tsp. sugar
Mix your liquids until the sugar dissolves. You might also add a bit of grapefruit juice, as you'll probably have some sitting on your cutting board after chopping the grapefruit! Toss together your noodles, greens, and fruit, and toss the dressing through until it is well-distributed and covers every noodles in salty sweetness. Enjoy!
Dilly Potato Salad
Ingredients
2 cups waxy potatoes, chopped and boiled with skin on
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/3 cup white vinegar
salt and peppar
This salad is a bit unorthodox, but I am addicted to it. Once your potatoes are boiled fairly soft, mash them up a bit with a fork until they resemble "smashed" potatoes. They should but slightly chunky, but generally mushy. Mix in the dill and vinegar, and season to taste. It will be very sharp, but I think that the vinegar makes a nice contrast to the simple potatoes.
Blueberry Custard Tartlets
Ingredients
1 sheet storebought puff pastry, thawed
1/2 cup blueberries
3 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. sugar
Bring your cream to a simmer on the stove. In a large basin, beat your egg yolks and sugar until dissolved and light. Slowly (I mean this, unless you want scrambled eggs) pour your milk over the eggs, whisking constantly. Pour back into the pot and bring to a simmer on the stove, stirring constantly. As soon as it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, cook for one minute more and remove from heat.
Roll your pastry to 1/4 inch thickness and cut to 4x4 inch squares. Gently press each square into a greased muffin tin, rolling the edges to form a rustic cup shape. Punch a couple holes using a fork in the very bottom of each cup. Spoon in a bit of custard and throw in a few blueberries, so that the ingredients fill about 3/4 of the way up each cup. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 12 minutes, or until golden. Cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a rack. Makes about 10.
Pink Lemonade
Go to store. Buy pink lemonade. Put in bottle. Told you this would be easy.
There you have it, the easiest picnic that can still pass for a gourmet lunch. It should serve about five or six people.
Make these while listening to Jenn Grant. Enjoy these while listening to the sounds of nature!
***Springtime Picnic Lunch***
- Puff-pastry Pizzas
- Grapefruit and Chili Noodle Salad
- Dilly Potato Salad
- Blueberry Custard Tartlets
- Pink Lemonade
Puff-Pastry Pizzas
Ingredients
2 sheets of storebought puff pastry, thawed
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced*
1/3 cup cherry tomatos, sliced*
1/4 cup black olives, pitted and roughly chopped*
1/4 cup dry pressed cottage cheese or feta
2 tbsp. parmesan cheese, grated
a little olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Roll your pastry on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 4x6 inch rectangles and lay on a greased baking sheet. Using a fork, punch a few holes in the centre of each rectangle. This will prevent the centre of your pizzas from rising, giving you a raised crust.
Spread a bit of tomato sauce in the centre of each crust, and top with the ingredients in whatever combination you see fit. I like to do a few with just mushrooms, a few with tomatos, and a few with all of the ingredients. Make sure to be moderate with your toppings; if it is too heavy, it won't cook properly, so I'd go for about 4 slices of mushrooms per pizza.
Drizzle each with a bit of olive oil and season to taste. Bake on the centre rack for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a rack before packing for your picnic! Makes about twenty small pizzas.
*Variations*
* You can use whatever toppings you like, really, but I like these ones. You might try torn fresh bocconcinni with basil and tomatos, or zuchinni and onion, both thinly sliced.
Grapefruit and Chili Noodle Salad
This recipe is very similar to my cold noodle salad so feel free to take that on your picnic instead! I think the grapefruit here adds a nice bitterness against the salty soy.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups vermicelli, cooked, rinsed, and drained
1/2 grapefruit, peeled and diced
1/3 cup mixed baby greens
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. chopped red chilies
1 tbsp. Sriracha chili sauce
1 tsp. sugar
Mix your liquids until the sugar dissolves. You might also add a bit of grapefruit juice, as you'll probably have some sitting on your cutting board after chopping the grapefruit! Toss together your noodles, greens, and fruit, and toss the dressing through until it is well-distributed and covers every noodles in salty sweetness. Enjoy!
Dilly Potato Salad
Ingredients
2 cups waxy potatoes, chopped and boiled with skin on
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/3 cup white vinegar
salt and peppar
This salad is a bit unorthodox, but I am addicted to it. Once your potatoes are boiled fairly soft, mash them up a bit with a fork until they resemble "smashed" potatoes. They should but slightly chunky, but generally mushy. Mix in the dill and vinegar, and season to taste. It will be very sharp, but I think that the vinegar makes a nice contrast to the simple potatoes.
Blueberry Custard Tartlets
Ingredients
1 sheet storebought puff pastry, thawed
1/2 cup blueberries
3 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. sugar
Bring your cream to a simmer on the stove. In a large basin, beat your egg yolks and sugar until dissolved and light. Slowly (I mean this, unless you want scrambled eggs) pour your milk over the eggs, whisking constantly. Pour back into the pot and bring to a simmer on the stove, stirring constantly. As soon as it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, cook for one minute more and remove from heat.
Roll your pastry to 1/4 inch thickness and cut to 4x4 inch squares. Gently press each square into a greased muffin tin, rolling the edges to form a rustic cup shape. Punch a couple holes using a fork in the very bottom of each cup. Spoon in a bit of custard and throw in a few blueberries, so that the ingredients fill about 3/4 of the way up each cup. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 12 minutes, or until golden. Cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a rack. Makes about 10.
Pink Lemonade
Go to store. Buy pink lemonade. Put in bottle. Told you this would be easy.
There you have it, the easiest picnic that can still pass for a gourmet lunch. It should serve about five or six people.
Make these while listening to Jenn Grant. Enjoy these while listening to the sounds of nature!
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