Pink grapefruit gin & tonic

• 2 shots of gin (50ml)
• 150ml tonic
• in a glass with ice
• top it up with freshly squeezed pink grapefruit 
• Garnish with a wedge or a slice of fresh grapefruit

frozen watermelon daiquiri

Ingredients

• 3 - 4 cups frozen watermelon chunks
• 60ml sugar syrup (or more if you like it sweeter)
• a few basil or mint leaves
• +- 150ml coconut water
• 50ml (2 x shots) white rum, vodka, tequila - optional
• juice from 1 lime

frozen pineapple daiquiri

Ingredients

• 3 cups freshly cut pineapple chunks (half frozen, half unfrozen)
• about 1 cup of ice or crushed ice
• 60ml sugar syrup
• 50ml (2 x shots) white rum - optional
• juice from 1 lime

Instructions

1. Put all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, pale and fluffy.
2. Drink immediately

Strawberry Rhubarb Mint Mojito

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB MINT MOJITOS

Yield: 1 cocktail

INGREDIENTS

• 5 fresh mint, muddled or chopped
• 6 tablespoons of strawberry rhubarb mint simple syrup
• ½ lime, juiced
• 2 ounce white rum
• 7 ounces sparkling water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the strawberry rhubarb mint simple syrup.
2. Fill 2 glasses with ice, and add 6 tablespoons of the syrup to each glass, followed by crushed mint leaves, lime juice, rum, and sparkling water.
3. Garnish with more mint and enjoy!

Jamie Oliver - Greek Honey and Pistachio Cake

Ingredients:

225g caster sugar

75g ground almonds

150g plain flour

200g semolina/ fine polenta/ cornmeal

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

Zest of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 orange

225g Greek yoghurt

5 eggs

200ml olive oil

150g pistachios

100ml honey

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 orange

 

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade

2. Combine the sugar, almonds, flour, polenta and baking powder into a bowl. Add the eggs, zest, yoghurt and oil. Stir well until you have a thick, gloopy batter. (See below).

3. Pour this into a lined cake tin or baking dish (large). 
4. Bake for 30 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
5. Leave to cool for 1 hour.

6. In a dry frying pan, toast the pistachios, lightly crushing them with a wooden spoon.

7. In a saucepan, heat the honey and juice from the orange and lemon. Add the pistachios to the honey mixture (these will caramelise beautifully). 

8. When the cake is completely cool, pierce the top with a knife and pour the honey mixture all over. Keep piercing the cake to help it absorb the mixture.
9. Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and strawberries. Before serving, marinate the strawberries in a splash of orange juice and a sprinkling of caster sugar. 

Dark Chocolate Cake with Blueberry Bavarian Cream and Chocolate Ganache

All you need is ( Serves 10-12 ) 
For the Chocolate cake 

Dark Chocolate, 180 gm ( cut into small pieces ) 
Unsalted Butter, 200 gm ( cut into small pieces ) 
Instant coffee powder 1 tbsp 
Water 125 ml 
All purpose flour 1 and 1\4 cups 
Corn flour 1\4 cup 
Baking powder 1 tsp 
Baking soda 1\2 tsp 
Granulated sugar 3\4 cup 
Brown sugar 1\2 cup 
Cocoa powder 1\3 cup 
Eggs-3 
Milk 75 ml 
Lemon juice 2 tsp 
For the soaking syrup water
1\4 cup Sugar
2 tsp Rum
2 tbsp ( or 1 tsp vanilla extract ) 

For the Blueberry Bavarian cream 
Blueberry preserve
400 gm Water
1\4 cup Gelatin
25 gm Whipping cream
3 cups 

For the chocolate Ganache 
Whipping cream-1 cup 
Dark chocolate-1 cup ( chopped )




For the cake 
Pre heat the oven to 160 degrees C 
Grease and line, two 8 inch pans 
Add lemon juice in milk and keep aside 
Mix instant coffee in water 
Melt butter and chocolate in a pan 
Add coffee and water to the pan 
Remove from heat, once the butter and chocolate has melted 
Keep aside and cool 
Whisk together all purpose flour, corn flour, baking powder and baking soda 
Add granulated sugar, brown sugar and cocoa powder 
Whisk egg and milk 
Add chocolate mixture and whisk 
Add the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula 
Pour the batter equally in both the pan 
Bake for 30-35 minutes, till a tooth pick comes out clean 
Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes 
Remove from the pan and cool on a cooling rack 

For the soaking syrup 
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl 
Keep aside 

For the Blueberry Bavarian cream 
Add 1\4 cup of water in the Blueberry preserve and heat it till the preserve is dissolved 
Strain it and keep aside to cool 
Chill the cream and whip it till stiff peaks form
Dissolve the gelatin in water 
Add the gelatin in the blueberry preserve 
Mix nicely let the mixture come to room temperature 
Add the mixture in the whipped cream and fold with a spatula 

For the Ganache 
Heat the whipping cream till it starts to boil 
Pour it over the dark chocolate 
Whisk till chocolate is melted and shiny 

Assembly 
Keep one cake inside a 9 inch springform pan
 Brush with half of the soaking syrup 
Pour half of the whipped cream and cover the sides and top of the cake 
Keep the other cake on top and brush with the remaining syrup 
Pour the remaining cream and cover the sides and top 
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours 
Run a knife along the cake and open the springform pan 
Take the cake out and keep it on the stand 
Pour the Ganache ( room temperature ) on top of the cake 
Decorate with chocolate shavings - 

See more at: http://www.whiskaffair.com/2013/04/dark-chocolate-cake-with-blueberry.html#sthash.eAF1bhtc.dpuf

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two nine inch round pans.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer.
4. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.
5. Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick.
6. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

passion fruit truffle cake

Passion Fruit Truffle Cake

yield one 9-inch cake

Passion Fruit Curd

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup passion fruit purée
1/2 teaspoon powdered gelatin
3/4 cup granulated sugar (5-1/4 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch cubes and frozen

DIRECTIONS

1. Measure 1 tablespoon passion fruit purée into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over top. Heat remaining passion fruit purée, sugar, and salt in medium nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot but not boiling. Whisk eggs and yolks in large nonreactive bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot passion fruit-sugar mixture into eggs, then return mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with heatproof spatula, until mixture registers 170 degrees on instant-read thermometer and is thick enough to leave trail when spatula is scraped along pan bottom, 4 to 6 minutes.

2. Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin mixture until dissolved. Stir in frozen butter until incorporated. Pour filling through fine-mesh strainer into nonreactive bowl (you should have 3 cups). Cover surface directly with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm enough to spread, at least 4 hours.

Orange-Chocolate Cake Layer

INGREDIENTS

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa, sifted
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/4 cup boiling water
1 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces), plus additional for dusting cake pan
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (3-1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (about 2-1/4 ounces) packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoons orange zest, freshly grated
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons sour cream, room temperature

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350℉. Combine chocolate, cocoa and espresso in small bowl; pour boiling water over and let stand to melt chocolate, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth; set aside until cooled to room temperature.

2. Spray one 9-inch-round by 2-inch-high straight-sided cake pan with nonstick cooking spray; line bottom with parchment round. Spray paper round, dust pan with flour, and knock out excess. Set aside.

3. Sift flour and baking soda into medium bowl.

4. In bowl of standing mixer, beat sugars, orange zest and salt at medium-low speed until sugar is moistened, about 30 seconds. Add butter, Increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula if necessary. Reduce speed to medium, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down bowl halfway through. Beat in vanilla; increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.

5. Add chocolate and beat until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl. With mixer running at low speed, add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream, ending with dry ingredients. Beat in each addition until barely combined. Finish mixing by hand with rubber spatula, scraping bottom and sides of bowl, to ensure that batter is homogenous. Pour batter into prepared cake pan; spread batter to edges of pans with rubber spatula and smooth surface.

6. Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto greased wire rack; peel off and discard paper rounds. Cool cakes to room temperature, about 1 hour. (Cooled cakes can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.)

Chocolate Truffle Cake Layer

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup (5-1/4 ounces), plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
16 tablespoons (8 ounces/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into 16 pieces
4 large eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350℉. Spray one 9-inch-round by 2-inch-high straight-sided cake pan with nonstick cooking spray; line bottom with parchment round and spray parchment. Set prepared pan in large roasting pan lined with towel. Bring kettle of ayer to a boil.

2. Place chocolate in food processor fitted with metal blade. Bring water, sugar, espresso and salt to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar. (Make sure syrup does not come to a boil.) With food processor running, slowly pour hot syrup through the feed tube into the chocolate. Process until mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Stop machine scrape side of bowl and add vanilla extract.

3. With machine running, add butter one piece at a time, process until smooth and no butter chunks remain, about 1 minute, scraping down bowl as needed. Pour eggs in slow stream through the feed tube into the chocolate mixture, pulse just enough to incorporate without blending in too much air. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

4. Set roasting pan on oven rack and pour enough boiling water to come about halfway up the side of cake pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until set. Remove cake pan from water bath and set on wire rack, cool to room temperature.

5. Cover the top of the cake with plastic wrap and top with cardboard round. Invert cake, give it a gentle downward shake if necessary. Lift cake pan and peel off the parchment. Assemble immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Salty Ganache Frosting

INGREDIENTS

2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 ounces milk or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1-1/2 teaspoons Maldon salt, flaked sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring heavy cream and espresso to a full boil in a saucepan over medium heat, turn off heat. Add chocolate, and swirl pan to completely cover with cream. Slowly whisk mixture until smooth. Add corn syrup, salt and vanilla; stir until combined. Transfer to a medium-size glass bowl and let stand at cool room temperature until tick and spreadable, about 30-40 minutes.

Assembly

1.  Cut orange-chocolate cake layer in half horizontally. Place one cake layer on the bottom of cake stand or serving platter. Spread 1 cup passion fruit curd over cake layer; top with chocolate truffle layer. Top chocolate truffle cake with another cup  of passion fruit curd follow by the the remaining orange-chocolate cake layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set.

2. Gently spread about half of the ganache frosting (you might use less) over top and side of cake, smooth with off-set spatula,

3. Beat the remaining frosting with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Spread whipped frosting on the side with off-set spatula. Refrigerate cake for 30 min before serving.

NOTE

1. You can use ganache frosting without Step 3 or omit Step 2 and use only whipped ganache frosting, as described in Step 3.

EXTRA DARK CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

350g butter
350g dark chocolate, cut into chunks
6 eggs
2 1/2 cups caster sugar
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 cup dark cocoa powder
1 cup white chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 175˚C ( about 335˚F). Melt dark chocolate and butter together in the microwave at a low heat. Heat in bursts of 30 seconds, stirring in-between until smooth and melted. Beat eggs with caster sugar in a separate bowl until pale and creamy. Stir in chocolate mixture. Sift flour and cocoa into mix, and stir to combine. Mix through chopped white chocolate and pour into a 30cm slice tin lined with baking paper. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes until cooked through. Cool in the tin then cut into 30 - 40 pieces, depending on how big you like your brownie.

Caprilù al limone

‘Caprilu’ Almond Cookies with Lemon

Makes 30-35 cookies

Ingredients:

2 egg whites, room temperature

1 pinch salt

½ cup (100g) sugar

4 cups (320g) almond flour

¼ cup (90g) honey

juice of 2 lemons (50g)

zest of 3 lemons

½ tsp. almond extract

½ tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

¾ cup (75g) sliced blanched almonds

¼ cup confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Technique:

•Preheat the oven to 325˚F.

•Whisk egg whites and salt until soft peaks form; sprinkle in sugar and continue to whisk to firm peaks.  Use a spatula or the paddle attachment to fold almond flour into the whites.

•Add remaining ingredients, except confectioner’s sugar, and combine thoroughly.  

•Cookies can be spooned individually onto a sil-pat, or rolled into a log and cut for more uniform shapes.  For the latter, lay out a long piece of plastic film and sprinkle a horizontal line of confectioner’s sugar across the center.  Add the cookie dough along the line, fold the plastic over and roll it into a long tube, 1 ½” in diameter.  Unwrap the plastic, sprinkle with powdered sugar, cut into 1 ½” pieces and arrange on a sil-pat.

•Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through, until edges are crisp and golden.  Cool completely before removing and dust with additional confectioner’s sugar.  Store in a sealed container up to 4 days.

oVariations: Having tested and adjusted this recipe a handful of times, I must admit that each version made a great batch of cookies, so feel free to adjust according to your preferences.  Here are a few suggestions…

oFor a looser, more lemony cookie: add the juice of a third lemon and spoon them out onto the silpat with slightly more room between each for spreading.

oFor a firmer, crustier cookie: (still just as moist in the center) mix ½ cup sugar together with the almond flour instead of using honey.

http://www.mieletlavande.com/MIELETLAVANDE.COM/Le_Blog/Entries/2012/8/15_Caprilu_Almond_Cookies_with_Lemon.html

Irish Whiskey Chocolate Fondant

Irish Whiskey Chocolate Fondant

Serves 5

http://wallflowergirl.co.uk/irish-whiskey-chocolate-fondant/

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

10 min

Total Time

20 min

Ingredients

1. 200g (7oz) dark chocolate
2. 50g (1/4 cup) butter + extra for greasing
3. 2-3 tbsp Irish whiskey, depending on how strong you like it!
4. 3 eggs
5. 75ml (1/3 cup) maple syrup
6. 75g (3/4 cup) ground almonds
7. cocoa powder for dusting

Instructions

1. Grease 5 ramekin dishes with some melted butter then dust with a little bit of cocoa powder. Leave the ramekins in the fridge whilst you prepare the fondant.
2. Melt the chocolate with the butter. Take off the heat and stir in the whiskey.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and maple syrup together. Stir in the chocolate and whiskey mixture.
4. Fold in the ground almonds and whisk until a smooth batter is formed.
5. Take the ramekins out of the fridge and pour the batter evenly between the dishes, they should be filled about 3/4 of the way up.
6. Leave in the fridge to set until you plan on serving the dessert.
7. Preheat the oven to 180c.
8. Bake the fondants for 7-10 minutes. They should be crisp on the outside and gooey and warm on the inside.
9. Leave the fondants to cool for a few minutes in the ramekin before transferring them to a plate.
10. Serve with pouring cream or ice cream and enjoy!

Skinny Ginger Mule

1 1/2 oz gin 
6 oz diet ginger ale 
1/4 fresh lime Fresh basil 

Directions: Add gin, freshly shredded ginger, basil and lime juice and muddle to draw out extracts and mix flavors. Add ice, top with ginger ale, stir, garnish with fresh lime and serve!