0 CHOCOLATE CINNAMON BUNDT CAKE

When I received my issue of Bon Appétit back in September, I immediately saw the Bundt Cake recipe which was featured in their "Fast Easy Fresh" pages and thought "Oh boy, I'll have to try that out!"...

Since the very first day I lay my eyes on a picture of a Bundt cake I was mesmerized. The beautiful and perfect shape of that baked good has always fascinated me and I can't tell you how many times I wished to be the lucky owner of a Bundt pan.

Here, in Europe, that kind of cake doesn't really exist and the only pans that are similar in shape are the Kugelhopf ones. So, when one of my American friend proposed to bring one back from here trip to the States, I could not refuse her offer and felt overwhelmed with joy!

Now, my only obssession is to find as many recipes as possible in order to make that yummy speciality which is very much appreciated at my place.

Coming back to Bon Appétit's recipe, what attracted me to it was the wonderful combination of chocolate, cinnamon and coffee. I cannot resist anything that contains either of them. It seemed so promising that I could not resist the urge to bake it.

This recipe is very simple and takes no time at all to make. I whipped up this cake in a matter of minutes on a Saturday afternoon after lunch and we already could work our way through it during the course of the afternoon.

Flavor-wise, I wasn't disappointed at all. The cake has a distinct aroma of chocolate with warm notes of coffee as well as fragrant and spicy hints of cinnamon. Magical! Texture-wise, it is very moist and soft. The chocolate chips add a pleasant crunch and the icing brings extra delight.

Not to forget that this "Chocolate Cinnamon Bundt Cake" ages very well (can be kept up to 5 days if well-wrapped in plastic wrapper and placed in the refrigerator) and tastes even better the following days.

That recipe is definitely a keeper!!!

~ Chocolate Cinnamon Bundt Cake ~
From Bon Appetit, September 2009.

Makes 1 Bundt cake.

Ingredients:
1 Cup (240ml) Boiling water
1/2 Cup (105g) Natural unsweetened cocoa powder
4 Tsps Instant espresso powder, divided
2 Cups (255g) Unbleached all purpose flour
2 Tsps Baking powder 2 Tsps Ground cinnamon
1 Tsp Sea salt
2 1/2 Cups (600g) Golden brown sugar (packed), divided
1 Cup (210g) Vegetable oil
1 Tbs Pure vanilla extract
2 Large eggs
1 1/4 Cups (225g) Mini semisweet chocolate chips (60%), divided
1/4 Cup (1/2 stick/60g) Unsalted butter, room temperature

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180° C (350° F).
2. Generously brush 12- to 15-cup nonstick Bundt pan with oil.
3. Whisk the boiling water, cocoa powder, and 2 teaspoons espresso powder in 2-cup glass measure.
4. Whisk 2 cups flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl.
5. Using electric mixer, beat 2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, and 1 tablespoon vanilla in a large bowl to blend.
6. Add eggs and beat to blend.
7. Beat mixture until smooth, about 30 seconds longer.
8. Beat in half of flour mixture, then cocoa mixture.
9. Add remaining flour mixture; beat to blend.
10. Fold in 1 cup chocolate chips and transfer batter to prepared Bundt pan.
11. Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
12. Cool the cake for 10 minutes and then invert cake onto rack to cool for another 15 minutes.
13. Meanwhile, stir remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons espresso powder, and 2 tablespoons water in small saucepan over medium heat until sugar melts.
14. Remove from heat. Add butter and remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips; stir until butter and chocolate melt.
15. Cool slightly. Using spoon, drizzle icing over cake.
16. Cool cake completely, slice, and serve.

Remarks:
I used peanut oil.
You'd better use neutral tasting oil for that recipe.

Serving suggestions:
Serve this cake with whipped cream, vanilla sauce or vanilla ice cream.

****************

~ Bundt Cake Au Chocolat, A La Cannelle ~
Recette tirée du magazine Bon Appetit, Septembre 2009.

Pour 1 Bundt cake.

Ingrédients:

240ml/g d'Eau bouillante
105g de Cacao non-sucré
4 CC de Poudre d'expresso, divisées
255g de Farine Blanche
2 CC de Poudre à lever
2 CC de Cannelle en poudre
1 CC de Sel de mer
600g (480g+120g) de Sucre brun clair, divisés
210g d'huile végétale
1 CS d'Extrait de vanille pure
2 Gros oeufs
225g (180g+45g) de Pépites de chocolat (60%), divisés
60g de Beurre non-salé à température ambiante

Méthode:

1. Préchauffer le four à 180° C.
2. Généreusement enduire le moule avec de l'huile.
3. Bien mélanger l'eau chaude avec le cacao et 2 CC de poudre d'expresso.
4. Dans un bol moyen, mélanger la farine avec le poudre à lever, la cannelle et le sel.
5. Battre (au mixer) 480g de sucre avec l'huile et la vanille afin d'obtenir un mélange homogène.

6. Ajouter les oeufs et battre afin de bien les incorporer.
7. Battre pendant environ 30 secondes.
8. Incorporer la moité de la farine et le mélange au cacao, puit battre.
9. Ajouter le restant de la farine et battre.
10. Incorporer 1 cup de chocolat et verser la pâte dans le moule.

11. Cuire pendant 50 minutes, jusqu'à ce qu'un couteau inséré à l'intérieur du cake en resorte propre.
12. Faire refroidir le cake pendant 10 minutes puis le démouler et le faire refroidir pendant encore 15 minutes supplémentaires.
13. Pendant ce temps, mélanger les 120g de sucre brun restants, 2 CC de poudre d'espresso et 2 CS d'eau dans une casserole moyenne et faire fondre à feu doux.
14. Retirer du feu. Ajouter le beurre et les g restants de chocolat, puis bien mélanger jusqu'à ce que le beurre et le chocolat aient fondu.
15. Laisser refroidir quelques instants et verser sur le cake.
16. Laisser le cake refroidir complètement et servir.

Remarques:
J'ai utilisé de l'huile d'arachide.
C'est préférable de choisir une huile au goût neutre.
J'ai utilisé un moule à Bundt Cake, mais vous pouvez aussi utiliser une moule à kougelhopf.

Idées de présentation:
Servir avec de la crème chantilly, de la sauce vanille ou une boule de glace vanille.

0 WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #228

This week, Kashim at "Paulchens FoodBlog?!" (Austria) is happy to announce that he is hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #228...

To submit your kitty picture(s), you can either leave a message in his blog's comment section (with your permalinks) or contact him via e-mail without forgetting to give all the needed information.

0 A DAY TRIP TO LYON - PART I

Two weeks ago, during our holidays, we decided to do a day trip to Lyon, the third biggest town in France after Paris and Marseilles. As we are lucky to have the TGV train stopping right here at the Geneva train station, it was the opportunity to discover that fantastic town which has the reputation of being the French capital of gastronomy...

There, we ate at a famous Bouchon (article soon to come) and played tourists in the old parts of Lyon. It is such a magnificent and peaceful city (the center that is, not the suburbs, unfortunately...) that we didn't see time fly. We loved it and will go there again very soon!

Lyon is a city of central France and is situated in the Rhônes-Alpes region, 160km away from Geneva. It has a rich history and is very interesting culturally-, architecture- as well as culinary-wise.

The romans named it Lugdunum (meaning "the hill of light" or "the hill of crows"). At that time (1st century B.C.) it was proclaimed capital of the three Gauls. During the 11th century, the church declared Lyon the seat of the Primate of Gaul in the 11th century, and then by the end of the 15th century, it became an important center of trade because of it's fairs and a well-developed banking system which attracted commercial interests from all over Europe. All that richness and commotion attracted the social, intellectual and artistic elite which settled there. Development continued through the 17th and 18th centuries with the Lyon silk industry. The city continued to gain in size and equipped itself with hospitals, public squares and impressive edifices. The French Revolution in 1789 brought a brutal halt to that expansion, but development was re-vitalized under the Napoleonic empire. Lyon became an industrial city, pursued its urban development and never stopped growing until today...

0 STUFFED QUINCES - COINGS FARCIS

Lately, I have been delving into the world of Turkish as well as Middle Eastern food and have developped an immense passion for that delightful Mediterranean cuisine. That is why, today, I will grace the pages of this blog with a wonderful seasonal recipe that I have found in famous Egypto-English book author/culinary journalist Claudia Roden's "Arabesque: A Taste of Turkey, Morocco and Lebanon" (a book that does not disappoint)...

"Stuffed Quinces" or "Ayva Dolmasi" is a very scented and refined dish that is typically Turkish, but which can also be widely found in Persia as well as Georgia.

This Middle Eastern speciality is totally irresistible. In my opinion, there's no better way to celebrate autumn than by cooking a savory, spicy and totally original quince recipe which will fulfill your cravings for sweet and sour combinations. And what a fabulous and totally unique approach to preparing that lovely scented fruit. A perfect ode to fall!

Although this dish contains so few ingredients, you might be tempted to add another spice (garlic for example) or play a little around, but for godsake's don't! You would ruin the flavors of this dish which are very delicate, yet very complex and so well-balanced. "Ayva Dolmasi" doesn't lack character or taste and is
highly satifying gustatively speaking.

The quince pulp gives an ambrosial sweetness to the meat filling while the quince shells deliver a suprising tangy sharpness that contrasts luciously with the mellow roundness of the meat as well as the round and nutty taste of the pine nuts. There is no dissonance in this dish, only voluptuous aromas...

You will see, it is impossible to not fall in love with that fine example of the harmonious cuisine from Turkey"!

*****************

With this Turkish recipe, I have decided to participate to Tobias' (at Tobias Cooks) "Mediterranean Cooking Event" in order to share my love for that cusine and maybe get the chance to win a great cookbook... So I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did!

~ Stuffed Quinces or Ayva Dolmasi ~
Taken from Claudia Roden's "Arabesque: A Taste of Turkey, Morocco and Lebanon" and slightly adapted by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
2 Large quinces (450g each)
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1 1/2 Tbs Olive oil
4 Tbs Pine nuts
240g Ground lamb or beef
1 Tsp Ground cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Ground allspice
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Method:
1. Wash the quinces and rub off the light down that covers their skin in patches.
2. Put the quinces on a baking sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 170° C (325° F) for 1 to 2 hours, until they feel soft when you press them.
3. For the stuffing, fry the onion in the oil until soft and translucent.
4. Add the pine nuts and stir, turning them over, until golden.
5. Put the ground meat in a bowl with the spices, and work them to a paste with your hands. 6. Add the onions and pine nuts and work them into the paste.
7. When the quinces are cool enough to handle, cut the quinces in half lengthwise and remove the cores and discard them.
8. Then scoop out about one third of the pulp, chop it, and add it to the meat mixture.
9. Divide the meat between the four quince halves and press it into the quinces.
10. Return the stuffed quinces to the baking sheet and bake for half an hour at 180° C (350° F).
11. Serve with the accompaniment of your choice.

Remarks:
I used beef, but lamb would surely be tastier.

Serving suggestions:
Serve hot with rice pilaf, rice with chickpeas or bread and yoghurt.

***************

~ Coings Farcis A La Turque ou Ayva Dolmasi ~
Recette tirée du livre "Arabesque: A Taste of Turkey, Morocco and Lebanon" de Claudia Roden et adaptée par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums.

Pour 4 personnes.

Ingrédients:
2 Gros coings (450g chacuns)
1 Oignon moyen, haché
1 1/2 CS d'Huile d'olive
4 CS de Pignons
240g de Viande de boeuf ou d'agneau hachée
1 CC de Cannelle en poudre
1/2 CC de Tout-épices (poivre de la Jamaïque)
Sel de mer et poivre, à volonté

Méthode:
1. Laver les coings en s'assurant de bien enlever le duvet qui les recouvre.
2. Mettre les coings sur une plaque de cuisson (recouverte de papier sulfurisé) et les cuire pendant 1 à 2 heures dans le four préchauffé à 170° C, jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient mous au toucher.
3. Pour la garniture, faire revenir les oignons dans l'huile afin qu'ils soient transparents et tendres.
4. Ajouter les pignons et bien remuer jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient dorés.

5. Mettre la viande hachée dans un bol avec toutes les épices et pétrir cette masse à l'aide de vos mains.
6. Ajouter les oignons et les pignons. Bien les incorporer dans la masse.
7. Quand les coings sont manipulable (tièdes), coupez-les en deux et retirez les pépins ainsi que les queues.
8. Prélever une petite partie de chair que vous hacherez et incorporerez à la viande hachée.
9. Diviser la garniture en 4 portions égales et farcir les coings.
10. Mettre les coings farcis au four et les cuire pendant 30 minutes à 180° C.
11. Servir avec l'accompagnement de votre choix.

Remarques:
J'ai utilisé de la viande de boeuf, mais je suis sûre que ce plat serait encore plus goûteux avec de la viande d'agneau.

Idées de présentation:
Servir soit avec du riz pilaf, du riz aux pois chiches ou du pain arabe et du yaourt.

0 WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #227

This week, Breadchick and LB at "The Sour Dough" (USA) are happy to announce that they are hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #227...

To submit your kitty picture(s), you can either leave a message in their blog's comment section (with your permalinks) or contact them via e-mail without forgetting to give all the needed information.

A clown named Maruschka.

0 SOME OF MY FAVORITE CHEESES

Being Swiss, it is difficult not to like cheese. I have eaten that delicacy since a very early age and never fell out of love with it. Cheese has always been part of my life and we will never sever...

Our country has many wonderful cheeses and we are also very lucky to find great foreign specialities (French, Spanish, Italian & English) in our stores or at our local cheese dealer. For a cheese lover like me, it's paradise (unless you look at the - high - prices, that is).

I mean, is there anything better than quality cheese with homemade bread and a bottle of good wine?!

Saint Nectaire from Auvergne.Le Vézalay from Yonne.Maroille from Picardy and Nord-Pas-De-Calais.

0 GOURMET IS DEAD...

Sad news on the foodie front.
After 69 years of loyal services, the irreplacable Gourmet Magazine is scheduled to close!
I'm so disappointed by Condé Nast's decision.
This makes me so sour and gloomy..........