0 WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #241

This week, Weekend Cat Blogging #241 is hosted by Breadchick and LB at "The Sour Dough" (USA)...

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.

0 CARAWAY SEED CAKE - CAKE AU CARVI

As I had promised a few weeks ago, I will regularly post British recipes that are dear to myself or that I have just lately discovered. Great Britain has such an interesting culinary background that it would be such a pity to not put the spotlight on it's brilliant cuisine...

This week, I am presenting a tea cake similar to pound cake that is a home classic and which I have been eating since a very tender age.

"Caraway Seed Cake" is a Victorian favorite that is unique and has a distinctive flavor. In the old days it was often eaten after a heavy meal as caraway seeds have good digestive qualities.

The combination of orange rind (lemon rind is used in the original recipe), caraway seeds and ground almonds makes it exceptional and very fragrant. This cake's intense and enchanting fennel, anise-like, zesty and nutty flavors are delightful and will surely mesmerize you.

"Caraway Seed Cake" is awesome and quite addictive. It is the perfect addition to your teatime table.

~ Caraway Seed Cake ~
Recipe inspired by the cookbook "Cakes, Biscuits and Slices (The Australian Women's Weekly)" and reinterpretated by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Makes one cake (23cm/9 inch rectangular cake tin).

Ingredients:
185g (3/4 Cup) Unsalted butter
220g (1 Cup) Castor sugar
1 Tbs Orange rind
1 Tsp Vanilla extract
3 Eggs
300g (2 1/4 Cups) All-pupose flour
1 Tbs baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
2 Tbs Ground almonds
90-100ml (1/4-1/3 Cup) Milk
3 Tbs caraway seeds
Castor sugar, for sprinkling over the top of the cake

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F).
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour together with the baking powder, salt and almonds. Set aside.
3. Beat the butter, sugar, orange rind and vanilla extract until pale and creamy.
4. Gradually add and incorporate the eggs one at a time.
5. Then add the flour mixture and milk (alternately), a little at a time, until it is fully incorporated.
6. Fold in the caraway seeds and spoon into a greased and lined rectangular tin.
7. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 50-60 minutes or until lightly golden on top and a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

Remarks:
Instead of using orange rind, you can use lemon rind (original recipe).
You can also replace the vanilla extract by 1/2 Tsp almond extract.
Wrap the cake in a freezer bag and freeze for up to three months. Defrost before serving.

Serving suggestions:
Eat for teatime with a good cup of tea.

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

~ Cake Aux Graines De Carvi ~
Recette inspirée par le livre "Cakes, Biscuits and Slices (The Australian Women's Weekly)" et réinterprêtée par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Quantité pour un cake (moule à cake rectangulaire de 23cm de long).

Ingrédients:
185g Beurre non-salé
220g de Sucre cristallisé
1 CS de Zeste d'orange
1 CC d'Extrait de vanille
3 Oeufs
300g de farine blanche
1 CS de Poudre à lever
1/4 de CC de Sel
2 CS de Poudre d'amande
90-100ml de lait
3 CS de Graines de carvi
Sucre, pour saupoudrer sur le dessus du cake

Méthode:
1. Préchauffer le four à 180° C.
2. Dans un bol moyen, mélanger la farine avec la poudre à lever, le sel et les amandes en poudre. Mettre de côté.
3. Blanchir le beurre avec le sucre, le zeste et l'extrait de vanille jusqu'à ce que le mélange soit mousseux et pâle.
4. Ajouter et incorporer les oeufs l'un après l'autre.
5. Ajouter la farine et le lait (en alternance), petit à petit, jusqu'à ce que tout ait été incorporé
6. Incorporer les graines de carvi et mettre la pâte dans le moule.
7. Saupoudrer le dessus du cake avec du sucre et cuire pendant 50-60 minutes ou jusqu'à ce que la pointe d'un couteau insérée au centre du cake en ressorte propre.

Remarques:
Au lieu d'utiliser du zest d'orange, vous pouvez prendre du zeste de citron.
Vous pouvez aussi remplacer la vanille par 1/2 cc d'extrait d'amandes.
Bien emballém ce cake se conserve pendant trois mois dand le congélateur. Dégeler avant de servir.

Idées de présentation:
Servez ce cake pour vos quatre heures avec du thé.

0 SNOW, SUN, PEACE & BIRDS

0 WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #240

This week, Weekend Cat Blogging #240 is hosted by Sammy & Miles Meezer and Billy Sweetfeets Gingersnap at "Meezertails" (USA)...

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.

0 FOIE GRAS TERRINE - TERRINE DE FOIE GRAS

I can quite understand if you might be put off by the thought of eating foie gras (again) after having feasted over the holidays as if there would be no tomorrow, yet I really want to share with you this wonderful recipe I found on François-Xavier's blog and which I made for New Year's eve...

Foie gras is something I have discovered (taste-wise) only very lately. At first, I liked the taste of it, but the texture made me feel a little uneasy, because I found it had an unpleasant feel in the mouth. As it is an aquired taste, I got to really understand fully that unique speciality and fell madly in love with it. Now, I love this gourmet treat and cannot imagine not having any foie gras for Christmas, New year or Easter.

I particularly love my foie gras to be pan fried a few seconds only on each side and served with balsamic vinegar, but I also enjoy making terrines with that luxurious offal and serving it with homemade toasted bread and a sweet and sour jam (Vin Santo jam) or sauce (spicy cranberry sauce). It is just simply heavenly!

Well, last year, I stumbled upon a recipe for "Foie Gras Terrine" on the gorgeous as well as instructive blog named "FX Cuisine". Ever since I discovered it there, I have refused to use any other terrine recipe as this one really rocks and is easy to make.

The roasted nuts blend perfectly well with the sweetness of the liver and the whisky adds a little structure to the whole, thus giving it more character. Lovely!

~ Foie Gras Terrine ~
Recipe by François-Xavier (FX) at "FX Cuisine" (Switzerland) and adapted by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Makes one terrine.

Ingredients:
1 Whole duck or goose fresh foie gras (uncooked)
30g Dried apricots
13g Almonds, roasted
13g Hazelnuts, roasted
13g Pistachios
Himalaya pink salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
A small glass of whiskey

Method:
1. Wait until the liver is at 18° C (65°F) temperature (measured with a probe inside the liver), warm your knife blade and seperate the two lobes, then cut each lobe in two. Remove the veins.
2. Soak in cold water for 2 hours.
3. Meanwhile chop the dried fruits and nuts and soak them in the whiskey.
4. After two hours, drain the water and cover the bottom and sides of a terrine dish with 2/3 of the foie gras. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Fill the center with the dried fruits and nuts, and cover with the remaining foie gras. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Place the terrine on a plate in a larger ovenproof dish filled with water and bake for 30-40 minutes at very low temperature, between 60°C to 100°C (140° to 210°F).
7. Remove the rendered fat from the terrine and set it aside. Let the terrine cool.
8. Cover the liver with foil and a very flat weight and place in the fridge for 2 hours.
9. When the terrine has set, remove the weight and foil and melt the rendered fat on top to protect the terrine from turning rancid.

Remarks:
Leave in the fridge for about 24 hours before serving.

Serving suggestion:
Serve with sea salt, toasted brioche bread, sourdough bread or pain d'épice (see bread recipes).

There is a great video tutorial to bee seen on FX Cuisine (Switzerland).

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

~ Terrine De Foie Gras ~
Recette par François-Xavier (FX) de "FX Cuisine" (Suisse) et adaptée par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Ingrédients:
1 Lobe de foie gras de canard ou d'oie (frais)
30g d'Abricots séchés
13g d'Amandes, torréfiées
13g de Noisette, torréfiées
13g de Pistaches
Sel rose de l'Himalaya, à volonté
Poivre noir fraîchement moulu, à volonté
Un petit verre de whisky

Méthode:
1. Sortir le foie gras du frigo et attendre qu'il atteigne les 18° C afin de commencer à le déveiner en utilisant un couteau dont la lame a été trompée dans l'eau chaude (méthode).
2. Reconstituer le lobe et le déposer dans de l'eau froide et le laisser tremper pendant 2 heures.
3. Pendant ce temps, hacher les abricots et noix, puis les mettre à tremper dans le whisky.
4. Après deux heures, retirer le foie de l'eau et placer les 2/3 du lobe dans le plat. Poivrer et saler à volonté.
5. Répartir avec les fruits secs sur le foie gras et couvrir avec le reste du foie gras. Poivrer et saler à volonté.
6. Mettre la terrine dans un bain-marie et cuire pendant 30-40 minutes à basse température (60°C to 100°C).
7. Retirer la graisse de la terrine du four et la mettre de côté. Laisser refroidir la terrine.
8. Couvrir la terrine avec du film plastique, puis déposer un poids plat sur la terrine et mettre au frigo pour 2 heures.
9. Quand la terrine se sera solidifiée, enlever le poids, faire fondre la graisse et recouvrir la terrine avec cette graisse afin de la protéger pour qu'elle ne devienne pas rance.

Remarques:
Laissez reposer cette terrine pendant au moins 24 heures au frigo avant de la servir.

Idées de présentation:
Servir avec du sel de mer, de la brioche toastée, du pain au levain ou du pain d'épices (voir mes recettes de pain).

Pour plus de précisions, visionner la vidéo de FX Cuisine (Suisse).

0 WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #239

This week, Weekend Cat Blogging #239 is hosted by Pam & Patchouli at "Sidewalk Shoes" (USA)...

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.

Vee zee foodeez kittiz at "Rosa's Yummy Yums" are visheen u a
Happee Kneww Yeaarrr!

0 HOLY MACKEREL! A WISH COME TRUE...

My boyfriend totally spoilt me!