Tag: Nigella Lawson


Apr
2023

Lunch in Provence – April 2003

categories: 20 Years Ago Today, Delicious, Magazines
Braised Green Olives

Bonjour les amis et bienvenue dans mon déjeuner inspiré de la Provence et d’avril 2003. My inspiration for this menu came from the April 2003 issue of Delicious Magazine. Initially, the topic was “So Frenchy So Chic” but as the menu evolved, so did my interpretation of it. Not for us the hustle and bustle of a Parisian bistro. Today we are taking it slow and enjoying the fresh air and rustic pleasures of lunch in the countryside.  With a tiny bit of Asian influence thrown in.  It is not totally unfounded either, after all, back in the day, the French has colonies in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and parts of Thailand.  

Let’s set the scene, shall we? Lunch is being served outside on a long table sheltered from the sun by the branches of the same olive trees that are providing your entree. The air is scented with lavender from a nearby farm and somewhere nearby a little brook is babbling away…

Maybe something a little like this!

Our April 2003 Menu

Eagle-Eyed readers will notice that for the first time ever in these 20 years ago today posts that we are not opening with some sort of beverage. Instead, we are closing out with one.  This is because the starter I chose, the Braised Olives and Almonds was the most purely “French” course whilst the only cocktail in the book was very Asian in its ingredients.  The two didn’t really work together so I thought moving the cocktail to the end of the meal would work better!

April 2003 Menu

 

Braised Green Olives With Roasted Almonds

These were so more-ish!  And so easy to do!  I could happily munch on a bowl of these any day of the week!  And I know we are holding out for the Sakitni at the end of the meal…but a glass of lovely French cider (Maybe a pear cider to match with the dessert) or some Provence Rosé would make this perfect drinking food!

Braised Green Olives

 

Braised Green Olives and Roasted Almonds Recipe:

Braised Olives Recipe

 

Glazed Salmon with Lime Beurre Blanc and Tomato, Ginger and Basil Salsa

This was really delicious and I liked the method of cooking the salmon in foil.  I had not tried this before as normally I pan fry or grill my salmon.  This was a more delicate way of cooking it.  I also used salmon fillets which made this so much easier to cook as a weeknight meal.  I simply placed the lime leaves under the salmon, the lemongrass by its side, and the lime on top.  Whilst we’re at it…I used regular red sweet chilli sauce instead of the yellow one suggested in the recipe.  I don’t think I have ever even seen yellow sweet chilli sauce!  

Salmon with Beurre Blanc2

 

Glazed Salmon with Lime Beurre Blanc and Tomato, Ginger and Basil Salsa Recipe:

Salmon with Beurre Blanc recipe

Pear Tart with Ginger Custard

I did not make this one – the purpose of these Twenty Years Ago Today recipes is not for me to cook the whole menu, even though sometimes I wish I could!  It is about seeing if a particular magazine from the past can fulfill a brief.  I don’t love pears so this is not something I would make BUT, I felt the Pear Tart fit in nicely with the French Country theme and the ginger custard echoed the ginger in the salsa that went with the salmon

Pear Tart with Ginger Custard Recipe:

Pear Tarts recipe

Sakitini

To close out our French country meal we have a very Asian-inspired martini – sake, a lychee instead of an olive, and ginger which has been present in the main and the dessert.  This is a sweeter style of martini rather than the dry style most people would drink so it ,is a nice if somewhat unusual, way to round out a meal.  

Sakitini recipe:

Sakitini recipe

 

My Nigella Moment  – Chocolate Raspberry Pudding Cake

For first-time readers, this refers to the moment at the end of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows when she sneaks back to the fridge to have another bite of something delicious.  In the context of these Twenty Years Ago posts, it is something contained in the magazine that does not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking it in either because I made it and it was really good, or I just didn’t have time to make it but it was the most appetising thing in the mag!

Again this month, this was a really tricky one.  There were two recipes that I wanted to cook.  In the end didn’t do either, possibly because I spent so long vacillating between the two that I ran out of time to do either!  

The first was a Brownie, Raspberry and Drambuie Trifle.  I mean…OMG…how good does that sound?  BUT the second was a Chocolate Raspberry Pudding cake from the lady herself!  And how could I resist not Nigella-ing Nigella?  Plus, I have made this recipe from How To Eat several times and it has never failed me.  It is my go-to recipe if I ever need to bake something that I know will turn out well!  

Chocolate Raspberry Pudding Cake Recipe

 

This was certainly the most challenging menu to pull together as there was nothing in the magazine that seemed specifically French.  I felt it came together pretty well even though I had to tweak the theme a little bit!  We’ll save So Frenchy So Chic for another day and leave this one as So Frenchy So Rustique!   Whatever we call it, April 2003 provided some delicious food which is what it’s all about!

Have a great week!

 

 

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May
2016

REPOST – Devil’s Food Cupcakes

categories: Cake, Chocolate, Food Heroes, Nigella Lawson

What better way to end my devil themed blogiversary party than with some Devil’s Food  from the Domestic Goddess?

I adapted Nigella’s recipe into cupcakes and much deliciousness ensued!

Devil's Food Cupcake1

These were easy to make, and tasted amazing!  A deep chocolate flavour and they were (apologies in advance) super moist.  They also lasted for close to a week in the fridge…we are after all only two people and the mix made 15 cupcakes.  I took half  into work to share the love but someone managed to eat all of his half by himself.  Not so fussy after all it appears!

Devil's Food Cupcake2jpg

If you head over to You tube you can see Nigella make this cake herself and hear her utter my favourite phrase of the clip when she speaks about mixing the cocoa, muscovado sugar and hot water into  a “malevolently dark syrup”.  It is Devil’s Food Cake after all!

Devil's Food Cupcake3I pretty much followed Nigella’s recipe except that I added a tablespoon of coffee granules into that same “malevolently dark syrup” because it wasn’t already rich and dark enough!  Also because I made cupcakes, I adjusted the cooking time.  Mine were in the oven for 18 minutes.

Devil's Food Cupcake4Can I just say….that frosting!!!!!  OMG.   I ate so much of it I felt sick.  Then I ate some more because it was so good!

 

Print

Devil’s Food Cupcakes

Print Recipe

A luscious chocolate cake with a rich chocolate frosting. Sinfully Good!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Cake

  • 50 grams best-quality cocoa powder (sifted)
  • 100 grams dark brown muscovado sugar
  • 250 millilitres boiling water
  • 1 tbsp coffee granules (optional)
  • 125 grams soft unsalted butter (plus some for greasing)
  • 150 grams caster sugar
  • 225 grams plain flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs

For the Frosting

  • 125 millilitres water
  • 30 grams dark brown muscovado sugar
  • 175 grams unsalted butter (cubed)
  • 300 grams best-quality dark chocolate (finely chopped)
  • Sprinkles to decorate

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4/350°F.
  2. Line muffin pans with cupcake liners. I made 15 cupcakes from this mixture but the number of cupcakes will depend on the size of your containers.
  3. Put the cocoa, the coffee, if using, and 100g / half cup dark muscovado sugar into a bowl with a bit of space to spare, and pour in the boiling water.
  4. Whisk to mix, then set aside.
  5. Cream the butter and caster sugar together, beating well until pale and fluffy.
  6. While this is going on, stir the flour, baking powder and bicarb together in another bowl, and set aside for a moment.
  7. Still mixing, add the vanilla extract into the creamed butter and sugar . Then drop in 1 egg, quickly followed by a scoopful of flour mixture, then the second egg.
  8. Keep mixing and incorporate the last of the flour. Then fold in the cocoa mixture, scraping the mixing bowl well with a spatula.
  9. Divide this batter into the cupcake liners, filling to just over halfway.
  10. Place in the oven and cook until a skewer comes out clean – it was around 18 minutes for me but will depend on the size of your cupcakes.
  11. Remove from the tins and cool on a wire rack.

For The Frosting

  1. Put the water, 30g / 2 tablespoons muscovado sugar and 175g butter in a pan over a low heat to melt.
  2. When this mixture begins to bubble, take the pan off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, swirling the pan so that all the chocolate is hit with heat, then leave for a minute to melt before whisking till smooth and glossy.
  3. Leave for about 1 hour, whisking now and again.
  4. Spread or pipe the frosting over the cupcakes.
  5. Decorate with sprinkles or your decoration of choice.

Notes

If you want to make this as a large cake, watch Nigella’s You Tube clip or you can find the recipe here

If you’re serving these to guests or even if there is just two of you, make sure you spirit one of these away in case you have the need for a Nigella inspired midnight feast!

Devil's Food Cupcake5

Have a great week!

The Devil Cocktail

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