Month: February 2020

Carrot cake takes misuse of vegetables to new heights. Carrots, a starchy questionable vegetable to start with, become the foundation of sweet rich lovely textured cake in this recipe from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking. If you’re interested in carrots as a vegetable, try and find heritage carrots – before the Dutch made them orange and sweet. But we’re going to make them unhealthy, so the ordinary supermarket carrots are fine.

Carrot cake is a favourite wherever you take it. If I’m transporting the cake, I over bake it slightly. It changes the texture to more chewy but it’s just as tasty. You can make a vegan version of this cake as well – substitutions are below.

My recipe calls for nuts, coconut and raisins – these can all be omitted, none are essential to the structure of the cake. If you make the classic cream cheese icing, I suggest using Philadelphia Cream Cheese. I’m not a fan of American processed food but Philly has some magic ingredients that keeps the icing from getting lumpy.

No specialist equipment is required for this recipe but a mini chopper or a food processor is highly recommended for the carrots. For the best texture, I suggest fine grating the carrots. Smaller pieces makes the cake cut better.

I bake this recipe as a sheet cake in two square cake pans: 15 cms (6 inches) by 15 cms (bake for 45 mins) It also makes 2 x 23 cm (9 inch) round layers (bake for 40 mins) or a 33 cm (13 inch) by 23 cm (9 inch) sheet or single layer cake (bake for 45 mins). I line pans with parchment paper or pre-cut parchment liners – I never grease pans.

Bake away.

Recipe

Cake

• 4 large eggs
• 295 grams (10.5 ounces) of vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 295 grams (10.5 ounces) caster (white) sugar
• 90 grams (3.25 ounces) brown sugar
• 225 grams (8 ounces) whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 250 grams (8.75 ounces) finely grated carrot
• 100 grams (3.75 ounces) pecans or walnuts, chopped
• 85 grams (3 ounces) shredded or flaked coconut
• 340 grams (12 ounces) raisins

Cream cheese icing

• 85 grams (3 ounces) unsalted butter, softened, at room temperature
• 225 grams (8 ounces) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 450 (1 lb) icing (confectioners) sugar, sifted
• 90 grams (3.25 ounces) chopped candied ginger (optional)
• 110 grams (4 ounces) chopped nuts, walnuts or pecans

Vegan option: use 260 grams of unsweetened applesauce instead of the eggs in the cake. Try this recipe for vegan vanilla icing.

Instructions

1. Prep your pan or pans. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Grate the carrots. Chop the nuts. Combine all in a bowl and put to one side (stir ins).
3. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in a separate bowl (dry ingredients).
4. Beat the eggs (or applesauce) in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer. Add the oil while the mixer is running. Add the vanilla and the sugars and beat until smooth.
5. Mix the dry ingredients into the batter until well combined. Don’t over beat.
6. Add the stir ins. Scoop batter into prepared pans.
7. Bake for the amount of time appropriate to the pan size. Use a toothpick to test, if it comes out clean the cake is done. Cool on a rack when done, then dust with confectioners sugar or use the cream cheese icing. Decorate the top with ginger or nuts.

I hope you enjoy the blog. Please ask questions and send comments. If you bake any of the recipes, please post a photo and tag @mamadolson on Instagram or Twitter.

An omelette Arnold Bennett is one of the most decadent (and fun) things you can do with eggs. There are various recipes available – ranging from the brain melting versions including hollandaise sauce to ‘simple’ ones that don’t actually making anything like an omelette Arnold Bennett. I hope my recipe below strikes the right balance between authenticity and complexity. It arrives at a beautiful balance between eggs, smoked fish and velvety sauce.

The omelette Arnold Bennett was invented by the chef at the Savoy Hotel in London. There was a long staying guest (the author Arnold Bennett) who was bored with the breakfast menu in particular and asked the chef to do ‘something different’. Anyone who travels on business will be familiar with this feeling. And the result was this wonderful omelette.

I went on an egg course with my friend Lisa and the culmination of the day was the teacher making an omelette Arnold Bennett. Of course, we were so stuffed full of gorgeous eggs by that point that we could only eat a couple of bites – but I marked it down as a real keeper.

This omelette makes a lovely light supper. I confess its too much work for me to be an actual breakfast dish (unless I’m having breakfast at the Savoy). There are several distinct steps to making this dish and it’s not an ‘easy’ dish but the skills are not that difficult. Approach it methodically and it’s yours.

An overview of the process;

• poaching the fish
• make the bechamel sauce
• enrich the bechamel sauce
• cook the egg base
• assemble the omelette
• grill the top.

Most of the ingredients are easy to find. The best smoked fish to use is haddock that is undyed (not undead, just not dyed bright yellow). If you can only find the bright yellow it’s okay. It doesn’t taste any difference, but it will make your sauce more yellow than cream coloured. I use the best eggs I can buy – usually Duchy Organic free range large eggs. The eggs are the star in this dish – augmented by the sauce and poached fish but eggs are king.

Recipe

2 generous servings.

Ingredients

• 200 mls of milk (whole or semi-skimmed)
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 whole cloves
• 10 whole black peppercorns
• 2 shallots or 1 small onion
• 200 grams of smoked haddock
  ********
• 30 grams butter
• 30 grams flour
• Milk from the poaching
• 2 large egg yolks (in addition to the 4 eggs below)
• 1 tablespoon of heavy cream
• 30 grams of mature cheddar cheese
  *****
• Butter for the omelette pan
• 4 large eggs

Instructions

Poaching the fish

1. Put the milk in a shallow pan over very gentle heat.
2. Peel the onion and cut off the top and bottom. Add to the milk with the cloves, peppercorns and bay leaf.
3. Heat the milk to just below boiling. Gently lower the haddock into milk (skin side down). Poach until it starts to flake – 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon to a plate. Strain the milk to remove the onion and aromatics. After the fish cools, break it into pieces. Get ready to make the sauce.
   
   

Making the sauce

1. Melt the butter in a small deep saucepan. Whisk in the flour and foam until it is golden brown. This cooks off the raw taste of the flour.
2. Add several grinds of salt and pepper.
3. Whisk in the milk over the heat. Beat vigorously to get rid of any lumps and have a smooth sauce. The sauce should be thickened but still liquid. Remove from the heat.
4. Beat the two egg yolks with a tablespoon of heavy cream.
5. Start to add the sauce to the egg yolk mixture, one or two tablespoons at a time. After the first 3 or 4 additions you can add more sauce each time whisking until smooth. Put to one side.
6. Pat yourself on the back and take a deep breath. The sauce was the tricky part.
   

Making the omelette

1. Break the eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork.
2. Find a omelette pan than you can put under your grill. Put the pan on the heat and add a generous knob of butter and melt. When the butter starts to foam, add the eggs.
3. Stir them continuously, tilting the pan from side to side until the bottom is well set and the top is soft and creamy.
4. Heat the grill.
5. Sprinkle the cheese over the top of omelette.
6. Stir the flaked fish into the sauce and pour it over the top of omelette.
7. Place the omelette under the grill for a few minutes until the top turns golden brown.

Serve with crusty bread, green salad and glass of crisp white wine.