Friday, February 27, 2009

Nigella Lawson's quadruple chocolate cake



I haven't made this cake in an age, which is a shame; a dense yet soft sponge of bitter cocoa with dark chocolate fragments, sticky, sweet mocha syrup and, if you can bear it, flakes of chocolate on top. It is also one of those marvelous creations made in the food processor .. a few pulses of the button and perfect chocolate batter appears as if by magic. It appeals to my perversity that it is finished with boiling water (or substitute a freshly made expresso for super excess).




Flour, sugar, eggs, a little sour cream, vanilla essence, butter: pulse together, then, with motor running, freshly boiled water is slowly added to make a silky custard. Chocolate shrapnel (milk or plain is your choice) is added, and the mix ladled into a loaf tin.

One hour later (although five minutes less will keep the cake extravegantly moist) and the cake is puffed and crisply crusted, with bubbles of molten chocolate oozing outwards.










Meanwhile boil water, cocoa and sugar rapidly (i added a little Tia Maria for the coffee aroma) for a good 5 minutes to make an unctuous syrup. Pour over the hot cake, punching tiny holes with a cake tester to encourage rivulets of syrup into the middle of the loaf. A crumbled Flake bar or chocolate shavings will stick to the syrup, if you dare.

Friday, February 20, 2009


You are at home with just a few roots vegetables and some feta in the fridge; do not despair. This is a favourite dish of mine and beautifully simple to put together, even while chatting enthusiastically with a friend. Just remember to switch on the oven if you want lunch to be on time ..

Peter Gordon's potato, celeriac and leek gratin with sage and feta. It uses the excellent celeriac root, which i love for its delicate aniseed flavour, and the whole dish is cooked to succulent, salty, creamy goodness with just the addition of a little boiling water - no heavy cream overload.

If, however, you have forgotten to turn the oven on .. try Peter Gordon's curried pumpkin and swede soup with feta and caramelized red onion (also from his book Vegetables) instead for a quick alternative, or for supper later. I have been eating bowlfuls, and varieties of, all week, and can't get enough of the cheerful heat and comforting silky texture.

If i am in a hurry i forgo the garnish (try a spritz of balsamic vinegar instead) and blitz to a puree rather than letting the vegetables disintegrate to a melting softness. In extremis, (like tonight, arriving home cold and tired to a half-full tureen) i added a spoonful of cottage cheese instead of feta.

Tonight will, most probably, be the last night that a child of mine will sleep in the wooden cot upstairs. My youngest is suddenly too long, his toes absurdly tucked into the end of the bed with the blankets. Tomorrow i must move him to the bottom bunk under his brother; a nursery no longer.