Danish Lemon & Almond Cake

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When we were living in Copenhagen from 2003 to 2006, we were often served lemon cake by the locals. I came away with this recipe from a Danish friend called Hanne, whom I met at the dog park. Sadly Hanne is no longer with us, but I still make her delicious lemon and almond cake.

My local supermarket sells 250g packets of marzipan in the section where they have all the cake ingredients.

We don’t like things too sweet, so I only made half the icing recipe. If you’re feeling indulgent, serve with a dollop of cream!

1 cup almonds, blanched or not, it doesn’t matter
200g butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
250g marzipan
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
Grated zest 1 lemon
1½ cups plain flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
Juice of 1 lemon
Icing:
2 cups icing sugar
1 Tbs lemon juice
1-2 Tbs boiling water
To garnish:
Lemon slices (glacé or fresh)

Preheat oven to 170°C. Place almonds in food processor and process till they look like fine breadcrumbs. Tip out.

Place butter (cut into pieces) and sugar in food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the marzipan. When thoroughly incorporated add the eggs and lastly the sifted flour, baking powder, ground almonds, salt and lemon juice.

Grease a 22cm cake pan. I used a fluted ring mould and sprayed it with canola oil, but an ordinary round cake pan lined with baking paper will do. Scrape the cake mixture into the pan, then bake for 45 minutes, or until well-risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Ovens vary so it may take a bit longer, but don’t overcook. Cool the cake, tip it out of the pan, then spread with the icing, allowing it to drizzle down the sides. Garnish with thin slices of fresh lemon.

To make the icing, sift icing sugar into a bowl. Add the lemon juice and one or two tablespoons of boiling water – enough to make a thick but spreadable consistency. Note: photo shows cake with only half the icing recipe.

Serves 12

Curried Mince & Eggplant with Avocado Salsa

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Instead of the usual Spag Bol or Lasagne why not turn that half kilo of minced beef or lamb into a tasty curry?

Curries improve with keeping, so we had half one night and the rest a few days later. You could always eat some and freeze the rest.

I bought some frozen Roti bread from my local Asian shop. Just pop them in a hot frying pan, straight from the freezer. Cook for a couple of minutes each side until puffed and golden brown. Home-made fig chutney went well.

3 Tbs vegetable oil or ghee
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 eggplant cut into 2cm pieces
500g lean minced beef or lamb
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp each fennel seeds & chilli powder
½ tsp turmeric
¼ cup your favourite curry paste
½ cup water
3-4 tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salsa:
1 avocado, cut into 1cm cubes
1 small red onion, diced
2 tomatoes, cut into cubes (I used 8 cocktail tomatoes and halved them)
Olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste
To serve: 
Coriander, chopped
Plain yoghurt
Fruit chutney
Store bought Naan or Roti bread
Steamed rice

In a large frying pan heat the oil or ghee and add the onion. Cook, stirring often for 5-10 minutes over moderate heat until soft but not brown. Add the eggplant and garlic and continue to cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the mince and continue to cook, breaking up any lumps, until no longer pink. Add the spices and curry paste and cook, stirring for a further 5 minutes. Add the water and tomatoes, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, until thickened. Check seasoning. Can be made ahead to this point and kept in the fridge for 3-4 days or frozen for 1-2 months.

While curry is cooking make salsa by mixing all the ingredients together. You may need to add a bit more water to the curry, especially if it has been made ahead and kept refrigerated or frozen.

Serve the curry, garnished with fresh coriander, accompanied by a small bowl of yoghurt, some fruit chutney, steamed rice and the warm Indian bread.

Serves 4-6

Mediterranean Chicken Piccata Meatballs

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I don’t buy chicken mince very often but this recipe caught my eye. The cream wasn’t in the original version, but we thought it really improved the sauce.

Meatballs:
500g chicken mince
1 egg
2 tsp Italian seasoning or mixed dried herbs
½ tsp paprika
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 Tbs finely chopped parsley
¼ cup dry breadcrumbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
Extra:
¼ cup dry breadcrumbs
Sauce:
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
½ cup dry white wine or chicken stock
¼ cups capers
½ cup cream (optional)
To garnish:
2 Tbs finely chopped parsley

Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. Using damp hands, form into 16 meatballs. Coat the meatballs in the extra ¼ cup of breadcrumbs. Refrigerate for half an hour or until serving time.

Sauce: Heat butter and olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the meatballs for a few minutes each side, or until golden all over. Remove from pan. To the pan add the lemon juice and zest, white wine, capers and cream (if using). Bring to the boil, stirring, then return the meatballs to the pan. Cook, turning them a couple of times, until sauce has thickened. Check sauce for seasoning. If you’re not adding the cream you may need to add a bit more water.

Serve garnished with the chopped parsley.

Serves 4

Lobster or Prawn Benedict

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This recipe makes a breakfast, light lunch or dinner fit for a king.

If you live somewhere you can buy lobster or crayfish for a reasonable price then use that. If not, prawns work well in this recipe. Instead of seafood try using ham or some steamed chopped spinach.

1 brioche bun, split in two or 2 thick slices brioche loaf
150g shelled lobster or prawn meat, roughly chopped
2 large eggs, poached
Snipped chives
Quick Hollandaise sauce:
60g butter
2 egg yolks
Lemon juice to taste (3-4 tsp)
Salt to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper

While the brioche buns or slices are toasting and the eggs are poaching, make the sauce. Melt butter in a bowl or jug in the microwave. With a hand whisk, mix in the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne. Zap in the microwave for  12-15 seconds, then whisk again vigorously. If it’s a bit too thick, whisk in a tablespoon of hot water. Don’t overcook it as you will end up with scrambled egg!

Place the toasted brioche on two warm serving plates. Spread some hollandaise sauce on each, then top with the lobster or prawn meat, divided in two. Arrange a poached egg on each serving, then spoon over more hollandaise and garnish with chives. If liked, arrange the other half of the toasted bun on the side of the plate.

Serve immediately.

Serves 2

Blueberry and Lemon Jam

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We grow our own blueberries and last year we had a bumper crop.

The new season will start in about three months and I still have a big bag of frozen blueberries in the freezer. I decided to use some of them to make jam. We also grow our own lemons, so blueberry and lemon seemed like a good combination.

Home-made berry jam is delicious served with warm croissants, as a topping on plain Greek-style yoghurt or as a topping on a home-made cheesecake. Here is a recipe for raspberry jam which is also delicious.

OMG this jam is so good!  You can use frozen or fresh blueberries so if you see a bargain, get the preserving pan out!

12 cups blueberries, frozen or fresh
Juice and zest from 3 lemons
6 cups sugar
50g powdered pectin (1 pkt Jamsetta in Australia)

Place a tablespoon in the freezer to get really cold.

Place blueberries in a preserving pan or large saucepan with a heavy bottom. Squash the fruit with a potato masher. Add lemon juice and zest and cook over moderate heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add sugar and pectin and when the sugar has dissolved continue to cook at a rolling boil for 10 minutes, stirring often, or until setting point is reached. Test by placing a small amount on the cold tablespoon. When cool, push it with your finger and it should start to set. If not, put the spoon back in the freezer, cook the jam for a bit longer and test again. Meanwhile put 6-8 clean jam jars in the microwave (not the lids) and zap them on High for 2 minutes.

Use a small jug to fill the hot jars to within a centimetre of the top. Seal immediately with the lids and wipe the outsides. Label and store in a dark cupboard. Refrigerate after opening.

Makes 6-8 jars depending on size

Cucumber Avocado & Smoked Salmon Rolls

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You may have seen variations on this recipe on Pinterest and Instagram. I made them for a recent potluck French lunch which I attend every month in order to keep up the lingo. Learning a foreign language is a lot of work, so having put in all that effort it makes sense to keep it up.

As you can see from the final product, I didn’t roll it up tightly enough, so I will remember that for next time.

 

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1 long telegraph cucumber
250g cream cheese at room temperature
1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 small avocado, or ½ a large one, sliced
3-4 slices smoked salmon
A few chives
To garnish:
Balsamic glaze
Sesame seeds

Choose a nice thin cucumber – you don’t one one with a lot of seeds and moisture.

Use a vegetable peeler to slice the cucumber lengthwise. Arrange the slices, slightly overlapping on a piece of baking paper, as shown in the photo. Mix the garlic, if using, into the cream cheese and season. Spread the cream cheese over the cucumbers to cover the top 10 cm or so. Also spread a tiny bit all along the opposite end, to help to stick everything together when you roll it. Either lay the chives under the avocado, whole, which is what I did. Or chop them finely and mix them into the cream cheese, which is what I think I will do next time. Arrange the smoked salmon, chives and avocado on top of the cream cheese, as shown in the photo.

Starting from the loaded end, use the baking paper to help you to roll it up as tightly as possible, then wrap in plastic wrap and leave in the fridge till serving time. Up to a few hours is ok. This helps to firm everything up.

To serve, use a very sharp serrated knife to cut the roll into slices 4-5cm thick. Arrange them on a plate, cut side up. Garnish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and a few sesame seeds.

Makes about 10

Vegetable & Pasta Soup with Parmesan Croutons

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Rather than cooking a traditional evening meal, I sometimes make a hearty soup. This is a slightly adapted version of a recipe I found on the Gourmet Traveller website.

1 leek, white and light green part only
1 small onion, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 stick of celery, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 Tbs olive oil
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
150-200g fresh lasagne sheets (see note below)
2 handfuls spinach leaves, shredded if large
1 tsp sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Croutons:
2 thick slices sourdough bread
1 Tbs butter, melted
2 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese
Topping:
1 small head fennel thinly shaved and some of the green fronds
Extra Virgin Olive oil to drizzle

Chop all the vegetables and place them in a large heavy-based saucepan with the olive oil. Cook, stirring often, for about 7 minutes, or until softened. Add the stock and cook for 10 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Can be prepared ahead to this point then reheated to serve.

Meanwhile make the croutons: cut or tear the bread into bite-sized pieces. Place in a bowl with the melted butter and grated cheese and mix well. Cook in one layer in a hot oven or an air fryer until crisp and golden.

Thinly slice the fennel and cut the slices into smaller pieces. Keep some of the fennel fronds.

To serve: Add the fresh lasagne sheets, torn or cut into bite-sized pieces and cook for a minute or two. Add the shredded spinach and sugar and check seasoning. Cook for a couple of minutes, until the lasagne is cooked, then ladle into soup bowls. Top with the croutons, the shaved fennel and fennel fronds and a drizzle of olive oil.

Serves 2-3

Note: if you don’t have fresh lasagne sheets, you can use any fresh or dried pasta and adjust the cooking time accordingly. If using dry pasta, choose a small size which cooks quickly.

Cream Cheese Log with Dried Fruit & Nuts

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Invite some friends round for a drink and serve this delicious cheese log with your favourite crackers. It can be made a day or two before serving. If you want it to keep for longer, leave out the chives and maybe add some dried herbs. Then it will keep for a week or two.

Try different combinations of fruit and nuts. The photo shows cranberries and pecans, but glacé ginger or diced apricots, or both, with walnuts or pecans is a great combination.

Just before serving I cut the log in half, so what you see in the photo is one of two small logs.

150g dried cranberries (or apricots, dates, seedless raisins, figs, glacé ginger, or a mixture)
125g pecans (or walnuts, pistachios or macadamias, or a mixture)
4 Tbs snipped chives (use scissors)
250g cream cheese, at room temperature
100g cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the cranberries and pecans, both finely chopped, in a mixing bowl with the chives. Mix well. Place cream cheese in another mixing bowl, add the grated cheddar, about half the cranberry and nut mixture and season to taste.

Place a large piece of plastic wrap on the kitchen bench. Tip the remaining cranberry and nut mixture onto the middle in a rectangle.  Use a spatula to scrape the cream cheese mixture onto a plate or chopping board, in a rough log shape. Use damp hands to form it into a neater log shape, about 3cm in diameter. Or you can make two smaller logs.

Place the log on the cranberry and nut mixture and roll it around, patting it into the log until it’s completely covered, including both ends. Use a clean piece of plastic wrap to wrap the log and once it’s securely wrapped, roll it on the counter a few times to improve the shape.

Refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge 20-30 minutes before serving with your favourite crackers.

Serves a crowd

Zucchini Ricotta and Basil Tart

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This quick and easy recipe for a zucchini tart uses bought puff pastry and is delicious served with a mixed salad.

1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
2-3 zucchini (courgettes)
2 Tbs olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
250g fresh ricotta cheese
Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbs finely chopped basil
2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbs pine nuts (optional)
1 egg, beaten
1 handful fresh basil leaves
Extra virgin olive oil

Lay pastry square or rectangle on a paper-lined baking sheet and preheat the oven to 200°C. Thinly slice the zucchini lengthwise using a vegetable peeler. Place in a bowl with the olive oil and seasoning and mix well with your hands to coat well.

With a fork, mash the ricotta with the lemon juice and rind and seasoning. If it’s a bit stiff add a drizzle of olive oil. Mix in the chopped basil. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the pastry, leaving a border of a couple of centimetres or one inch around the edges.

Layer the zucchini slices on top of the ricotta, overlapping the slices in parallel rows and doing several layers. Arrange the garlic slices over the zucchini before covering them with the last layer of slices. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan over the zucchini. Brush the beaten egg around the edges.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed. Halfway through the cooking time, sprinkle with the pine nuts, if using.

Place the fresh basil leaves in a food processor and process, adding enough oil to make a thick sauce. Drizzle the basil oil over the tart before serving.

Serves 4-6

Baked Fennel with Bacon

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This easy side dish goes well with fish or chicken.

1 large bulb of fennel or two smaller ones
2 tbs olive oil
2-3 rashers of bacon, diced
1 slice bread, preferably sourdough
2 Tbs fresh rosemary, leaves only
Freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 200°C. Oil or butter a shallow baking dish. Thinly slice fennel and cut the slices into smaller pieces. Place in a mixing bowl with the olive oil. Mix then tip into the baking dish and spread evenly.

Place bread, rosemary and pepper in a food processor and pulse to obtain chunky crumbs. Fry the bacon until crisp, then mix with the breadcrumbs. Spread over the fennel, then bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the fennel is tender and the crumbs are golden brown.

Serves 4-6