Claudia Roden's Almond and Orange Cake

This cake is a wonder! 

It starts by boiling two oranges for two hours then grinding them up and adding almond flour eggs and sugar. I first read about it on Catherine Bedson's blog from Australia http://www.farmhousehome.com.au/2012/08/orange-and-almond-cake.html 

I found that that the original recipe appears in a classic book on Middle Eastern Food written by the renowned author and cultural historian, Claudia Roden.

I bought the book online; "A Book of Middle Eastern Food" Knopf 1968  and I highly recommend it to those who are interested in cooking authentic food that has been passed down through the centuries by generations of dedicated cooks. Reading Claudia Roden on food and culture  is a joyful experience!

Below see a link to a fascinating interview of  Ms. Roden by the Guardian:

 http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/mar/18/claudia-roden-spanish-food-interview

There are a number of other Sephardic Jewish Cakes in her book all are gluten free or nearly and easily adapted.  These were devised for Passover using almond meal instead of flour. I am anxious to try them as they are all  likely to be both easy and delicious.

Here is Claudia Roden's original recipe for Orange and Almond Cake  from "A Book of Middle Eastern Food" Knopf 1968

2 Large Oranges
6 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Ground Almonds
1 cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Butter and Flour for Cake Pan

Wash and boil the oranges (unpeeled) in a little water for nearly 2 hours (or for 1/2 hour in a pressure cooker).
Let them cool, then cut them open and remove the pips.

Turn the oranges into a pulp by rubbing them through a strainer or putting them in an electric blender.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the other ingredients, mix thouroughly, and pour into a buttered and floured cake pan with a removable base if possible.

Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (400 degrees) for about 60 minutes. Have a look at it after 1 hour-this type of cake will not go any flatter if the oven door is opened. If it is still very wet, leave it in the oven for a little longer. Cool in the pan before turning out. This is a very moist cake.

Cooks notes:
I use juice oranges and scrub the wax off in hot water using a plastic scrubber to make sure I do not ingest the wax. As suggested in Catherine Bedson's blog I cook the oranges when it is convenient..even a few days ahead. This makes it a very easy cake to make. Catherine uses caster sugar instead of regular sugar. I see no difference having made this both ways. I grind the oranges in a miniprep, (not available in 1968 when the original recipe was published). I substitute either sugar or rice flour for the regular flour used to butter and flour the pan. I remind you to always have all of your ingredients at room temperature before beginning. If you want the cake to be not too moist I suggest that the color be a dark golden brown when it is done. It does not do well sitting in a humid house as it tends to take in the surrounding moisture..although you can pop it into the oven at a low temp, (200-250) to dry it out again.

Cooked Corn Meal Cake

Cooked Corn Meal Cake

320g Fine stone ground cornmeal, I like Anson Mills www.ansonmills.com
250 g Superfine sugar or caster sugar
400ml Whole milk
150 ml Sweet butter
3 Large eggs
Zest from one orange
2 Tablespoons dry sherry, the better the sherry the better the taste
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon baking powder
extra butter and cornmeal for preparing the pan

All ingredients should be at room temperature before you begin. Set them out on the counter for at least a half hour before proceeding.

Preheat the oven to 355 degrees

Using a paper towel butter the inside of a tube pan..preferably with a lift our center. Then carefully dust all surfaces with cornmeal so that there is a light dust overall. The original recipe calls for a 23cm pan approx 9.5 inches..I found it too big and as a result my cake is not as tall as I would like.
I would try an 8 or even 7 inch angel cake pan with removable bottom.

Using a heavy pot or casserole heat the milk, over low/medium heat and slowly add the cornmeal a little at a time making sure it is whisked into the milk before adding more..wash down grains that attach to the side of the pot and make sure you get into the corners where the cornmeal can fall and start to cook and burn. Add meal and sugar slowly and continue to stir.  Make sure you beat out any lumps going one direction and another if necessary. Add the butter as you go as well as the three flavorings. When the mixture becomes thickened like good porridge, give a few more stirs then turn out into a large bowl and stir a bit.

Leave any bits that stick to the bottom as you do not want the hard cooked corn goo. Leave it in the bowl and wait for it to cool to warm not hot. Then add the egg yolks and beat.

Finally whip egg whites until they have soft peaks. Take a cup or so of the corn sponge and lightly fold into the whites. It should not be completely blended in.

Stir the baking powder into the corn mixture and finally lightly fold in the egg whites so they are almost but not quite well mixed in.

Immediately pour into the pan and bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick plunged into it comes out clean.

Set on a rack and after you see the cake has shrunk from the pan you can lift it out by the bottom piece and let it continue to cool on a rack. When it is thoroughly cool gently with a fine knife remove the bottom of the pan from the cake. 

This gluten free cake is fragrant, soft and makes nice crumbs. Serve with juicy fruit ,plums, pitted cherries, berries or peaches. Next time I am thinking to split it  and fill the layer with custard. You can top it with a bit of ice cream or whipped cream. You can change the flavorings..a standard nutmeg vanilla mace addition might be fun..Use your imagination!



Cooking Notes on Cooked Corn Meal Cake

I always think that the gluten free cakes and breads I have had are really not very appetizing. Without gluten it is hard to make cake and bread that have a nice texture. Also for some reason most gf cakes and breads are filled with strange ingredients trying to emulate wheat flour. My sense is we need to try to find breads or cakes that already exist so that they are good.

I have been considering corn meal to make a cake..It was already in my mind to try to lighten it texturize it and flavor it. Cooking the meal would make a sponge..adding whipped egg whites would further lighten it.

I started to look up recipes on the internet that use corn meal for making a cake. Naturally most had a bit or a lot of wheat flour..But after some time I came upon this recipe:

http://technicolorkitcheninenglish.blogspot.com/2007/03/cooked-cornmeal-cake.html

It is essentially a cooked cornmeal with sugar and milk to which eggs, oil, baking powder etc are added. While I did not make it exactly I did think it would work out fine.

Then I noticed a link on that recipe back to an earlier version..it is in Portuguese..I think.. and is a little different

http://pecadodagula.blogspot.com/2006/11/bolo-de-fub-cozido.html

Then I noticed another picture of another cake..this one has butter not oil and whips the whites of the eggs separately folding them in at the end..Better, I thought..

http://pecadodagula.blogspot.com/2012/03/bolo-de-fuba-cozido-da-vovo-estela.html

Finally I had been reading the recipe on the Anson Mills site, which while it is very complex and has wheat flour had a nice idea for flavoring

http://ansonmills.com/recipes/504
 I loved sound of sherry, orange and vanilla

My recipe above is a combination of my experiences with cakes and the recipes of others before me.
Thanks to all for the help!!

Easy Pecan Meringues

My travels for  a long weekend to South Carolina and Georgia have been inspiring me to try some Southern specialties.
This is probably the easiest meringue recipe I have ever come upon. It takes 6 minutes plus baking time and it's foolproof.
From: Savannah Style; A cookbook by the junior league of Savannah

White Clouds
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Beat egg whites until stiff. Add remaining ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet covered with oiled parchment paper. Bake in a 275 degree oven for 40 to 60 minutes.
Yield 3 dozen
Blogger's note: either my oven is too hot or the meringues brown because of the pecans. What they lack in whiteness they more than make up for in taste and texture. I took them out at 45 minutes. Also; the addition of all the ingredients at once collapsed the whipped meringues somewhat. Not to worry; they still come out fine.
Recipes with only a few ingredients rely heavily on the quality of those ingredients. Always look for the freshest plumpest nuts. Old nuts become rancid..the oils go bad. You can smell the difference. Put nuts into the freezer if you are not going to use them shortly. Always use the best extracts. Often I buy them when I spy them in specialty stores or on trips. A good brand of vanilla is Nielsen-Massey Vanillas. If I am going through West Stockbridge Massachusetts, I always make a stop at Charles H. Baldwin and Sons for extracts tel. 413-232-7785 1 Center Street P.O. Box 372 West Stockbridge Mass. The nuts I used were bought fresh in a quart bag at Hites Barbeque West Columbia South Carolina.

Great Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies for Passover or Anytime

This recipe was originally published by New York Magazine. They are easy to make and delicious.

Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies

• 16 Comments Add Yours

• By Robin Raisfeld & Rob Patronite 
• Published Apr 13, 2008

Illustrations by John Burgoyne (Photo: Kang Kim)

The annual Passover abstention from flour need not be so abstemious, as François Payard demonstrates in this recipe for chewy, gooey chocolate-walnut cookies. Egg whites add a meringuey quality, but fudginess prevails in these jumbo-size beauties, available at Payard’s Upper East Side pâtisserie and featured in his new book, Chocolate Epiphany (Clarkson Potter; $35).

François Payard’s Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies

2 3/4 cups walnut halves
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Spread the walnut halves on a large-rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 9 minutes, until they are golden and fragrant. (1) Let cool slightly, then transfer the walnut halves to a work surface and coarsely chop them. Position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and lower temperature to 320. Line two large-rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. (2) In a large bowl, whisk (or combine in an electric mixer on low speed) the confectioners’ sugar with the cocoa powder and salt followed by the chopped walnuts. While whisking (or once you change the speed to medium), add the egg whites and vanilla extract and beat just until the batter is moistened (do not overbeat or it will stiffen). (3) Spoon the batter onto the baking sheets in 12 evenly spaced mounds, and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked; shift the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through to ensure even baking. Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto 2 wire racks. Let cookies cool completely, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Simple Baked Apple

While in Italy in February I came across this Italian version of a baked apple. It was on the buffet at the Hotel Lungarno in Florence

The hotel served both apples and pears prepared in this manner. 

4 Apples

4 Tablespoons of sugar

Water

Place apples in a baking pan. Pierce each apple 3 or 4 times with a paring knife. Pour boiling water up 1/3 up the sides of the apples. Sprinkle each apple with one tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 3 or 4 hours at 250 degrees  until soft. 

That is the basic recipe to which I added the following:

Reduce the liquid and float a few cardamon seeds in the liquid. Place the apples in a storage container and pour the liquid over the fruit. Cover and cool in the refrigerator.

This is recipe works for apples or pears. Perhaps it would also work for peaches, and any other reasonably hard fruit. You can vary the amounts of water or sugar, as well as the types of sugar and the spices used to flavor the water/syrup.

This keeps well in the refrigerator and is a nice way to begin the day. You can also add flavored yogurt or flavored vanilla custard sauce for an interesting dessert.  

Note: I have used fat free sugar free jello pudding with more skim milk than is called for to make pudding and flavored it to cover over the artificial flavors. It works pretty well for a faux custard sauce.

Easy Low Fat Meringue Cookies

These cookies use a store-bought product and I simply dipped them  in glazes to improve them.


I found Vanilla Meringue cookies called Spaans at Whole foods. These are tiny meringues that taste mostly like sugar. the nutritional content says that 15 cookies equal 100 calories and have no fat.

Using two seperate recipes I was able to make them easily into a company worthy dessert.

Glaze #1 is from Jacques Pepin and is the chocolate sauce he suggests for his angel food cake..already on the blog it is one part unsweetened cocoa, one part water, one part cane sugar. Mix the cocoa and sugar till fine and has no lumps. Mix in water thoroughly..heat til boil constantly mixing to prevent burning. Let the glaze dry for an hour or so or it will remain soft.

The other recipe comes from the Tassajara Recipe Cookbook by Edward Espe Brown. It is a lemon glaze with walnuts. Sift confectioners sugar. Measure one cup. Add to it 3-4 Tablespoons lemon juice..Theoretically you could substitute orange or grapefruit juice. Then mix until it is consistency of cream. I altered the 1/2 cup of walnuts which appears in the original recipe to keep the recipe lowest fat..I take one full walnut and mince it.


Dip the cookies one at a time..for the chocolate sauce just dip and place on a plate. When you have as many chocolate ones as you want start dipping in the lemon dip and press each cookie into the minced walnuts..you should get to use one walnut to 16-20 cookies and then you will need another walnut to mince.

When dipping shake off excess glaze before you set cookies to dry in one layer on a plate.

To serve let dry then place on a clean plate..if any stick to the original plate use a metal spatula to loosen.

The cookies with the chocolate have roughly the same amount of fat added as the ones with walnuts so a serving of 16 cookies contains about 3 grams of fat. These can be served with fruit or sorbet or alone.

Yogurt Cake

In 1994 I bought a book by Jacques Pepin titled Simple and Healthy Cooking. In its introduction Pepin speaks of reducing the proportions of fats and sugars while always maintaining his focus on taste. This is a book to which I return over and over for its high quality healthy renditions of favorite foods. I strongly recommend you buy this book and try your hand at his wonderful easy recipes. All of his recipes in this and other books have the nutritional content which allows you to keep track of what you are eating. Pepin continued to produce books with the same themes and they are well worth reading.

I have been yearning for cake and so today made his yogurt cake.

1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons Corn or canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup fat free yogurt
1 cup sifted cake flour ( I used whole wheat pastry flour instead)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 egg whites
5 cups fresh blueberries, washed drained and patted dry

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.Lightly coat an 8" round cake pan with vegetable cooking pray and set the pan aside. ( I used a bit of oil on a paper towel instead)Place the sugar, oil and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Combine with a wisk until well blended. Add the milk and yogurt, mix well. Then add the flour and baking soda and mix gently until they are incorporated. Place the eggwhites in a copper or stainless steel mixing bowl. Beat by hand with a large balloon whisk or with an electric mixer (fitted with a whisk attachment) at medium to high speed until the whites form stiff peaks when the beaters are lifted. Fold them into the batter. ( don't be too perfect with the folding..the idea is to not completely deflate the whites which will lift your cake..some streaks of white will be ok) pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Cool the cake in the pan on a cake rack until it is lukewarm, then inbert it onto the rack and cool it completely.
To serve, cut the cake into 10 pieces. Tope each piece with 1/2 cup berries. I used frozen berries from Maine and sprinkled a bit of confectioners sugar through a sieve over the top of the cake.

This cake freezes well so I cut it in half and wrapped it first carefully in waxed paper then tucked it into a ziplock bag. To defrost place in the refrigerator

Here is a slightly different version..Lemon flavored

http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/138450/Lemon-Yogurt-Cake-with-Fresh-Berries

each piece is 162 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 0.6 grams saturated fat, 0 cholesterol, 64 mg sodium

Apple Walnut Jumble

Here is a fast and tasty snack/dessert.

Core a good organic apple..apples should be crisp and have a bright taste. Slice and cut up into bite sized pieces. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon break into it 3 walnut halves..that is 6 grams of fat!! good fat though loaded with Omega 3's
finally add 3 tablespoons of multigrain cheerios. Sometimes I mix in a teaspoon of ground flax seed to add more omega's and make it even better for lowering cholesterol.

Mix all together and enjoy!

Strained Greek Yogurt Dessert and Adora

Fage makes an awesome strained zero fat yogurt. It is rich and creamy and not going to clog your arteries or make you fat.

Here are some of the ways I make it into dessert:

I sweeten it with either calorie less stevia..go easy..its very sweet! or agave syrup which I like the taste of a bit better but it is 30 calories a teaspoonful. One spoonful is usually enough for a teacup of yogurt.

I have a great selection of extracts which include raspberry, lemon..both by Green Mountain and maple, vanilla, almond, rum. cruise the supermarket or specialty shops for your own flavorings

I also keep frozen blueberries..anti-oxidant and raspberries in the freezer.
If you leave them frozen when you add them in, they also provide crunchiness

I also keep sliced almonds and pignolias and walnuts in the cupboard.

Chocolate..if I have a terrific yen..I chop up an Adora chocolate and add it to my yogurt..they make dark or milk chocolate and they are actually a calcium supplement! It tastes like real dark or milk chocolate and the texture is just like real chocolate too..so even though there is a little sugar in it iyou are also getting 500 mg of Calcium plus D3 and you can chop it up into a dessert and feel righteous at the same time. At 30 calories each they are pretty terrific.

Here are some quick desserts I've made:

lemon yogurt ..add lemon extract, lemon zest, lemon juice and sweeten. sprinkle with a few sliced almonds
maple walnut..add maple extract sweetener and crumble a few walnuts in
raspberry yogurt..add raspberry extract and frozen raspberries.
vanilla yogurt add vanilla sweetener and pignolias
or add some whole grain cheerios for the crunch..just watch your portions
or make up your own mixtures..
yogurt sweetened with almond flavoring with Adore
Let me know your favorites!