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Nigella Lawson's Blueberry Polenta Upside-Down Cake
Nigella Lawson's Blueberry Polenta Upside-Down Cake

New York Times

time15 hours ago

  • Entertainment
  • New York Times

Nigella Lawson's Blueberry Polenta Upside-Down Cake

Hello, thank you for coming to my dessert dissertation defense. Let's begin: The best cakes are upside down. There are several reasons for this. Upside-down cakes highlight fruit, whether fleetingly seasonal or, in the case of canned pineapple, pleasingly and perfectly circular. They're easy to make and don't call for much equipment beyond a mixing bowl and a cake tin. Because they don't have any frosting, upside-down cakes are usually not too sweet. And they look stunning, with the fruit forming a mosaic on top of the cake, which, when you cut into it, has a beautiful ombré effect from top to bottom. Nigella Lawson's blueberry polenta upside-down cake is a perfect example of the form. It's simple to pull together; just tumble blueberries over sugar in your greased cake pan, pour over your batter (no mixer or butter softening required) and bake. The polenta adds a subtle crunch to the tender cake, and the blueberries form a juicy, inky indigo topper. Serve with vanilla ice cream or nothing at all. Again, upside-down cakes like this are perfect as they are. Featured Recipe View Recipe → Shrimp fra diavolo: Oh, another entry for the spicy tomato seafood rotation! Plump, sweet shrimp, diced Calabrian chile and lots of garlic punch up your go-to tomato paste and purée in this Anna Francese Gass recipe. It's just the sort of satisfying but speedy dinner to cap off a busy summer weekend. Vegan potato salad with tahini: I came across this Melissa Clark recipe while clicking around New York Times Cooking and made a mental note to save it. It sounds so delicious — tender yellow potatoes tossed in a flavorful dressing of charred scallions, cumin, lemon, garlic and lots of tahini. So I'll save it here, in this newsletter, in case you would also like to make it. Chicken tenders: These, with a crisp slaw and a carbonated beverage, would be a fantastic dinner for anyone of any age. Go ahead and double this Millie Peartree recipe — which has you pan-fry, rather than deep-fry, your chicken strips — so that you have leftovers for salads, rice bowls and wraps throughout the week. I'm not much of a camper. It's not that I don't love the outdoors — it's more that I've hit that age where if I don't sleep with my pillows in a very particular arrangement, I'll feel it in my upper back for the next five days. But this new video of Ali Slagle answering your campground-cooking questions has me looking at tent recommendations. I want cheesy chili beans cooked over a campfire! Pour-over coffee and morning birdsong! Read more and watch the video by clicking here or the image below: Thanks for reading!

London's first ‘cake picnic' welcomes hundreds of bakers — and a happy dog
London's first ‘cake picnic' welcomes hundreds of bakers — and a happy dog

Times

time2 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Times

London's first ‘cake picnic' welcomes hundreds of bakers — and a happy dog

A mong the usual runners, yoga posers and bleary-eyed post-clubbers, another group descended on Greenwich Park on Saturday morning. Rarely do they come together as one. Usually they are found squirrelled away in their kitchens, behind counters, watching from the sidelines as people enjoy the fruits of their labour. At 8.50am they began trickling in, bearing pristine white cake boxes. At 9am hordes of bakers were making their way to the gleaming long tables set out on the parched lawns near Blackheath Gate, undeterred by the uncharacteristically chilly July morning. Tiered cakes, sandwich cakes, bundt cakes, traybakes, loaf cakes, dessert cakes; a steady parade of carbs was on the move, heading towards London's inaugural Cake Picnic. Watching from a distance, megaphone in hand, was Elisa Sunga, 35, from San Francisco, a self-professed cake obsessive who dreamt up the idea of a mass cake gathering last year. 'I wanted to eat a lot of cake but I also didn't want to bake all those cakes by myself,' she explained. 'So I thought, if I create an event and make it a requirement that every attendee has to bring a whole cake, then I could eat cake in the park with my friends.'

When a heatwave hits, these make-ahead, no-bake Jane's Patisserie puds will save you
When a heatwave hits, these make-ahead, no-bake Jane's Patisserie puds will save you

The Sun

time3 days ago

  • Lifestyle
  • The Sun

When a heatwave hits, these make-ahead, no-bake Jane's Patisserie puds will save you

NO one wants to be breaking a sweat in the kitchen this summer if you don't have to, and Jane Dunn - AKA Jane's Patisserie - has just the ticket in her latest cookbook. Recipes from Jane's Patisserie: Classic by Jane Dunn (Ebury Press) is out July 31, and is already being heralded as "the ultimate bible for foolproof bakes". From iconic staples like a red velvet drip cake to retro bakes such as Battenburg, as well as savoury recipes including home-made English muffins, there's something to tempt everyone. We've picked out three of our faves - and they're all oven-free! 4 If the recent heatwaves have taught us anything, having some chilled puds up our sleeve for summer is essential. The only place you should be breaking a sweat is at the gym - not the kitchen. Bakewell Trifle Serves: 8 Prep time: 30 mins, plus setting Ingredients: For the jelly: *150g raspberries *150g cherries *135g packet raspberry or cherry jelly cubes For the trifle layers: *750ml double cream *2tbsp icing sugar *400-500g Madeira cake *100ml almond or cherry liqueur *500ml custard *Amaretti biscuits *Fresh cherries *25g toasted flaked almonds Method: 1. First, make the jelly. Prep and wash the raspberries and cherries. Break up the jelly cubes into a heatproof bowl and pour over 250ml boiling water. Stir to dissolve the jelly cubes, then pour in 250ml cold water and stir again. Pour this into your trifle dish, then add the raspberries and cherries. Transfer to the fridge and leave this to set until solid (a couple of hours). 2. In a bowl, whip the cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks. Slice the Madeira cake into 2.5cm-thick slices. 3. Once the jelly has set, lay the cake slices on to the jelly, and drizzle over some almond or cherry liqueur. Pour over the custard and spread until even. Sprinkle over some of the amaretti biscuits, cherries and any extra bits you fancy. 4. Top with the whipped cream, and decorate with toasted flaked almonds and the remaining cherries and amaretti biscuits. 5. Set the trifle in the fridge for 30-60 minutes, then serve. No-Bake Chocolate Orange Tart Serves: 10 Prep time: 20 mins, plus setting Ingredients: For the base: *300g digestives *100g unsalted butter or baking spread For the filling: *250g chocolate orange slices *300ml double cream *75g icing sugar To decorate: *Chocolate orange slices *Sprinkles (optional) Method: 1. First, make the base. Blitz the biscuits to a fine crumb in a food processor, or add to a bowl and bash with the end of a rolling pin. Melt the butter and mix in with the biscuits until combined and it resembles a wet sand texture. Press the mixture into the sides and base of a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin and set aside. 2. To make the filling, break up the chocolate into pieces, add to a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave in short bursts or over a pan of simmering water (bain-marie) until smooth. Leave to cool slightly. 3. Whip the cream and the icing sugar to soft peaks in a new bowl. Fold through the slightly cooled melted chocolate, then spread the mixture over the biscuit base. 4. Decorate with the chocolate orange slices and sprinkles. Leave the tart to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or until firm. No-Churn Pistachio Ice Cream Serves: 10 Prep time: 20 mins, plus 3-4 hrs freezing Ingredients: *200g shelled, unsalted pistachios, plus extra for decoration *397g tin condensed milk *600ml double cream *1tsp vanilla extract *Pinch sea salt Method: 1. Blend the pistachios until smooth in a food processor – stop a few times while blending to scrape down the sides and stir the nuts to get the mixture as smooth as possible. 2. Add the condensed milk to a large bowl with the cream and vanilla extract, and whip together to soft peaks. Add the blended pistachio mix and salt and fold everything together, then tip into a dish to freeze. 3. Sprinkle over the extra pistachios, then freeze for 3-4 hours.

Single-serve cinnamon roll
Single-serve cinnamon roll

Telegraph

time3 days ago

  • General
  • Telegraph

Single-serve cinnamon roll

The cardamom is totally optional in this speedy cinnamon roll, but it adds that extra kick of flavour that makes it even more irresistible. Made in an air fryer, this is perfect for those cosy days when you just need a warm, spiced treat all to yourself. Overview Prep time 25 mins Cook time 10 mins Serves 1 Ingredients For the dough 100g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting 75g Greek yoghurt For the filling 40g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 1 tbsp soft light brown sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground cardamom (optional) For the glaze 100g icing sugar 1 tbsp whole milk 1 tsp vanilla paste Method Step Transfer to your work surface and continue mixing by hand, ensuring all the flour is fully combined and there are no dry pockets left. Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes (this helps it firm up and makes it easier to handle). Step Meanwhile, combine 40g softened unsalted butter, 1 tbsp soft light brown sugar, 1 tsp ground cinnamon and ½ tsp ground cardamom in a separate bowl until smooth. Set aside. Step Preheat your air fryer to 180C and grease a 10cm ovenproof dish or ramekin. Step Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle about 20x15cm. Don't worry if it's not perfect – rustic is fine. Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough, right to the edges. Step Using a sharp knife, slice the dough widthways into 3 equal strips. Step Roll the middle strip into a tight spiral. Wrap the other 2 pastry strips around it – one at a time – to form a single, large cinnamon roll. Gently press the edges together to seal.

EXCLUSIVE Professional baker reveals 'wasteful' kitchen error that could be costing hundreds of pounds
EXCLUSIVE Professional baker reveals 'wasteful' kitchen error that could be costing hundreds of pounds

Daily Mail​

time3 days ago

  • General
  • Daily Mail​

EXCLUSIVE Professional baker reveals 'wasteful' kitchen error that could be costing hundreds of pounds

While the majority of recipes will instruct people to turn their oven on in step one, a top baker said it is an 'unnecessary' act in any cooking process. Sourdough expert and cookbook author Elaine Boddy claims to have 'proved' your food will come out of the oven the same whether it has been preheated or not. The British baker told Femail she hasn't preheated her oven and baking pans in more than six years, deeming it a 'wasteful' step. 'All of the recipes in all four of my sourdough books have been baked from a cold start, which includes standard sourdough loaves, sandwich loaves, Bundt pan loaves, rolls, cakes, crackers and more,' she said. 'And it's not just baking, whatever I cook at home I now put everything in the cold oven and then turn it on, and it works perfectly every time.' Boddy said a lot of recipes for sourdough call for the cook to preheat their ovens to very high temperatures or to preheat their baking pans for up to an hour before baking. She said this was 'wasteful' and 'unnecessary' as she noticed no difference in the quality of her baking when she stopped preheating. 'I stopped preheating my pan early on in my sourdough journey. I then decided to experiment with not preheating the oven too,' she said. 'I have two domestic ovens, side by side so I put one pan of dough into a preheated oven, and one in a cold oven, and compared the outcome. 'They both rose and baked well and the one that was baked from the cold start, baked to a bigger lighter loaf than the one in the preheated oven. From that day on I have baked everything I make from a cold start.' Boddy explained that preheating isn't necessary in both gas and electric ovens and it doesn't matter how long it takes for your oven to warm up. 'I've never had anything that hasn't baked or cooked properly as a result of not preheating my oven,' she said. 'The food writer, Orlando Murrin, has even proved that you don't need to preheat the oven to make Yorkshire puddings.' Boddy said she hasn't found any instances when preheating is a better option than a cold start but recommends people do whatever they feel comfortable with. 'In the end, if we are unsure about anything that we bake or cook being sufficiently done, it can always go back into the oven for more time,' she said. 'If anyone feels unsure about making that distinction, it's best to stick with what they're comfortable doing.' The sourdough pro added that she's met with 'incredulity' from fellow bakers for her anti-preheating methods. 'It's so ingrained into us that ovens should be preheated, that not to seems crazy, but when they then try it, it works,' she said. 'For anyone that isn't comfortable with the idea, or when it comes to AGA cookers or ovens that are always on, I always provide baking times for preheated ovens as well as cold starts. 'At the end of the day, all that matters is that people are happy with their creations, my suggestions are merely that.'

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