Nigel Slater’s Extremely Moist Chocolate Beet Cake Simplified

Beets were on sale this week for on .88cents a bunch and I haven’t baked desserts with beets before so I thought I’d find a great recipe for baking with beets. YES Nigel Slater’s Recipe is Iron Clad Fantastic. It might be that one recipe you want if you want that one really awesome tasting chocolate cake. The recipe is so good I didn’t even need to read the directions. It’s somewhat involved and many bowls need to be used.  I simplified the recipe by bringing down 5 bowls to only two bowls to prepare the cake. The only major change I did to the recipe was to leave out the 1/4 cup of hot espresso because that would never be in my kitchen and I don’t want the added deepness in flavor because it’s deep enough. The suggested topping for the cake is creme fraiche with poppy seeds. That sounds amazing……but I don’t feel like running to the store to spend $6.00 on a small tub of creme fraiche………so I just used 3 oz of 63% all natural cacao chips melted with 2 oz sweet butter and a splash of warm cream. The cake is super moist and very decadent with deep chocolate flavor. You might not notice the beets. The beets are only in the background and you see a the slight color difference. I was about to use a fresh ricotta cream – mascarpone  with the cake maybe tinted with some beet puree …but didn’t this time……maybe next time… Here’s the simplified recipe.

Ingredients for about 10 servings

8 oz beets – roasted with just water and then peeled and pureed (you need one cup of puree)

7 oz fine dark chocolate (the best my store sells is 63% all natural cacao) (optional to purchase a 10 oz bag of 63% chocolate chips and use 7oz for the cake and three oz for the topping)

8 oz unsweetened butter – cold temperature (optional extra 2 oz for topping)

1 cup flour – plus extra for dusting the springform pan

1 1/14 teaspoon baking powder

3 Tablespoons quality cocoa powder

5 XL eggs

1 cup sugar

optional creme fraiche and poppy seeds to serve

non stick spray

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F

in a large bowl chop up the butter into cubes and either put the bowl over a pot of heated water or being very careful micro wave it covered with plastic wrap for 30 seconds at a time till it’s half melted. Then add the chips and either way slowly melt the chips into the butter. (this is the hardest part of the whole recipe).

Add the sugar mix.

Add the beet puree and mix.

Add the cocoa and mix.

dump the flour and baking powder on top.

set to the side

In another large bowl add the eggs and with a mixer beat the eggs till they are light and fluffy.

With a fork stir the chocolate and beet bowl till the mixture is almost mixed.

Carefully as possible stir in the eggs till the mixture is incorporated.

Spray the springform pan with non stick spray.

Add a few Tablespoons of flour and shake it around the pan till it’s dusted.

Fill with cake mixture and set in oven

TURN DOWN OVEN TO 325 DEGREES F.

In about 40 minutes the cake should be done

Leave in pan till the cake is slightly warm and run a soft knife around the cake to make sure it doesn’t stick. Slide the cake off onto a plate.

Decide on how you’d like to serve the cake.

It’s really deep with chocolate and extremely moist…you don’t really need anything but it looks naked.

A few options are….

just powdered sugar or sweetened cocoa

The suggested creme fraiche and poppy seeds

3oz deep chocolate chips melted with 2oz unsweetened butter and a splash of warm cream.

Sweetened fresh made ricotta – mascarpone  cheese….maybe tinted with beet puree…drizzled with chocolate or chocolate shavings…..

Nigel Slater’s Extremely Moist Chocolate Beet Cake Simplified

The cake is excellent…Everyone will love this cake!

The Forking Truth

Modern Reduced Fat Avocado Green Goddess Dressing

Green Goddess Dressing is an old fashioned dressing that is traditionally made from mostly all high fat ingredients like, Mayonnaise, Creme Fraiche and Sour Cream blended with green herbs. I enjoy high fat foods like everyone else does but I prefer my salads to be somewhat healthy so I came up with this recipe. Traditional Green Goddess dressing does NOT contain avocado. I had some extra avocado so I thought I could make a rich tasting Green Goddess type of dressing and I did. You can use this dressing for salads, chicken salad, dip or drizzle it on vegetables, chicken or fish.

Ingredients for about 4 servings

8 oz ripe avocado

3 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup scallions sliced (packed tight)

1/4 cup parsley (packed tight)

8 anchovy filets (I used Delallo Brand…I note some other reasonably priced brands sold in Phoenix will not work out as well)

3 Tablespoons white vinegar

1/4 cup water

1 Tablespoon dried tarragon…..(fresh would be better but I very rarely use tarragon..so I usually use dried)

1/4 teaspoon or to taste fresh ground black pepper…( I found after I made the dressing I needed slightly more than 1/4 teaspoon)

Fresh ground sea salt to taste….(not much)

Directions

Just blend all the ingredients.

Modern Reduced Fat Avocado Green Goddess Dressing

This dressing seems very rich and is delicious.

The Forking Truth

Forking Awesome Kicked UP Waldorf Inspired Salad

The Waldorf Salad was created in the 1890s at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City. A typical Waldorf Salad is made from apples, celery, grapes and walnuts dressed with a mayonnaise dressing. That sounds sort of boring and heavy to me so I went with that idea and used some unusual ingredients like kumquat, rambutan and tomatillo that made it more interesting. There is a lot of flavors and textures in this salad with a little heat. It really is Forking Great….most people will like all the flavors and textures. Even if you don’t want to make this salad you will still want to make the walnuts like I do. I cook the walnuts with water for 3 minutes in the microwave to release the bitter flavor and toss the walnuts in the oven with minimal amounts of sugar, oil and seasoning and they are just delicious! My recipe makes more walnuts than you need for this recipe. I don’t think you will have a problem using them or snacking on them.

Ingredients for about three servings

1 cup walnuts

2 cups water

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

a few cracks black pepper

12 rambutan – peeled (you can substitute lychee fruit or large grapes)

2 celery ribs – peeled and cut in bite size pieces

1/2 fennel bulb – core removed and sliced thin (save some fennel fronds to toss in)

1 tomatillo – cut in quarters, then eights and each eight in fourths

1 apple – cored and cut in bite size pieces

3 Tablespoons jumbo raisens

2 radish sliced thin

2 kumquats sliced thin (remove seeds if you come across any)

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

few cracks fresh black pepper

Directions

Place the walnuts in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and heat for three minutes.

Set oven to 350 dries F. When the walnuts are cool enough to handle remove from the muddy looking liquid and blot as best as you can on paper towels. This is to remove even more of the bitterness. Place the walnuts in a small mixing bowl and toss with the olive oil, 1 Tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne and a few cracks of fresh black pepper. Toss well and spread out the walnuts on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Cut the peeled rambutan off the pits and place in a large mixing bowl.

Add celery, fennel, fennel fronds, tomatillo, apple, raisins, radish, kumquats and remaining ingredients.

Toss.

Top with desired amount of walnuts.

Forking Awesome Kicked UP Waldorf Inspired Salad

It’s really very light delicious and different.

Most people will enjoy this salad!

The Forking Truth