Perfect Eggless Banana & Chocolate Cake

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Chocolate; she is your best mate when you are feeling down, or so you think.  You decide to indulge in a chocolate feast by baking a cake, but to your very dismay you realise that you have run out of dark chocolate.  You are also expecting guests tonight and your plans for producing the perfect indulgent dessert is suddenly tainted and there is absolutely no time to rush out to the shops for dark chocolate...  Where on earth are you going to find a milk, egg, wheat and soy free chocolate cake recipe now I wonder?

Relax, this is an excellent choice requiring only a few ingredients.  This is quite a dense cake and is very rich in flavour.  You will only need to serve a thin slice.  It could be really delicious when accompanied with a dairy free fruity sorbet.  Heaven.


INGREDIENTS
250ml water
200g soft brown sugar
75g dark brown muscovado sugar
125g dairy free margarine
35g cocoa powder
1 teaspoon wheat & gluten free baking powder
225g gluten free self raising flour
3 tablespoons ground almonds 
2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon egg replacer + 1 tablespoon nut milk

FOR THE GANACHE
45g dairy free margarine
50g caster sugar
40ml water
80g icing sugar
18g cocoa powder


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 180 ºC.  Grease a round baking tray and set aside.
2. In a saucepan add the water, sugars, cocoa powder and baking powder.  Allow to simmer over a low heat.  This should take only 5 minutes.  Set aside and allow to cool until warm.
3. In a large bowl, mix the mashed bananas with the gluten free flour.  Next add the egg replacer mixed with a tablespoon of nut milk.
4. When the chocolate solution is warm to touch, pour into the flour mixture and beat to create a smooth runny texture.
5. Pour into your greased baking tray and bake in the oven for 40 - 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
6. To prepare the ganache, in a separate saucepan place the margarine, caster sugar and water and allow to simmer.  
7. Sift the cocoa powder and icing sugar then add to the saucepan.  Mix well.
8. Allow to cool, cover and place in the refrigerator for up to 20 minutes.  
9. When the glace is firm enough, beat it with a wooden spoon to soften a bit then coat the cake generously.

Serves - 8 - 10 slices

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Food Lovers' Essential Photography Tips by Krishanthi Williams

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I am very excited to introduce to you a very special person today.  Krishanthi is one of my favourite photographers.  Although her specialty lies in wedding photography, she also works in commercial photography.  She has worked with Daniel Galvin, Quill London and even Koj from Masterchef.  How amazing is she?  I know that you will love her essential tips in food photography, so grab a cuppa and enjoy the read my lovely readers!

We've all been guilty of it: that amazing melting chocolate fondant arrives on a plate, and you just have to take a photo of it.  This practise has become even more popular since the birth of iPhones, Facebook and Twitter: but I'm going to share a few simple tips with you on how to easily enhance your food photography, whether using a smartphone, compact digital camera or DSLR.

1) Lighting
Where you photograph your food will have the single biggest impact on the outcome of your photo.  Placing your subject as close to natural light as you can will render a pleasantly lit image - close to a window in daylight is a good starting point.  If it's a really sunny day (funnily enough I don't worry about this too much in London!) you might want to drape some white muslin or even a sheet in front of the window to diffuse the rays of light, and avoid harsh shadows.  This is how I photograph most of my food. 

2) Composition

How you arrange items in food photography can play a big role in the impact of the final image.  It may sound obvious, but pay attention to where you are placing components within your photo.  Our eyes naturally follow lines along an image, which gives rise to the ‘rule of thirds’.  The image below would appear slightly less dramatic if the marshmallow was right in the middle: 

Don’t forget that rules are there to be broken (in some instances, anyway!); placing your subject dead centre can also make for a high impact image and can be forgiving when you don't want people to look too closely around the bull's eye point of focus.  This photo was taken in a restaurant (the classic foody-nerd-with-a-camera scenario).  When the plate arrived looking like it did, I knew how I wanted to get this photo and had approximately 20 seconds to execute it before I would invite stares from surrounding diners.  The 20 seconds included dragging my fellow diner from his chair out of the way, as I wanted the glow of the restaurant's lights in the background rather than his shirt - whatever you have to do to get the shot!

3) Visualisation

It definitely helps to visualise the final image; knowing what you want the food to look like in the photo before you even pick up your camera can save you precious time, especially when you are in a public place such as a dinner party or restaurant as above.  That doesn't mean that you can't experiment as you go along, far from it: just that if you can imagine the end result, or a version of it at least, you can prepare your props accordingly.  When I say props, this can be anything from plates, glasses and cutlery to vintage sets, distressed wood and materials.

Trying to photograph an item of food that is not stationary is a classic example of when previsualisation becomes invaluable.  If, like me, you cannot settle for anything other than a runny yolk, then timing is imperative.  When photographing food in a cooking or moving state (e.g. egg yolk, pouring sauce, sizzling meat) then you have to time it carefully, and often you only get one or two shots before you will need to start from scratch.  However, if you’ve thought about the end result that you want, you’ll have a more streamlined (and hopefully less  painful!) journey to get there. 

4) Depth of field

Depth of field refers to how much of your photograph will be in focus; in simple terms this is the factor that will separate an all-over crisp image to one with a focused subject and blurred background.  This element of photography is much more difficult - but not impossible - to control when using an iPhone or compact digital camera; often these cameras will have a ‘food’ setting which is automated to give you that lovely blurriness in food images.  

If you are using a DSLR, depth of field is primarily controlled by varying the aperture setting on your camera.  My personal preferences in food photography migrate towards using a wide aperture (anywhere from f/1.8 to f/4) and taking action shots, just because I feel the image carries a bit more life that way.  Both of these photos were taken at f/2.8, and you can see the image start to blur behind the main focus of the shot: 

Bear in mind that choosing a wide aperture does not automatically mean that you will have all the surrounding detail fall out of focus, and vice versa.  For example, both of the images below were taken at f/4; yet it appears that more of the fig salad on the right is in focus, because there are more elements of the food resting on the focal plane at f/4, whereas in the ice cream picture, the nearest thing behind the ice cream was a shop about 8 feet behind.  So, distance also affects the blurriness of the background, but the aperture setting is a good place to start.  

I hope you’ve found this information on food photography useful; I by no means consider myself an expert in this area but it is always a pleasure to share what I have learnt with those who share my passion for food and photography!  If you share any questions for me please do leave a comment or get in touch with me through my website: www.photographybykrishanthi.co.uk or via email on info@photographybykrishanthi.co.uk.

Krishanthi also has a beautiful fanpage.  Please feel free to join her on https://www.facebook.com/photographybykrishanthi or her twitter handle is @KrishanthiPhoto.  

I look forward to your comments lovely readers.  Do you have any food photography tips that you would like to share with us today?  If so, then please do comment below as I love hearing from you.  And don't forget, Krishanthi may just be the person that you've been looking for to photograph your very special day.

Please feel free to SHARE this article with a TWEET on twitter or a LIKE on facebook.  Thank you so much!

An Edible Mosaic's Virtual Book Launch Party

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I have a very special post for you today. My friend Faith Gorsky from An Edible Mosaic just had her first cookbook released: An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair. I’m excited to be participating in her virtual book launch party and sharing a recipe from the book!

The book has over 100 Middle Eastern recipes, with a focus mainly on dishes from the Levant, but also a few recipes from other areas of the Middle East. Faith has a pretty unique story…after getting married Faith spent six months living in the Middle East, where she fell in love with the culture and cuisine. Subsequently, she returned four more times for visits, each time delving deeper into the cuisine and deepening her passion for and appreciation of the region. Recipes in her book are authentic Middle Eastern (taught to Faith mostly by her mother-in-law, Sahar), but streamlined just a bit for the way we cook today, with unique ingredients demystified and cooking techniques anyone can follow. If you didn’t grow up eating Middle Eastern food, it can be a difficult art to master; Faith understands that, and explains complicated dishes in an approachable, easy-to-follow way. The book is available to order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

After you check out the recipe below, please head over to Faith’s blog to check out her virtual book launch party to see the other bloggers who are participating. Also, as part of her virtual book launch, Faith is hosting a giveaway of a fabulous set of prizes. Be sure to head over and enter!

The recipe from the book that I’m sharing with you today is for Saffron Rice with Golden Raisins and Pine Nuts, along with a variation for Mixed White and Yellow Rice. The recipe is actually vegan so you won’t have any trouble incorporating it into a vegan or vegetarian meal, but it is just as delicious served with chicken, beef, lamb, or seafood, and it would be really fantastic with just about any curry dish. (In the cookbook, Faith recommends pairing Shrimp in Aromatic Tomato Sauce with this rice dish.) 

Saffron Rice with Golden Raisins and Pine Nuts, Pictured with Shrimp in Aromatic Tomato Sauce, another recipe from An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair.

Saffron Rice with Golden Raisins and Pine Nuts

ROZ MLOW’WAN

Recipe courtesy of An Edible Mosaic:  Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair by Faith Gorsky (Tuttle Publishing; Nov. 2012); reprinted with permission.

Serves 4 to 6

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes, plus 15 minutes to let the rice sit after cooking

1½ cups (325 g) basmati rice, rinsed

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons pine nuts

1 onion, finely diced

4 tablespoons sultanas (golden raisins)

1¾ cups (425 ml) boiling water

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon saffron threads (or ½ teaspoon turmeric)

1. Soak the rice in tepid water for 10 minutes; drain. While the rice is soaking, put half a kettle of water on to boil.
2. Add the oil to a medium, thick-bottomed lidded saucepan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and cook until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer the pine nuts to a small bowl and set aside.
3. Add the onion to the saucepan you cooked the pine nuts in, and cook until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rice and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the sultanas, boiling water, salt, and saffron (or turmeric), turn the heat up to high, and bring it to a rolling boil.
4. Give the rice a stir, then cover the saucepan, turn the heat down to very low, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes (do not open the lid during this time). Turn the heat off and let the rice sit (covered) 15 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
5. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle the toasted pine nuts on top; serve.

OPTIONAL Add two pods of cardamom, two whole cloves, and one 2-inch (5 cm) piece of cinnamon stick at the same time that you add the rice.

Mixed White and Yellow Rice

VARIATION

Mixed White and Yellow Rice

Serves 4 to 6

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes, plus 15 minutes to let the rice sit after cooking

1½ cups (325 g) uncooked basmati rice, rinsed

2 tablespoons oil

1 onion, finely diced

1 bay leaf

2 whole cloves

2 pods cardamom, cracked open

2 whole peppercorns

¾ teaspoon salt

1¾ cups (425 ml) boiling water

1-2 pinches saffron threads or ½ teaspoon turmeric dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

1. Soak the rice in tepid water for 10 minutes; drain. While the rice is soaking, put half a kettle of water on to boil.
2. Add the oil to a medium, thick-bottomed lidded saucepan, cover and place over moderately high heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the rice, bay leaf, cloves, cardamom pods, peppercorns, and salt, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the boiling water to the rice, turn heat up to high, and bring it to a rolling boil. Give it a stir, cover the pot, turn heat down to very low, and cook 10 minutes (don’t open the lid during this time).
4. After the rice is cooked, let the pot sit with the lid on for 15 minutes, then fluff the rice with a fork. Transfer 1/3 of the rice to a separate bowl.
5. Stir the saffron or turmeric-colored water into 1/3 of the rice (the rice will turn yellow). Mix together the yellow rice and white rice; serve.

Enjoy these lovely recipes that have been put together by Faith.  A huge congratulations to her!  I hope that you will support her by purchasing her cookbooks available on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Enjoy your weekend my lovely readers.  I also have a special post for you on food photography titled Food Lovers' Essential Photography Tips from one of my favourite photographers, so do check back in on Sunday as I know that you will love her tips and advice!

Spanish Seafood Rice

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This is another gorgeous heart warming meal that is perfect for Mediterranean Mondays.  It's tempting to fill up on high fat foods that taste good and warm the belly, but don't forget that a greasy number isn't going to make the 'A' list for a heart friendly meal.

My simple rule with foods is always consider how does it score on a scale of 1 to 10 for the health factor?  Do this before you commit to a meal that you would not usually eat but feel tempted just because it looks 'oh so good'.  Are there any vitamins?  Minerals?  Is it high in heart friendly fats?   

Did you just justify your love based on 20 minutes of happiness only to regret your choice for days later?  A healthy meal on the other hand is truly a joy laster.  Not only will you be pleased with your choice, your heart, skin and hair will also thank you for your nutritious choices.

For that extra edge when selecting your Sunday meal or something to satisfy that hot spot why not aim to meet your weekly quota of fish with this delightful gluten and wheat free meal?

Fish is also your easiest source of essential fatty acids.  For more information refer to my article  A Fishy Bite - Eat It For Youthful Skin.


INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, sliced finely
4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
1 large courgette, cut into rings
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Large pinch of red saffron threads
2 large fillets of firm white fish, cut into pieces 
2 large squid tubes, cut into rings
220g (1 cup) paella rice
500ml fish stock
8 raw jumbo prawns
150g raw king prawns
1 small bunch of spring onions, chopped
Parsley or coriander to garnish


DIRECTIONS

1. In a large heavy non-stick pan, heat the olive oil then add the red onions.  Cook until softened.
2. Add the garlic cloves and tomatoes and cook until you very soft, almost a paste.  Now add the fish sauce if using.
3. Slice each courgette ring into 8 triangles and add to the pan.  Cook for a few minutes then add the cayenne pepper and saffron thread, following swiftly with the white fish and squid tubes.
4. Give it a few minutes, stir, then add the paella rice.
5. Gradually add the fish stock, stirring often over very low heat.  Once you have poured all of the hot stock into the pan, add the jumbo prawns only.  Cover and cook for 20 minutes but check half-way through to ensure that the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
6. If you need to add extra liquid, consider adding up to half a cup of extra boiling hot water.
7. When the rice is almost ready, throw in the king prawns.  Your seafood rice is ready when the prawns have changed colour to a gorgeous pink.
8. Garnish with herbs of your choice.

Tip - this is also a low fat recipe and will easily serve at least four people.  I love extra vegetables thus I had a plate of baby spinach ready on the side to eat alongside this delicious wheat and gluten free meal.

Happy Monday!

How do you like to prepare seafood rice?  

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Chiang Mai Inspired Mango & Pineapple Salad with Roasted Peanuts

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London is currently freezing, wouldn't you agree?  I have started to dream about hot tropical holidays even though sadly none have been booked!  To console myself, I pulled out one of the recipe booklets that I was given after I completed a cooking course in Thailand.  I was impressed at how relatively easy it was to prepare Thai cuisine, provided that you had all of the ingredients required of course.

You will be pleased to know that this recipe is naturally milk, egg, gluten, wheat and soy free.  The fish sauce really does add a lovely flavour in this salad.  Fish sauce is also a great alternative to soy sauce without tasting too 'fishy'.  Combined with orange juice or even lime juice and the sugar, you end up with gorgeous flavours that lean towards sweet, salty and a little bit citrusy.  

When you start to tire of green salads, why not give this delicious Thai inspired fruity salad a go?


INGREDIENTS

3 green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 fat garlic cloves
1 large red tomato
2 small mangoes, cut into pieces
1 thick chunk of fresh pineapple, cut into pieces

FOR THE SAUCE
1 teaspoon palm sugar
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon orange juice

1 tablespoon oven roasted peanuts


METHODS

1. Prepare your sauce by mixing the palm sugar, fish sauce and orange juice together.  Lime juice is gorgeous in this recipe too.
2. Pound the beans and garlic together then add to the fishy sauce.
3. Chop your tomato into large chunks and add to a serving bowl.  Next add the fresh mango and pineapple pieces.  Pour the fish sauce over the fruit and top with the oven roasted peanuts.

This is a lovely recipe that works well with rice and chicken based dishes.  Enjoy this summery recipe.  This salad can be eaten on a vegetarian diet if you do normally eat fish. Couscous could be a wonderful accompaniment for this salad, but of course remember that this contains wheat.

Enjoy your Sunday lovely readers!

If you enjoyed reading this recipe, then please feel free to SHARE with a TWEET or a LIKE on facebook!  Thank you so much for your support.

Does MSG Deserve Its Reputation With Headaches?

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Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a common flavour enhancer found in canned foods and is typically associated with Chinese restaurant meals or takeaways.  Some of the side effects reported from its consumption include headaches, dizziness, flushes and asthma.  Where is the evidence to support these claims?

It’s an interesting topic for debate.  I was inspired to write about it today as I felt that my knowledge in this area was not especially spectacular.  I cannot say that I can recall having experienced any of these symptoms after a Chinese takeaway either.  But then again, how often do I enjoy Chinese?  I would say, once in a blue moon.  Tinned fruit or vegetables, ah yes – you will definitely find these in my cupboards and in yours probably too. 

Having said that, I particularly love home cooked wholesome meals and limit preservatives wherever possible.  I think that you will agree, that you cannot really rid your diet completely from artificial additives or preservatives.  All that you can ever do is to minimise intake.

The controversy with MSG related headaches are that children do not report these symptoms and this is because immature or young cells appear immune to the effects of MSG as reported in a study in International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine in 2009.  In contrast, adult mature mice cells did exhibit cell swelling or injury but this was entirely dose dependent. 

It was also discussed that boiling food for up to 10 minutes did not destroy MSG in a particular food item.  Vitamin C on the other hand appeared to show a protective effect against MSG damage.  Pre-exposure to a low dose of MSG could also either prevent or reduce the symptoms experienced post eating MSG containing foods.  

In other words, you can build a tolerance level to MSG intake and thus reduce headaches experienced after ingesting foods containing MSG.

The final word, although MSG has been quoted to hold the ability to trigger migraines, the findings from adult clinical trials are not conclusive.  For individuals who believe that they do experience headaches associated with MSG intake, learn to recognise these symptoms.  Consider keeping a headache journal and don’t forget to evaluate; is it MSG or could it be the lack of sleep, inadequate fluids or your high caffeine intake?

Either way, even if you do decide to place MSG behind bars, one solution is home prepared meals with increased use of natural and fresh ingredients where ever possible.  So perhaps, fewer sauces out of a can and more of those freshly prepared home dishes with a rich array of coloured fruit and vegetables. 

If you need ideas to get started, see Sicilian Inspired Prawn Pasta With Homemade Passata.

What are your thoughts on MSG lovely readers?  I'm sorry if this post appears very haunted, but then again, it is Halloween!

Death By Chocolate Cake - A Frightful Flourless Gateau

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Happy Halloween my lovely readers!  There is nothing healthy about this cake except that it is deadly delicious.  No flour is required for this cake, making this naturally wheat and gluten free.  It is also milk and soy free but does contain a whopping 5 eggs.

I could have chosen a pumpkin themed baking for you this Halloween season, but I am sure that there are hundreds of gorgeous pumpkin based recipes out there for you to try today.  So I've chosen something a little bit different; a flourless death by chocolate cake.

This is inspired from a French recipe and I had so much fun making and eating this!  Just as well that I have lots of exercise sessions planned for the week.  This cake is incredibly moist on the inside and is quite chocolatey enough, so I skipped the chocolate ganache to save a few calories.  If you really really want to, you could prepare the ganache with dark chocolate and greek yoghurt.  That could work really nicely.  Just remember, you will need to fit in extra exercise sessions to work off this deadly beauty.  

I could calculate the nutrition profile of this cake, but really - why spoil the treat?  If you plan to have a treat such as this, I say, enjoy every mouthful then move on and hit that treadmill.

Let me know if you try this recipe - it really is absolutely delicious.  Remember, it is not egg free.

INGREDIENTS

200g good quality dark chocolate pieces
150g dairy free margarine
5 eggs, separate the yolks and whites
165g sugar
150g ground almonds


METHODS

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.  Grease a round baking tray (measuring 22cm).
2. In a saucepan, melt the chocolate and margarine over a very low heat.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Beat the egg yolks and sugar until you have a creamy mixture.  Add the chocolate and margarine mixture and mix in the ground almonds.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until you have soft peaks.  Mix the egg white mixture into the cake batter.
5. Pour into the greased oven tin and bake for approximately 55 minutes.
6. Once baked, allow to cool for at least 15 minutes in the tin, before removing from the tin to cool further.

Enjoy this gorgeous treat with yoghurt and strawberries.

Happy Halloween lovely readers!  What plans have you got planned for the evening?

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