Easter treats

I love a good chocolate cake. This one is deep and fudgy and so rich it sticks to your mouth and makes you want to hit the gym! 

I've made this recipe before: http://ramshalleat.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/the-ultimate-chocolate-cake.html?m=1

The only changes I made were to add a teaspoon of almond extract and half a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the cake batter along with a pinch of sea salt to bring out the flavours. 

The icing was the same as on the recipe, and I decorated with shards of white chocolate. 

The same cake batter mixture can be used to make individual lava cakes. Simply butter small ramekin dishes, scoop 3/4 full with the cake mixture and chill for 30 mins. 

Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius and bake the ramekins for 8 minutes. Then serve dusted with icing sugar and perhaps some strawberries with cream. 

Long weekend Friday night dinner

I haven't written for ages because I've got a 5 month old baby and although I'm still cooking fresh healthy meals for my family I haven't had time to write my blog. In addition we are getting our kitchen redone so it's all been a bit hectic. However the sleepless nights are becoming a thing of the past and I'm hoping to get a bit more time to sit and write.

Last nights dinner was a super simple frittata I made to use up some leftover sweet potato mash and ricotta in the fridge. You can use any veggies you want  to chuck in this, but I used green beans, cauliflower and peas because that's what I had. This recipe makes 4 large wedges of frittata.

Dessert was decedent limoncello bathed strawberries with a sweet almond cream. 

FRITTATA 

1tbsp olive oil and a small knob of butter, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 small red onion, small handful green beans, small handful frozen peas, 5 small florets cooked cauliflower,  1 sweet potato mashed with a pinch of chilli flakes, 150g ricotta cheese, 2 medium eggs, 3 tbsp grated Parmesan, pinch salt and pepper. 

Chop the onion in to small cubes and gently fry in the oil and butter until soft. Add the beans, peas and cooked cauliflower (chop beans and cauliflower if you wish in to smaller chunks) and gently fry stirring frequently until soft, then crush the garlic and add to the pan. Add the sweet potato mash and combine everything thoroughly then pat down to create an even round disk of veg in the base of your frying pan.

In a bowl mix the ricotta and eggs along with salt and pepper. Spread the egg mix on top, sprinkle with Parmesan and pop under a hot grill for a few minutes until the eggy mixture has set and the cheese is bubbling. 

It's not the most elegant looking meal but it's so delicious! We ate this on its own piled on to plates with a glass of crisp white Chenin Blanc wine. However to make more of a meal you could serve this with a green salad and chunks of crispy bread. 

Dessert was easy, I cut a few strawberries up and put in to bowls, then sprinkled over a tablespoon of limoncello liqueur. I then whipped a pot of double cream with 2 tablespoons icing sugar and a few drops of almond extract until it formed soft peaks. I put a big dollop of cream on top of the strawberries and served.