Passion fruits PARADISE

Ingredients
 150ml sunflower oil , plus a little extra for the tin
 300g self-raising flour
 1 tsp ground cinnamon
 1 tsp  baking powder
 300g caster sugar
 50g desiccated coconut
 2  eggs  , plus 2 egg whites, whole eggs beaten
 2 over-ripe  bananas  , mashed
 140g carrots , grated
 432g can crushed  pineapples  in juice, drained in a sieve, reserving the juice (or briefly whizz a can of pineapple chunks, then sieve)
 100ml milk


FOR THE DRIZZLE & ICING
 4 ripe passion fruits , halved
 25g caster sugar
 200g tub soft cheese
 100g softened butter
 85g icing sugar
 1 tsp  vanilla extract

METHOD

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil and line the bases of 3 x 20cm sandwich tins with baking parchment. Mix the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, half the sugar and the coconut in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl mix the beaten whole eggs, mashed bananas, grated carrot, drained crushed pineapple, milk and oil. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then add the remaining sugar and beat until stiff and shiny again.
 Stir the wet mixture into the dry until smooth and lump-free, then using a large metal spoon or spatula, fold in the egg white mixture. Divide evenly between the tins and bake for 25 mins until risen and a skewer comes out clean. You might need to swap the position of the tins after 20 mins.
 For the drizzle, scoop out the passion fruit pulp into a small pan. Add the pineapple juice and caster sugar and heat until bubbling, then bubble until syrupy. For the icing, beat the cheese and butter until lump-free, then beat in icing sugar and vanilla. Chill until ready to assemble.
 Poke the cakes all over with a skewer, drizzle over most of the passion syrup, then cool. Once cool, spread the icing over two of the sponges. Sandwich together and top with the third, un-iced, sponge. Drizzle over the remaining syrup.

Chocolate & caramel layer cake

Ingredients
FOR VANILLA & CHOCOLATE SPONGES
 225g very soft butter , plus extra for greasing
 225g golden caster sugar
 175g self-raising flour
 85g ground almonds
 1 tsp  baking powder
 3  eggs
 150ml pot natural yogurt
 1 tsp  vanilla extract
 5 tbsp cocoa powder
FOR CARAMEL & CARAMEL-CHOC SPONGES
 225g very soft butter , plus extra for greasing
 175g light muscovado sugar
 50g dark muscovado sugar
 175g self-raising flour
 85g ground almonds
 1 tsp  baking powder
 3  eggs
 150ml pot natural yogurt
 1 tsp  vanilla extract
 1 tbsp cocoa
TO ASSEMBLE
 397g can caramel (stocked near the condensed milk in stores)
 140g dark chocolate
 140g milk chocolate
 300ml double cream

METHOD


Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line bases of 2 x 20cm sandwich tins with baking parchment. For the Vanilla & chocolate sponges, mix all the ingredients, apart from the cocoa, together with an electric whisk. Scrape half the mix into a second bowl and whizz in the cocoa. Scrape into the tins and bake for 20-25 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean.
 Repeat step 1 for the Caramel & caramel-choc sponges, again leaving cocoa out of the first mixing, then splitting the mix in half and whizzing the cocoa into one batch. Cook as above.
 While sponges are cooling, melt the dark and milk chocolate together in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Remove from the heat, stir in the cream and cool or chill until spreadable.
 When the sponges are cool, spread a third of the caramel over the Vanilla sponge and top with the Caramel sponge. Spread over another third of the caramel and top with the Caramel-choc sponge, then the final third of caramel and top with the Chocolate sponge (don't panic if you mix up the layers, the cake will still look great when you cut in). Spread the chocolate icing over the whole cake to serve. It will keep in a cool place in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

White chocolate & strawberry ice-cream cake

Ingredients
 2 x 500ml tubs strawberry ice cream
 3 x 500ml tubs white chocolate or vanilla ice cream
CAKE
 170g golden caster sugar
 4  eggs
 60g plain flour
 35g cornflour










METHOD


First make the cake. Base line 2 x 20cm, deep cake tins with baking paper. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Beat the sugar and eggs with an electric whisk for 10 minutes, until pale and fluffy, and stiff enough to leave a trail when you lift the beaters. Sift over both flours and fold in. Divide between the tins. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden and a skewer pushed into the cake comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the tin (they will sink a little but don't worry) then turn out onto a wire rack. Wash and dry one of the cake tins, and line it with a double layer of clingfilm or greaseproof paper.
 Cut the cakes horizontally into 2. Put the bottom layer in the lined tin. Take one tub of strawberry ice cream, and snip off the cardboard with kitchen scissors. Slice the block of ice cream into discs and arrange on the layer of cake in the tin, squidging small pieces into any gaps and spreading them slightly to make an even layer. Put the upper layer of cake on top and put the whole tin in the freezer for at least an hour to firm up.
 Use 1 tub of the the white chocolate ice cream to make the next layer, topping it with the bottom layer of the second cake. Freeze again for at least 1 hour. Finally, put on a layer of strawberry ice cream, and top with the last circle of cake. Freeze for an hour.
 Take the cake out of the tin and peel away the paper or clingfilm. Cut thin layers from rest of the white chocolate ice cream and cover the base and sides of the cake completely. This is easier than it sounds - the ice cream acts like wet icing. Use a palette knife to smooth the surface, then freeze for 2 hours to firm up. Wrap well in freezer bags and freeze for up to a week.
 Half an hour before serving, put the cake on a serving platter and into the fridge to soften a little. Slice with a large knife dipped in hot water.

Kartoffel-Gemüse-Kuchen mit Basilikum

Zutaten
Ergibt  Portionen 500 g Erbsen in der Schote oder ca. 200 g Erbsen, ausgelöst
 200 g Kohlrabi
Salz
 1 Zweig Minze
 150 g Ricotta
 3 Eier
 2 dl Halbrahm
Pfeffer aus der Mühle
 1 achteckig ausgewallter Kuchenteig à 270 g
 500 g Frühkartoffeln (Patatli)
 4 EL Olivenöl
 0.5 Bund glattblättrige Petersilie
 0.5 Bund Basilikum

1.Erbsen wenn nötig aus den Schoten lösen. Kohlrabi in 5 mm grosse Würfel schneiden. Gemüse in kochendem Salzwasser ca. 3 Minuten blanchieren. Abgiessen und gut abtropfen lassen. Minze fein hacken. Mit Ricotta, Eiern und Rahm verrühren. Mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen.


2.Teig samt Backpapier in ein Kuchenblech von 26 cm Ø legen. Überstehenden Teig über den Blechrand legen. Boden einstechen. Gemüse darauf verteilen. Eimasse darüber giessen.


3.Ofen auf 180 °C vorheizen. Kartoffeln gründlich waschen. Ungeschält in grobe Schnitze schneiden. Mit etwas Salz und etwas Öl mischen. Kartoffelschnitze auf den Kuchen legen. Überstehenden Teig darüber legen. Kuchen in der unteren Ofenhälfte 45–50 Minuten backen.


4.Etwas Petersilie für die Garnitur beiseite legen. Rest mit Basilikum hacken. Mit restlichem Öl mischen. Kuchen noch warm damit bestreichen und mit Petersilie garnieren.

Zwiebel-Käsekuchen

Zutaten

Für 4 Personen, für 1 Kuchenblech von 28–30 cm Ø 400 g Zwiebeln
 1 Knoblauchzehe
 1 EL Butter
 1 Bund Schnittlauch
 2 Eier
Salz
Pfeffer aus der Mühle
 120 g geriebener Emmentaler
 1 dl Milch
 1 dl Vollrahm
Butter für das Blech
Mehl für das Blech


Teig
 250 g Zopf- oder Dinkelmehl
 0.5 TL Salz
 0.25 TL Backpulver
 100 g Butter, kalt
 1 EL Essig
 5 EL Wasser, kalt
Mehl zum Auswallen
Butter für das Blech

1.Für den Teig Mehl, Salz und Backpulver in eine Schüssel geben. Butter in Würfelchen dazugeben. Zwischen den Händen zu einer bröseligen Masse reiben. Essig und Wasser beifügen. Alles rasch zu einem Teig zusammenfügen. Zugedeckt 30 Minuten kühl stellen.


2.Zwiebeln und Knoblauch hacken. In Butter knapp weich dünsten. Schnittlauch fein schneiden. Eier aufschlagen, mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen. Zwiebeln, Schnittlauch, Käse, Milch und Rahm unter die Eier mischen.

3.Backofen auf 220 °C vorheizen. Teig auf Mehl auswallen. Kuchenblech mit Butter ausstreichen und mit Mehl bestäuben. Boden mit einer Gabel dicht einstechen. Zwiebel-Käsemischung darauf verteilen. In der unteren Ofenhälfte 30–35 Minuten backen.

Quick and Clean Zucchini Frittata

Ingredients

Serves 4
1 tbsp canola oil
3 cups grated zucchini
1⁄2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
3 eggs, preferably organic
1⁄2 cup skim milk
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh basil



Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Add the zucchini, mushrooms and onion and sauté, stirring, until softened.
Remove from the skillet, drain, pat dry, and let cool a little.
In a bowl whisk the eggs with the milk, and add the vegetables. Transfer to a 9 x 13 nonstick baking dish or a 9-inch pie dish. The pie dish should be sprayed with nonstick cooking spray if it’s glass.
Cook for 40 minutes or until the center of the frittata is firm but not dry. Sprinkle with the basil, cut into slices and serve.

Green Giant Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground coriander or cumin
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1 cup Green Giant® Niblets® frozen corn, thawed
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend (4 oz)
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
8 corn or flour tortillas (6 or 7 inch)
1 medium tomato, chopped (3/4 cup)
4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)
Salsa, if desired
Cooking spray

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender. In medium bowl, stir broth, flour, coriander and pepper with wire whisk until blended. Slowly add to hot mixture in skillet, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 5 to 6 minutes, until mixture boils and thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream until well blended.
In another medium bowl, mix chicken, corn, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the chiles, cilantro and 1/2 cup of the sauce. Place 2 tortillas at a time on microwavable plate; cover with paper towel. Microwave on high 10 to 15 seconds or until softened. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture down center of each warm tortilla. Roll up tortillas; arrange, seam sides down, in baking dish. Top enchiladas with remaining sauce. Cover with foil.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until sauce is bubbly. Remove from oven. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Just before serving, top with tomato and green onions. Serve with salsa.