Ooohhhh! This is so yummy, you won’t believe it.
Cake
- 1 tbsp. lime zest
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 inch square cake pan and line with parchment paper before setting aside.
In a bowl, using your fingers, rub together the lime zest and sugar. Add the lime juice, buttermilk, eggs and oil and whisk together until well combined.
In a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the buttermilk mixture and beat in your electric mixer for 2 minutes until smooth. Pour into the cake pan and bake for 35-45 minutes until tested in the middle and is done. Cool on a rack for 10-15 minutes. Turn out to cool to room temperature.
Cake Filling
- 2 cups white chocolate melting discs
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp. Bailey’s liqueur
- pinch of salt
In a heat proof bowl, add the chocolate wafers. Set aside. In a small saucepan, add the whipping cream and butter and warm up, stirring constantly until it reaches a simmer. Pour over the chocolate and let sit for about 4 minutes.. Add the liqueur and salt and stir with a rubber spatula until completely combined and smooth as silk. Let this sit until room temperature.
Carefully trim the edges of the cake and cut in half. Spread a generous layer of the filling on the bottom cake and then top with the other half. Reserve any remaining filling for another use (filling cookies?). Refrigerate the cake for about an hour. This should allow the filling to harden up.
Run a sharp knife under hot water and then slice the cake into 36 squares. Make sure you constantly run the knife in hot water and then dry with a paper towel. Return these back to the refrigerator.
Glaze
- 1 cup white chocolate melting discs
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp. Bailey’s liqueur
- pinch of salt
- Flaked sea salt for garnish
Repeat the steps for melting the chocolate as noted above and then allow this to cool to room temperature but still pourable. Take the chilled cake squares out of the refrigerator and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Pour the warm glaze over the top of each cake and let it run down the sides. Sprinkle a few flakes of the salt over the top. Let this set for 30 minutes, place on a pretty plate and serve.
YUM.
Summer Vegetable Pies
This might be one way for kids and adults who claim NOT to like vegetables, to eat them. It is very pretty to look at and the vegetables are not mushy in texture. A super summer dish.
- 2 pie crusts (store bought is good)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. cold water
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 onion, cut into a small dice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 1/2 cups Emmental cheese, grated
- 1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 lb. baby carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (variety of colours is really pretty)
- 1/2 lb. sugar snap peas, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 8 small nugget potatoes, sliced in 1/8 inch pieces
- 2 small zucchinis (1 green – 1 yellow), sliced in 1/8 inch pieces
- 1/2 lb. cherry tomatoes, cut in 1/8 inch slices
- pinch of salt and freshly grated black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the pie crusts to cover two 4 inch pie or tart pans. Cut each crust into 5 inch circles and place one circle in each pan. Confused? Never mind, keep going.
Using small cookie cutters, cut out about 18-20 shapes of your choice and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tsp. of cold water. If using a pie plate, then take a small brush and brush the one side of the small cut outs and set around the pie plate edges for a pretty design. Fill the plates with baking weights. If using tart pans, just leave on parchment lined baking tray.
With a fork, prick the base of the pie crust and bake all for about 8-12 moments. Remove from the oven and remove the pie weights. Let cool.
In a medium sized fry pan, heat the olive oil and the onion and garlic, cooking until fragrant which could be 4-5 minutes. Divide into two and spread evenly over the base of the pie plates. Top this layer with the grated cheese.
Blanching Vegetables
Fill a bowl with ice water and set aside. Bring a large pot with water to the boil. Add the asparagus and cook for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into the ice water to prevent further cooking. Remove and blot dry with a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining vegetables.
Now here is where you become creative. Line each vegetable up in rows over the cheese, making sure to reach the edges of the pie plates. Trim if necessary for a perfect fit.
Place in the oven and bake for 13-16 minutes until the cheese has all melted and the vegetables are heated through. This can be served hot or warm (room temperature).
Paired beautifully with a chilled Chardonnay.
Cantaloupe and Ham Tidbits
All you need here is a lovely fresh cantaloupe, ham and toothpicks. Let’s go…
- Oil for the grill pan
- 1/4 cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and cut in wide 1 inch wedges
- 4 thick slices parmesan focaccia bread, crusts removed, toasted and cut into quarters
- 8 slices of a honey or black forest ham, cut in half lengthwise
- 3 oz. camembert cheese, cut into 16 pieces
- olive oil, freshly ground pepper for garnish
Lightly oil grill before preheating over high heat. Grill the melon until grill marks show (2-3 minutes). Remove to a cutting board and cut into 1 inch chunks. That was the hard part.
To put this together, place the bread on a platter, top with pieces of ham, then the cantaloupe, and finally the cheese. Hold together with a fancy toothpick and drizzle a drop or two of oil on each one and sprinkle with black pepper.
Now, that wasn’t hard, was it? Enjoy, these are beautiful.