Valentine’s Day chocolate nemesis

rG choc nemesis

This recipe was made famous by the late Rose Gray of the River Café – it is economical and unadorned and I love the brilliance of using the hot syrup to melt the butter and chocolate: smart well thought out cooking for busy people. I have made this in the US with Scharffen Berger 70 percent bittersweet when helping a friend pregnant with twins reverse an alarming week of weight loss (it worked !), I have made it with Valrhona, with Callebaut, with Willies (his chocolate not his wonka) and yes with Heidi. I have used it to line pre baked pastry cases, I have added raspberries, done a version with chilli, added cardamon and I have a version with “magiun de prune”… in short I have tested this relentlessly and it has never failed me.

Essentially this is a baked flourless cake that needs to be treated very very gently and made with much love. If you like unfussy foods, damn good chocolate and indulging then try this little piece of kitchen alchemy. The only word of warning I would add is that to do the “wow” factor thing and turn it out you do need a cake tin with a removable bottom. If you do not have one, I have also made it in ramekin dishes and espresso cups. This way you are saved the nerve wracking experience of turning it out. If it cracks a little (not the cook’s fault but the oven’s) dust lightly (death by inhaling cocoa dust not recommended) with cocoa powder.

The original recipe is for 10-12 so I have halved it here. I love this recipe but that is a lot of chocolate cake! The cake tin should be 22cm and quite deep, ie not a tart tin.

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Truffled Celeriac velouté with crispy pancetta

reaches the parts other root vegetables cant reach

First off let’s differentiate between “Celeriac” and “Celery”. Celeriac is the knobbly root vegetable of the species Apium Graviolens and Celery is the name given to the stalks of the same species. Now apparently (not having the greenest of fingers) some varieties are grown for their knobbly roots and some for the stalks.

I personally associate Celery with a series of advertisements for “Philadelphia” cream cheese that featured the white goo spread on stringy celery sticks and Barbie doll women coyly purring “It is my birthday” as if a bit of cream cheese on a watery vegetable stick was as much excitement as they were allowed.  I am (you might have guessed) not a fan of celery but celeriac…that is a whole different ball game.

Just as celery suggests denial and austerity celeriac suggests excess, enjoyment and seduction. Yes I know, seduction by celeriac seems a little far fetched but persevere… Celeriac adds luscious creaminess, a hint of something slightly aniseedy and if generations of Romanians are to believed, it reaches the parts other root vegetables can’t. To benefit most from its legendary properties Romanians suggest eating it raw and certainly combined with apples, walnuts and carrots and a little mayonnaise in the style of a French remoulade – the Romanian “cruditati” salad is winsome.

But with a little truffle oil added celeriac becomes a truly magical affair – the creamy celeriac giving great texture and the truffle oil giving an olfactory kick.

No special equipment is needed for this recipe. I try not to overboil the celeriac but it does need to be quite soft for this soup. If you feel very cheffy you can strain it through a sieve or a “chinois” – I probably should but life is short and the texture is pretty heavenly anyway. I do always make this soup with real stock – if you are going to invest in truffle oil then it deserves a bit of body.

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Romanian strawberry and “smantana de bivolita” ice cream

I was so happy to see Romanian strawberries this weekend… so many beautiful easy recipes…and it’s well worth buying the local ones, because they do have more fragrance and taste than those flown in. I bought some gorgeous strawberries at the Matache market and topped up with extras at the Autogara market in Baneasa. It’s also great to see some Romanian strawberries available in supermarkets these days. I think the brand is “Nedelco” – as, let’s face it, we don’t always have time to visit a real market…

A particular rare delight I would recommend- if traveling in the mountains where sometimes people are selling the small wild strawberries or “fragute”; buy them – so fragile and fleeting, that the only thing to do is consume them immediately!

The partnership of strawberries and cream is of course a classic. Luckily Romania is blessed with the superstar of the dairy world: the buffalo. Buffalo milk is 60 percent higher in calcium and has half the cholesterol of cow’s milk. Its super creamy feel comes from its smaller size fat molecules – all in all, a wonderful lactose treasure trove. For anyone who can’t drive up to Transylvania, there is a wonderful specialty shop on 44 Stefan Cel Mare boulevard that sells superlative quality dairy products, including ‘smantana de bivolita’ and ‘yaourt de bivolita.’ Both need nothing more than some icing sugar and a heap of strawberries to create a perfect dessert.

 

One of the most simple and easy ice creams  – its creamy fel is all down to the Buffalo yoghurt/ sour cream. I made last year and I am about to make again was a yoghurt based ice. Simplicity itself and no special equipment needed. Make it with any good quality yoghurt if sheep’s yoghurt is unavailable.

Strawberry and Sheep’s Milk Frozen Yogurt

500g strawberries, hulled and sliced

125g (or 75g fructose)

Juice of half a lemon and the zest too of the lemon

350g  Buffalo sour cream (“Smantana de Bivolita”)  or (slightly easier to find) Buffalo yoghurt

Blend the strawberries, lemon juice and sugar. Whisk in the sour cream and churn in your ice cream machine. alternatively, with no special equipment, place in the freezer and after 1.5 hours disturb the mixture with a fork to break up the ice crystals. Refreshing and delicious!