Very Good Recipes

Keywords : April Fool, Chocolate Torte

Mary's entry for the April Fool recipe challenge:

No one ever guesses the surprise ingredient in this torte.



Ingredients:

• 2 cups black beans, cooked, drained and rinsed
  
• 4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
  
• 2 tablespoons prepared strong coffee
• 4 ounces butter
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 eggs, separated
  
• 1/3 c ground walnuts
  
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan. Puree black beans until very smooth; set aside. Melt chocolate and coffee in the top of a double boiler set over boiling water; set aside to cool. In a large bowl, cream butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add cooled chocolate, ground walnuts, vanilla and pureed beans and blend well. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 1 T sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it; incorporate fully. Gently fold in remaining egg whites until completely blended. Pour batter into pan, smoothing the top and filling the pan from side-to-side. Bake in center of oven for 50 to 60 minutes. The middle will still be soft but will set as it cools. Do not overbake. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and remove outside ring of pan. Allow to cool completely.

Dust with confectioner’s sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder or garnish with orange peel curls. Serve with sweetened whipped cream. Serves 8-10.

A disguised recipe by Martine of Mart-inn and key2paris for the April Fool challenge :

Hello,

• 250gr of good bitter chocolate (Valrhona is excellent)
• 80gr de powdered sugar(caster)
• 2 TBS flour
• 4 eggs
• 125gr softened butter (a stick is 100gr)

 

break the chocolate into pieces, add a TBS of water and melt in the microwave for about 1mn. Make sure not to overcook it.

Stir with a spatula.

Cut  butter in small pieces and stir into the melted chocolate.

Add sugar, flour and whole eggs one at a time.

Pour this batter into you mold .(buttered and floured if not non-stick one).

Bake (double  boiling method)  at 180°C for about 30mn.  (350F)

 

Middle of the cake should be firm when touching with your finger.

Let it cool and remove from mold.

 

Then you can cut circles (size to match with your clay pot).

 

I use rubber mold ( Demarle, flexipan brand) so I do not have to butter and flour the mold. Also double boiling is not necessary.

 

You can either use a large mold and you’ll cut the circles out of it.

Or  use individual molds and then you’ll choose the clay pot according to the size of your molds.

 

If you use individual molds, the cakes are cooked before 30mn.

You should experiment with your molds and oven.

 

Martine Jablonski-Cahours

2 great recipes from Corrina for the Saint-Patrick recipe challenge:

My children LOVE, LOVE, LOVE mixing ingredients. If I don’t give them something to mix, they will find stuff to mix on their own (which always involves an enormous mess on my kitchen floor). This was a good task for them. Simple ingredients, simple process, and they got to crank the heck out of the pasta machine. Don’t be afraid to make your own pasta – it is really much easier (and tastier) than you can imagine. This is a true hit with the kids because (1) they get to help make it, and (2) it’s GREEN!!!

Ingredients:

Pasta:

• 1 Tbs. flaxseed meal
• 4 Tbs. water
• 4 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup flour

Pesto:

• 2 cups lightly packed spinach leaves (2 oz.)
• ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice
• ½ Tbs. garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp. salt
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/3 cup olive oil

 
Directions:
To make the pasta: In a small bowl, combine flaxseed meal and 2 Tbs. water and let sit for 10 minutes. In a blender, combine flaxseed meal mixture, remaining 2 Tbs. water, olive oil and spinach. Puree until smooth. In a standing mixer combine flour and salt. Add the green mixture and combine. When well mixed, knead by hand for about 5 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes. With a pasta machine, follow the instructions, and roll dough out to desired thinness (I use level 3), and then use the pasta machine to cut into strips of desired width (I like linguini size for fresh pasta). Let air dry over the side of a bowl until ready to use. To make the pesto: If you haven’t toasted the pine nuts, place them on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 6 minutes. Place spinach, lemon juice, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender and puree until smooth. Add the pine nuts and pulse a few more times. With the machine running, gradually add the oil, blending until the mixture is creamy. That’s it. Your pesto is ready. Now, submerge your pasta in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Gently stir to separate the noodles. Turn off the heat. When done, drain and return to the warm pan. Add the pesto sauce and stir to coat. It is ready to serve.

A recipe by Sherri Williams for the Saint-Patrick Recipe Challenge:

Ingredients :

• 1 lb.  baby bok choy, blanched and sliced in half
• 4 oz shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 3 lg garlic, cloves minced
• 1 1/2 tsp. herbes de provence
• 1 tsp. red pepper flake
• ¼ cup white wine, dry
• flaked smoked sea salt sprinkled on top

Preparation:

1. In a large heated frying pan add the olive oil.  Add the garlic to the pan and sauté for about 1 minute.
2. Add bok choy, herbs and red pepper flakes to the pan.  Fry for 5-6 minutes.  Toss in the mushrooms and wine. Allow the alcohol to cook off for about 1-2 minutes. Plate up and sprinkle with sea salt flakes.

 

Yield: 6
Prep:   5 minutes
Cook:  10 minutes

Thanks a lot for submitting so many great entries for the Be My Valentine recipe challenge proposed by Han Ker, Irini, Katie, Kristen, Leslie, Michelle, Minna, Simcha and Teri !

The judges have chosen the winning recipe :


Valentine's Special: Chocolate Brownie Cream Cheese Sandwich By Chef Al dente

And the runner-ups are:


Blancmange with strawberries By Bake-a-mania


Pomegranate cranberry hearts By spabettie


Cuore di formaggio salato - Savory heart cheese By CIBO VINO E PAROLE ...

Thank you very much to the judges and all the participants!

Keywords : Results

Here are the results of the Breakfasts of the World recipe challenge proposed by Drina, Françoise, Judy, Kiri, Kym, Leslie, Marie-Claire, Meta, Mimi and Simona:

1st place

Breakfast full of vitamines : French citrus crepes - Thin pancakes By PP Poppy's cooking

2nd place

Flatbread from Savonia – Savolainen Pannurieska for Breakfast By Naked Plate

3rd place

Soda bread with tomato, bacon, black pudding & an egg - breakfast of champions By Jenny Eatwell's Rhubarb & Ginger

Congratulations to the winners, and thanks a lot to all the participants and the judges!

Keywords : Results, Challenge, Recipe challenge

I have been very happy to see all those great entries coming from every part of the world in the first recipe challenge organized on Very Good Recipes, the White Christmas Challenge !

The White Christmas theme was chosen by the members of the very nice and kind food bloggers who volunteered to be judges for this first challenge:

• Alex from Food 4 Thought
• Anne from Les Recettes du Panier
• Han Ker from Hankerie
• Kristina from Knuckle Salad
• Quay Po from Quay Po Cooks
• Rachel from Blissfully Scrumptious
• Russell from London Eats
• Suzy from Suzy Eats
• Vanessa from Vane Valentine

I'm now organizing the February challenge, please let me know if you would like to be one of the judges : stephane@verygoodrecipes.com

Many food bloggers liked the White Christmas theme, and if we count the recipes from the judges too, there were more than 70 recipes participating in the challenge!

It was obviously a difficult task to judge so many beautiful and appetizing entries, but here are the recipes that the judges preferred:

1st place

My Magical Gingerbread Boxes By Jessie-CookingMoments

2nd place

White Chocolate and Gingerbread Cheesecake – White Christmas Theme By Naked Plate

3rd place

White Chocolate Truffles By The Hedonista - Recipes

4th place

Casetta di pan di zenzero...(gingerbread house) By Bubbule in cucina

5th place

Croccanti By briciole

Congratulations to all the winners! Each of them will receive some of the wonderful spices from our sponsor Savory Spice Shop!

I can't say how grateful I am to the judges without whom this first challenge would not have been possible, and of course wouldn't have been so successfull too! Thank you very much for all your help, your great ideas, your energy and your great initiatives!

And of course thanks a lot to our very generous sponsor Savory Spice Shop who kindly offered prizes for all the winners.

The January challenge will start tomorrow, I hope it will be a success too!