Nigella's Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:
• 200g plain flour
• 200g caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 40g best-quality cocoa
• 175g soft unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
• 150ml sour cream

For the icing
• 75g unsalted butter
• 175g best quality dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
• 300g icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon golden syrup
• 125ml sour cream
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
• Sugar flowers, optional

Method
1. Take everything out of the fridge so that all the ingredients can come to room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C and line and butter two 20cm sandwich tins with removable bases.
3. Now all you have to do is put all the cake ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarb, cocoa, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream - into a food processor and process until you have a smooth, thick batter. If you want to go the long way around, just mix the flour, sugar and leavening agents in a large bowl and beat in the soft butter until you have a combined and creamy mixture. Now whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, vanilla and eggs and beat this into your bowl of mixture.
4. Divide this batter, using a rubber spatula to help you scrape and spread, into the prepared tins and bake until a cake tester, or a thin skewer, comes out clean, which should be about 35 minutes, but it is wise to start checking at 25. Also, it might make sense to switch the two cakes around in the oven halfway through cooking time.
5. Remove the cakes, in their tins, to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before turning out of their tins. Don't worry about any cracks as they will easily be covered by the icing later.
6. To make this icing, melt the butter and chocolate in a good-sized bowl either in the microwave or suspended over a pan of simmering water. Go slowly either way: you don't want any burning or seizing.
7. While the chocolate and butter are cooling a little, sieve the icing sugar into another bowl. Or, easier still, put the icing sugar into the food processor and blitz. This is by far and away the least tedious way of removing lumps.
8. Add the golden syrup to the cooled chocolate mixture, followed by the sour cream and vanilla and then when all this is combined whisk in the sieved icing sugar. Or just pour this mixture down the funnel of the food processor on to the icing sugar, with the motor running.
9. When you've done, you may need to add a little boiling water - say a teaspoon or so - or indeed some more icing sugar: it depends on whether you need the icing to be runnier or thicker; or indeed it may be right as it is. It should be liquid enough to coat easily, but thick enough not to drip off.
10. Choose your cake stand or plate and cut out four strips of baking parchment to form a square outline on it (this stops the icing running on to the plate). Then sit one of the cakes, uppermost (ie slightly domed) side down.
11. Spoon about a third of the icing on to the centre of the cake half and spread with a knife or spatula until you cover the top of it evenly. Sit the other cake on top, normal way up, pressing gently to sandwich the two together.
12. Spoon another third of the icing on to the top of the cake and spread it in a swirly, textured way (though you can go for a smooth finish if you prefer, and have the patience). Spread the sides of the cake with the remaining icing and leave a few minutes till set, then carefully pull away the paper strips.
13. I love to dot the top of this with sugar pansies - and you must admit, they do look enchanting - but there really is no need to make a shopping expedition out of it. Anything, or indeed nothing, will do.
Serves: Makes about 8 slices

Japanese Mash Potatoes

8 medium sized potatos
1 carrot
4 eggs
2 slices of ham
Approx 200g Japanese Mayonaise
A pinch of salt

Preparation
Boil potatoes, carrot and eggs in a big pot. When cooked, approx 20-30mins (test potatoes with a fork, the fork should slide in easily), skin potaotes and carrots. Remove egg shell. In a big pot, mash the potatoes with a fork. Dice carrot and eggs into small cubes. Cut ham into small square slices. Add mayo and salt to the mashed potato and mix well. Mix in carrot, eggs, and ham.Refrigerate and serve cold.

Banana Muffins

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted (3/4 stick)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).
Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter.
Add flour mixture, and beat until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 mins

Yields: 16 muffins

Brocolli + melted cheese

You don’t actually need a lot of complicated ingredients and recipes to make a great snack out of broccoli and cheese. You can simply cook your broccoli and then melt cheese over it for a delicious, easy-to-make snack that’s relatively healthy for you.

Your best bet is to cook your broccoli in a steamer without letting it get too soft. Then you grate cheese over the top and put it in the microwave until the cheese is melted. An alternative to this is to make a cheese sauce separately using cheese, milk and butter and then to pour that over the broccoli that you’ve cooked.

Almond Roca Buttercrunch Toffee

Use an inexpensive chocolate such as Hershey's. It has low cocoa butter content. If you use a premium chocolate with a high cocoa butter content, unless you temper the chocolate first (look up directions online), the cocoa butter may separate into white streaks as the melted chocolate cools.

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 lb butter (2 sticks - NO substitutes!)
1/2 lb. slivered almonds (2 cups)
1/2 lb. bar of regular Hershey's dark chocolate (7 oz okay)

Method
Do not attempt to make this on a humid or rainy day. Do not double the recipe, make one batch at a time.

1 Melt butter with sugar, syrup and water in a pan (such as a large non-stick frying pan) on medium to medium-high temperature. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon. When butter is melted, add the almonds.

2 When mixture comes to a rolling boil, set your timer for a minimum of 10 minutes and keep stirring (no more than 15 minutes). The mixture will thicken and turn darker in color. The almonds will roast. Keep stirring and cooking until you hear it crackle. If you don't cook it long enough it will not harden, so keep stirring and listen for the crackling sound.

Elise's note: I have found it very hard to distinguish between the boiling sound and the crackling sound in this recipe. A better guideline for me is by color. When the mixture turns a warm amber color, at about 11 or 12 minutes into the boiling, that's the time to pour it out. Wait too long and it will burn.

If you try to make this, please read all the comments listed below. It's actually trickier than one would think.

3 When the mixture crackles, pour the mixture out onto a large cookie sheet and spread it as thin as possible with a fork. While it is still hot, break up the chocolate into chunks and distribute it over the almond mixture and let it melt. Spread it evenly on the top.

4 Let it cool to room temperature. When cool you can lift the whole thing off the pan and break into small pieces.

Lime Banana Apple Smoothie

Ingredients

3 Apples
1 Lime
1 Banana
4 Strawberries
4 tbsp Crushed ice
1 juicer
1 blender
1 glass
some greaseproof paper

Method

Chop three apples, and feed them into the juicer.
Peel a banana and cut it into chunks, then remove the stalks from 4 ripe strawberries.

HANDY HINT
Use frozen banana and strawberries to help give the drink its characteristic smoothie consistency, and to keep it cold.
Wrap frozen banana in greaseproof paper before storing in freezer

Add the banana, strawberries, ice and apple juice to the blender. Cut the lime in half, and squeeze it's juice into the blender with a fork. Blend at a high speed until the drink is smooth. This should take about 30 seconds.

Nigella's Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
9 to 12-ounces all-purpose potatoes, per person
Approximately 1/3 cup warm milk or cream
Approximately 1/4 cup unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper, preferably white
Freshly grated nutmeg

Directions
Boil the halved or chunked (but unpeeled) potatoes in a large pan of lightly salted water. When they are soft enough to mash, drain them thoroughly then push the potato pieces through a ricer.
With a wooden spoon, beat in the warm milk or cream and butter and season with salt, pepper and some freshly grated nutmeg, to taste. Eat alone and straight from the bowl for quintessential comfort food.

Nigella's Fishcakes

Makes 7 - 9 fishcakes.

Ingredients

• 350 - 500g of cold mashed potato
• 450g of salmon
• 15g unsalted butter,
• meltedfat
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• grated zest of 1/2 a lemon
• salt andpepper
• 1egg

For coating and frying

• 2 eggs
• 100g matzo meal, preferably medium
• 50g unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  

Method
In a large bowl mix together all of the fishcake ingredients.
Cover a baking sheet with clingfilm, take some of the mixture and form fat, palm sized patties. Place these on the baking sheet and leave to stand in the fridge to firm up for 20 minutes to an hour.
Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl and sprinkle the matzo meal onto a dinner plate.
One by one, dip the fishcakes into the beaten egg and then into the matzo meal to coat the patties with the meal.
Once the patties are all covered in the matzo meal, put the butter and the oil into a large frying pan, heat until it begins to fizzel in the pan and then fry the fishcakes on each side until the crusts are golden, and speckled brown in parts and the centres are warmed through.

Nigella's Risotto

Serves 2
Ingredients

2 shallots
1 stick of celery
60g unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
300g risotto rice, preferably Vialone Nano
1 litre vegetable stock (I use Marigold stock powder)
Zest and juice of 1/2 an unwaxed lemon
Needles from 2 small sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 egg yolk
60ml (4 tbsp) grated Parmesan, plus more to sprinkle
60ml (4 tbsp) double cream
Malden salt to taste
Good grating pepper, preferably white

Method:
How to cook lemon risotto

1.Put the shallots and celery into a Magimix and blitz until they are a finely chopped mush. Heat half the butter, the oil and the shallot and celery mixture in a wide saucepan, and cook to soften the mixture for about 5 minutes making sure it doesn't catch. Mix in the rice, stirring to give it a good coating of oil and butter. Meanwhile, heat the stock in another saucepan and keep it at simmering point.
2.Pour in a ladle full of the stock into the rice and keep stirring until the stock is absorbed. Then add another ladle full and stir again, continue doing this until the rice is al dente. You may not need all of the stock, equally, you may need to add hot water from the kettle.
3.Mix the lemon zest and the rosemary into the risotto, and in a small bowl beat the egg yolk, lemon juice, Parmesan, cream and pepper.
4.When the risotto is ready - when the rice is no longer chalky but still has some bite - take it off the heat and add the bowl of eggy lemony mixture, and the remaining butter and salt to taste. Serve with more grated Parmesan if you wish, check the seasoning and dive in.

Tom Cruise's Spaghetti Carbonara

Servings: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 inch olive oil (for frying pan)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 chopped onion
8 to 12 thick slices Italian bacon
4 eggs
2 packages spaghetti
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a frying pan, combine 1/2 inch of olive oil, 2 cloves of minced garlic, one chopped onion and the Italian bacon cut into small squares.
2. Let simmer for about a half-hour, being careful not to let the oil get to a boiling point.
3. In a bowl, beat 4 eggs with lots of salt and fresh ground pepper.
4. Bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Cook both packages of spaghetti until al dente, drain and immediately add egg mixture to pasta. The eggs are actually cooked by the pasta. (Make sure the eggs are thoroughly cooked before proceeding.)
5. Stir the egg mixture until it is well mixed.
6. Pour in the mixture from the frying pan and stir.
7. Finish with the Parmesan cheese and serve!

Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich

Chocolate Cookies

• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1.5 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• some cocoa powder
• vanilla essence

cream the butter and sugar together
then add eggs
then chocolate chips and the other stuff
you'll get a dough-like substance
mould in hands into ball then flatten and bake

add vanilla ice cream to it then make into sandwich then flatten

Pasta con Brocolli

Ingredients
4 ounces dry fettuccine pasta 1 cup heavy whipping cream 2 tablespoons butter 1 ounce tomato sauce 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 cup broccoli florets 1/4 cup fresh sliced mushrooms salt to taste ground black pepper to taste 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Cook fettuccini in a large pot of boiling salted water until "almost" done. Drain, and return noodles to pot.
Stir cream, butter or margarine, tomato sauce, garlic, and broccoli into the noodles. Simmer until noodles are done. Stir in sliced mushrooms, and remove from heat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Green Monster (smoothie)

• frozen blueberries,
• soy milk,
• plain yoghurt,
• frozen banana,
• peanut butter,
• spinach (lots) and
• flax seed