Saturday 20 March 2010

This is how food works.

Blue Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ever since I came across a picture of a gorgeous version of this cake on tumblr, I’d wanted to try it out myself. Luckily an opportunity presented itself soon in the form of Lisa’s birthday last week. Unfortunately mine turned out a bit greener than the “original” but it was great nevertheless. Cream cheese frosting is officially the best edible, sweet thing in the entire world.
What do you mean there is no mouse-over text?


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Single¹ Girl’s Broccoli Quiche
Yesterday, I made my first quiche from scratch. I stumbled across the recipe, and because I wasn't in the mood for any meal based on any of the basic starch categories (rice, pasta or potatoes), I decided to give it a shot. Here’s the list of ingredients my recipe suggested:

dough
100 g flour
50 g cold butter
salt

‘topping’
a handful of broccoli florets
2 eggs
4 table spoons crème fraiche
2 table spoons grated cheese
salt & pepper


I made some minor changes to the recipe, using cream cheese and some extra milk instead of the crème fraiche, and using just one egg but a bit more of the grated cheese (gouda) than stated, and also adding some diced bacon. And thyme for seasoning.
Broccoli are cooked (or steamed), and salted, bacon is briefly fried in a pan. Then, after letting them cool a bit, they are simply stirred together with the other ingredients. For the dough, just knead flour, salt and butter together (it takes a while till it sticks) and spread it in a round pan.
The topping turned out really delicous, but I wasn’t at all content with the dough. I don’t know what went wrong - if it was simply not finished, or if I had somehow messed up the flour/butter ratio - but it tasted like greasy sand, and I ended up crumbling most of it off the quiche before eating it. I must work on perfecting this, as well as either use a smaller pan next time, or make a bigger amount, otherwise it turns out too thin. Apart from that, it’s a great and very simple addition to my food catalogue. Voilà!



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¹ I’m not really single, but for all practical purposes (like eating) rendered so by long-distance-relationshipping.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

am overcome by a sudden rush of sadness due to the fact that long distance deprives not only M., but me of the Lucullan deliciousness to be had at your place as well :(
on a brighter note, I bought a gigantic slice of carrot cake at the best bakery in my neighbourhood. and tomorrow I plan to make broccoli quiche myself.

dani said...

Honestly, cooking for one is really not that much fun either! Most of the time, I hardly bother to make anything special at all. I guess the performance element is always a great stimulant, when cooking for other people.
Carrot cake = <3 Been a while since I made one myself. But it goes on the list ... anything to have an excuse for cream cheese frosting. Haha.

When we visit you in Berlin, can I cook and/or bake for both you and Max in your kitchen?!

Anonymous said...

I don't like cooking just for myself either...
but I'd be delighted if you used our kitchen for baking and/or cooking purposes when in Berlin!

Alex said...

Goodness! Can I have the recipe for the cake, pleeease?

dani said...

Alex - there’s a link the the recipe in the blog! :)