Stuffed cannelloni with aubergines and ricotta

Nothing beats a steaming dish of cannelloni dripping with tomato sauce and sprinkled with cheese..I know it's not winter weather but they are so delicious even in this period!!!Best served just warm indeed to taste better;-)
Cannelloni are easy to make and you can stuff them with all of family's favorite ingredients:chopped meat,cheese or veggies.Tonight I made a light version with veggies and cheese:aubergines and ricotta cheese.I used dried cannelloni just blanched in salted boiling water.


ingredients:

a box of dried cannelloni I stuffed 20 cannelloni
1 kilo of black aubergines
.1 bottle of tomato puree
1 little clove of garlic
a bunch of basil leaves
200 gr. of fresh ricotta
grated pecorino cheese
salt
extra virgin olive oil

method:

blanch cannelloni for 4 minutes in plenty salted boiling water, drain the pasta and cool under cold running water.Roast whole aubergines in the oven at 250 degreees when ready let them cool on one side.
Put the flesh of aubergines in a mixer with ricotta chees,garlic,salt and basil mix everything until you'll obtain a smooth puree.Add the grated pecorino cheese.
Heat a pan with some evoo and the clove of garlic add the tomato puree and a little pinch of salt let it cook for 10 minute.
Now you have to stuff your little beauties with your mix of aubergines and ricotta I use a little spoon to help me when finished pour half of tomato sauce in a casserole and neatly place cannelloni on top of the sauce pour the remaining sauce.Sprinkle some grated pecorino cheese on top.
Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes...ready!

Strawberry clafoutis

According to Clotilde Dusoulier, a French food writer, “Clafoutis is the epitome of the French grandmotherly dessert: unpretentious, easy to make, and blissfully comforting. The fluffy custard, light as a cloud and studded with fruit, hails from the Limousin region in the heart of France, where each family has its own well-guarded recipe.” Nothing more true..
I really like this dessert especially with strawberries but it's also good with cherries,peaches,apricots....not to put an end to the imagination would be a real shame!

ingredients:

1/2 tbs of butter
8 ounces strawberries,please use the best you can have!hulled and halved lengthwise.
2 tsp of cornstarch
3 eggs
1 cup of milk
2/3 of flour 00
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
icing sugar to sprinkle


method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a baking or gratin dish with the butter. Toss strawberry halves with cornstarch until evenly coated, then arrange berries, cut side down, in bottom of dish and set aside.
2. In a blender, whirl eggs, milk, flour, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt 15 seconds. Pour batter over strawberries.
3. Bake until puffed, golden brown, and set in the center, about 50 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.

Sometimes I substitute milk with double cream for a more creamy texture!

chocolate and pears cake

This is an extra idea for those with gluten intolerance,this cake is made with rice flour and it is really really moist and delicious..this is a fantastic combination to do again!!!!

Ingredients for a round baking pan of 20 cm in diameter


150 grams of whole eggs (3 eggs)
1 egg yolk
240 gr sugar
20 g honey
rice flour 200 gr
40 g cocoa powder
1 tsp of baking powder
60 grams extra virgin olive oil or melted butter
a pound of pears Abbot (about 2 large)
For finishing:
300 g canned pears
heated apricot jelly
icing sugar


method:

Put the eggs in a pot, egg yolk, sugar and honey, and always turning with a whisk, bring to medium heat (not low, so you should always turn) at a temperature of about 45 ° ( the heat regulator: the water of a hot bath is about 40 degrees!).This operation is usefull:eggs will swell and will incorporate more air! Bring the eggs to 45 °, insert them into the KA and to assemble a top speed for at least 3 or 4 minutes the mixture will almost triple and become almost white.
Then add by hand the dust (flour, cocoa and baking powder) in two or three times, stirring with a spatula from top to bottom so as not remove the egg mixture mounted. Add oil or butter and diced fresh pears not too small and mix again. Remember not to mix the powder well now, as then still need to blend the fat and fruit and the dough will be amalgamated at the end, if you already have everything mixed powders, mixing the oil again and pears, don't turn too much your dough, thus deflating the eggs mounted so carefully!
Put the mixture into a buttered and floured mold and place over the pears cut into slices with a 7 cm from the edge and press gently into the mixture. Bake at 180 degrees I used a round baking pan with a diameter of 20 cm, I left it in the oven about 45 minutes.
Cover the slices of pear with 7 pieces of cardboard cut the same shape (a leaf, that is) and then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Remove the cards with tweezers and then polish the 7 slices with jelly or hot apricot jam.
The cake turned out very high but if you want you can use a 25 cm round pan and bake for 25 minutes.

Bounty cake for hubby's birthday!!!

Well, even I was taken by the Bounty cake so why not do it for my husband's birthday? I found this recipe easy and very good I must say it was much appreciated I'll do it again!
Here the recipe...

ingredients:

230 gr. of flour
165 gr. butter
165 gr sugar
50 grams of milk
4 eggs,
1 packet of baking powder
35 gr cocoa powder

for the coconut filling:

130 g desiccated coconut,
130 gr sugar
a lightly whipped egg white,
2 teaspoons cornstarch
40 g of double cream,I used coconut milk for more intense flavour.

to cover:

200 gr. of dark chocolate;
200 ml of double cream
coconut to taste


method:

As always, turn the oven to 180 degrees.
First you must prepare the filling ... in a bowl mix the coconut, double cream, sugar, cornstarch and egg white lightly whipped.
Beat eggs with sugar, add the soft butter and mix, then add flour, little by little, milk, cocoa and mix again ... and finally the baking powder.

Take the baking pan (I used one of 20 cm of diameter), pour half of mixture over this ... .. put the mixture of coconut ... and then pour the other half of dough.

Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 1 hour and to make sure the cake is fully baked use the usually skewer in the middle!!!

Prepare the cover ... in a water bath you melt chocolate with double cream. When the cake cools pour the ganache and sprinkle with coconut.:-P