the hungry expats

My partner and I absolutely love almonds. I recently came upon this recipe (thank you Pinterest) that promised to deliver a cake both moist inside, and with a delicious crunchy layer on top. The result was amazing. CARAMELIZED CRUST 10 grams unsalted butter, softened 50 grams sliced almonds (I used about 1/2 cup) 2 tablespoons white sugar BATTER 115 grams almond meal (ground almond) 150 grams white sugar 1 pinch of salt 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (I used a bit more because I didn't have any Amaretto) 3 large eggs 115 grams unsalted butter, room temperature 1 tablespoon Amaretto (optional) 45 grams all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking powder Preheat oven at 350°F/180°C. Generously butter bottom and sides of a 8x8 inch cake pan. Spread sliced almonds evenly over bottom and sides (1 inch high) and sprinkle with sugar. Set aside. In a a mixing bowl, mix together almond meal, sugar, salt and almond extract. Add the eggs, one at a time...

Mark just found what turned out to be the best brownies recipe we ever tried. Definitely our go-to recipe from now on. INGREDIENTS 3/4 cup cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2/3 cup canola (or sunflower) oil, divided 1/2 cup b oiling water 2 cups granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup of walnuts or pecans (here I used unsalted pistachios and salted cashews), chopped Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter or lightly spray a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with non-stick spray and place a sheet of parchment paper that covers bottom and sides of the pan.  In a medium sized bowl, stir together the cocoa and baking soda. Blend 1/3 cup of the canola oil into the cocoa until well mixed and shiny. Add the boiling water and stir until the mixture thickens. Add the sugar and stir in the remaining 1/3 cup of oil and the eggs, mixing until smooth. Add the flour, vanilla and salt, blending completely. Add n...

It's strawberry season, and it was time to try and make something new with this most delicious fruit. We found this recipe on a blog aptly named The hungry dog , and decided to share it here. The cake came out incredibly moist, with a nice layer of crunchy almond slices on top. I might adapt this recipe and try it with a different combination of fruits and nuts.   CAKE 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon baking powder 4 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used 110 g.) 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk 1 cup strawberries,  trimmed and either halved or quartered ALMOND TOPPING 2 T. unsalted butter, melted 1T. all-purpose flour 1 T. heavy cream (half and half worked fine) 1/2 c. granulated sugar 1/2 c. natural or blanched sliced almonds Preheat oven to 350 degrees (170°C). Butter a 9-inch spr...

My partner found this recipe on a blog. So easy to make it is literally like doing nothing. I tweaked the original recipe a little because it seemed a bit too sweet to my taste. The result was just amazing: a cake incredibly moist with just the right amount of frosting on top. My frosting came out browner than the original recipe because I used light brown sugar instead of white sugar.  CAKE 2 cups all-purpose flour   2 tsp baking soda   1 and 1/2 cups sugar   2 eggs   1/2 tsp vanilla extract   2 1/2 cups (20 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained   FROSTING 1 stick butter, 113 g 3/4 cup evaporated milk   1 cup sugar   1 cup chopped nuts   1 cup coconut shredded   Mix all cake ingredients with a spoon. Pour into oiled 9x13 inch (23x33 cm) pan and bake in 350 F (175 C) oven for 30 - 40 minutes or until center of the cake is done. Cook butter, evaporated milk and sugar ...

Here in Menton, la Fête du Citron (Lemon Festival) is almost upon us. This year's theme is Broadway Musicals. A couple of years ago, the citrus structures were inspired by a famous Jules Verne novel, Les tribulations d'un Chinois en Chine (Tribulations of a Chinaman in China). And when life gives you lemons, you make... lemon desserts! My partner found this amazing lemon mousse recipe online, which I tweaked slightly to match the ingredients I find here. The original recipe can be found here: http://www.cookingclassy.com/lemon-cheesecake-mousse/ For my version of it (less sweet, but same silky smooth texture), keep reading. LEMON CHEESECAKE MOUSSE Yields 6 to 10 servings. CRUST   1 cup crushed Speculoos cookies (brown sugar cinnamon cookies)   1/2 teaspoon salt   3 tablespoon (42g) butter, melted MOUSSE  2 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice   1 1/2 tablespoon water   3 sheets unflavored gelatin (or 1 and 1/2 teaspoons powder...

Last year, one of my coworkers came back from Naples, Italy with an original dessert created on the island of Capri. It is a flourless cake, both rich in flavor and light in texture. It is normally enjoyed "as is", but a little bit of Chantilly cream on the side never hurt anybody! CAKE 6 oz. (170 g) dark chocolate (I used 64% cocoa) 3/4 cup (160 g) unsalted butter, cut in dice 3 large eggs 1/2 cup white sugar 1 1/4 cup ground almond meal (I used 125 g) 1 tablespoon amaretto (or any other almond liquor) Confectioner's (icing) sugar to sprinkle Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Butter and line an 8-inch wide ( 20 cm) springform pan  with baking paper. In a double boiler (or in a microwave oven) , melt the chocolate and butter together. Let cool. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar with electric beaters until the mixture turns a pale yelllow and triples in volume. Using a spatula, gently fold the choc olate mixture, alternating with the grou...

Yes, you read it right: zucchini in a dessert. Since I just got fresh blueberries from the produce market in Ventimiglia, I just had to try. And I couldn't be more pleased with the result! The cake comes out incredibly moist, with a good balance between the tartness of the blueberries and the sweetness of the frosting.  CAKE 3 large eggs 1 cup vegetable oil 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 cups sugar 2 cups shredded zucchini (1 medium-sized zucchini) 3 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda   2 cups blueberries (tossed in 1 tbsp flour) FROSTING 1/2 cup butter, unsalted, at room temperature 11 oz. (300 grams) of cream cheese 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups confectioner's sugar Set oven to 350...