Chocolate Craving Cake

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing the pans
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
• Icing...
• • 6 ounces good semisweet chocolate 
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
  To make...

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

To make icing..

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Vegetable Curry

Ingredients

1 zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces
2 unpeeled waxy potatoes
2 carrots, peeled
small butternut squash, peeled
1 red bell pepper
olive oil
garlic glove, finely chopped
1 small piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp curry paste
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 stick cinnamon
1 can peeled tomatoes in juice
1 cup coconut milk
salt and pepper


To make...
Cut zucchini, potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, and red pepper into bite sized pieces. Heat splash of oil in a large cast iron pot. Saute garlic, ginger, onion, turmeric, curry paste, mustard seeds and cinnamon for 5 minutes. Stir well and add all vegetables except tomatoes to pot and stir well to coat. Smash the tomatoes into smaller pieces then add to the pot, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add coconut milk and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for a further 10 minutes, uncovered, and serve with rice or lentils. 

Roasted Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

olive oil
salt and pepper
2 bell peppers, red and yellow
cherry tomatoes, halved
bunch of fresh basil
tbsp cappers, rinsed
1/4 cup kalamata olives
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
arugula
burrata or buffalo mozzarella cheese
sourdough bread, sliced and toasted


To make...
Preheat oven to 450F. In a medium bowl toss together tomatoes, basil leaves, cappers, olives, red wine vinegar, splash of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Squeeze ingredients gently together with your hands to combine all the flavors and juices. Half the bell peppers and remove all the seeds. Place bell peppers in a roasting dish and fill each half with tomato mixture. Cover dish with foil and place in oven for 30 minutes or until peppers begin to soften. Remove foil and continue to roast until peppers and tomatoes begin to caramelize and soften, 30-45 more minutes. Serve roasted stuffed peppers with arugula, soft burrata cheese, and toasted sour dough. Yumm!

Kedgeree

Ingredients
olive oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tsp red curry paste
1 tbsp madras curry sauce
1 cup cooked white rice
1 cup frozen peas
10 oz sea bass
4 eggs
1 bay leaf
1 lemon
salt and pepper
3/4 cup plain yogurt
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp finely chopped mint and cilantro


To make...
Heat a good splash of olive oil in a large saucepan. Toast mustard seeds for about a minute then add onion and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add curry paste and sauce and continue to simmer until fragrant. Add cooked rice and frozen peas to pan and season with salt and pepper. Squeeze over half a lemon and stir gently to combine ingredients. 
Meanwhile, heat a medium pot of water to a gentle simmer. Add half a lemon and a bay leaf to the water and season with salt. Place the piece of sea bass in the water and cook until completely white and the piece begins to flake, about 12 minutes. Half way through cooking the fish add your four eggs and cook them for about 8 minutes until almost hard boiled but yolks are still a bit soft. 
Flake cooked sea bass into the rice. Peel cooked eggs and cut into pieces and fold through the rice. Season with salt and pepper and serve with a side of yogurt sauce.
To make yogurt sauce...
In a small bowl stir together yogurt, lemon zest, juice of half a lemon, chopped fresh herbs, and season with salt and pepper to taste.