White Wine Olive Oil Polenta Cake With Lavender Syrup Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180 C or 360 F or Gas mark 4.
• Sift the polenta, flour, baking powder & salt into a bowl.
• Tip the yoghurt, oil, lemon zest & juice into a jug and stir to combine.
• Beat the eggs and egg whites with half the sugar until thick and creamy.
• Fold in the dry ingredients.
• Pour the batter into a greased & lined 2 pint loaf tin.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes or until set & a skewer comes out clean.
• Put the remaining sugar into a pan with 7 fl oz of water and the lavender heads.
• Bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Cool completely & then strain into a clean jug.
• Whilst the cake is still warm, prick the top and drizzle over half the syrup, saving the rest to serve with the cake later.
• TO SERVE:.
• Serve with extra syrup, raspberries, creme fraiche & a sprig of lavender.
• The normal portions I use are 2 thin slices on each plate, overlapped for effect and then a drizzle of syrup around the slices with raspberries scattered over the top and a rounded tablespoon of creme fraiche to one side.

Steps:

• Bring a pan of water to the boil. Lower the orange in and cover with a lid, leaving a gap so that a little steam can still escape. Boil gently for 30 mins, then remove from the water and allow to cool slightly. Quarter the orange and remove any pips, then transfer to a blender or food processor, add the lemon juice and zest and blitz to a smooth purée.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Oil the sides of a 23cm round cake tin and line the bottom of the tin with baking parchment.
• Sieve the almonds, polenta, baking powder and ½ tsp salt into a large bowl and mix together thoroughly. Whisk the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until really pale and fluffy, about 4 mins. With the mixer still whisking, slowly pour in the olive oil in a steady stream so that the mixture doesn't split. Once incorporated, scrape in the orange purée and whisk to combine, then add the dry ingredients, combining until you have a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 55 mins to 1 hr 5 mins until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
• Cool in the tin on a wire rack while you make the syrup. Combine the sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, cardamom and 30ml water in a pan. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then add the rosemary. Turn off the heat and infuse for at least 30 mins.
• Use a skewer to poke holes in the top of the cake, then pour over the syrup. Allow to settle for 5 mins or so, then slice and serve with some natural yogurt or crème fraîche, if you like.

Steps:

• Boil water and sugar for 30 seconds.
• Let cool down completely.
• Add remaing ingredients.
• Let stand 5-7 days in a dark and cool place.
• Filter with a clean towel. Boil it shortly again.
• Fill in bottles, be careful while hot! I fill it in the washbasin!
• Store in a cool place.
• Suggestion: Add 1 teaspoon squeezed berries to the mixture for a nice color!

Steps:

• Pulse 1 cup flour and the dates in the food processor until the dates are very finely copped; transwer to a large bowl.
• Stir in the remaining flour, zest, salt, pepper and baking powder. Make a well in the center.
• Pour oil and 2 beaten eggs into the well and stir until combined; knead briefly in the bowl until the dough comes together.
• Press the dough into a log and wrap snugly in parchment paper, squeezing tightly and twisting the ends in opposite directions to form a tight 9" log; chill until firm, 2-3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.
• Trim off the ends and cut into 24 slices.
• Arrange on a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet, brush tops with 1 beaten egg and bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
• Cool.
• These can be made up to three days ahead and stored in an airtight container.