Peach and Apricot Upside Down cake

It's happened. It has eventually come to pass. Some people were afraid they would never see the sun dawn on this day, but they feared needlessly. For today, Divine Cherry and Celestial Dragon have emerged from their months-long hermitage. They had both retreated to a secluded place, away from the hustle and bustle of godly summer life. They couldn't be bothered with the usual who-was-seen-with-whom, who-was-wearing-who, who-has-eaten-who, who-has-disintegrated-whom. This year, after so many eons spent in tedious though occasionally enjoyable company, they had decided to romantically spend the Months of the Sun (as summer is known elsewhere) with each other, and only for each other. Both Divine Cherry and Celestial Dragon had set themselves an important task, and they divided their time between savouring their time together and completing said task.
Now, however, it is all done. They have achieved their goal, and the sun is beginning its slow descent towards the end of the year. By way of celebrating their return, Divine Cherry has decided to bake a cake--what else? And because Divine Cherry, in her heavenly distraction, has once again confused up and down, the result of her preparation is this (delicious) Upside Down Cake. Come to think of it, if Celestial Dragon were asked to describe Divine Cherry with a cake, this is probably the one he'd pick: after all, every time he sees her, his head spins and his world is happily turned upside down...


Upside Down Cake - recipe adapted from David Lebovitz

Base:
- 45g butter
- 130g brown sugar

- 3 nectarines + 4 apricots (or whatever fruit is in season)
- a handful of raisins

Batter:
- 115g butter
- 150 g sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 210 g flour
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 125 ml milk (preferably whole)
- pinch of salt

It is better to use a pan that can go also in the oven. I used an old pan with no handles.
Preheat the oven at 180°C.
Put butter and sugar in a pan and make a caramel-- careful, do not stir the sugar at any moment or it will cristalize. When it is liquid and it starts to bubble, turn off the heat and let it cool.
Core and slice the nectarines and the apricots (I get 6 slices per apricot and 8 slices per nectarine) and place them in the pan, over the caramel, in a pinwheel shape. Fill any gap with the raisins.
Prepare the dough: beat the butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy. Add one egg per time, beating throughly after every addition. On a side, sift the flour with baking powder and salt. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter, mix quickly, add the milk and the remaining flour. Mix just until combined. Do not overmix or the cake will be stiff. Pour the batter over the fruit and bake for 45 minutes, or until springy in the middle. When cooked, let it cool down in the tin for 20 minutes, then place a plate over the mould and flip the cake on the plate.

It is very good served warm but i personally prefer it the day after.

Torta morbida rovesciata alle pesche e albicocche - ricetta adattata da David Lebovitz

Base:
- 45g burro
- 135 g zucchero di canna
- 3 nocipesche e 4 albicocche
- una manciata di uvetta

Impasto:
- 115g burro
- 150g zucchero
- 2 uova grandi
- 210g farina
- 1e1/2 cucchiaino lievito vanigliato
- 125ml latte (preferibilmente intero)
-  un pizzico di sale

Per questa ricetta è meglio utilizzare una tortiera che vada anche sul fornello. Io ho usato una vecchia pentola senza manici.
Accendere il forno a180 C.
Preparare un caramello con lo zucchero e il burro nella pentola/tortiera, senza mai mescolare. Quando lo zucchero è sciolto e comincia a bollire spegnere emettere da parte a raffreddare un po'. Nel frattempo tagliare la frutta a fettine non troppo grosse e disporle a raggiera nella pentola sopra al caramello. Disporre l'uvetta in modo da coprire eventali buchi lasciati dalla frutta.
Preparare l'impasto. Sbattere burro e zucchero con l'aiuto di un paio di fruste elettriche in modo da ottenere uncomposto pallido e spumoso.Aggiungere un uovoalla volta e sbattere bene tra un'aggiunta e l'altra in modo da incorporare bene le uova.  A parte setecciare la farina con lievito e sale. Agiungere al composto di uova metàdella farina, mescolare velocemente solo per incorporare gli ingredienti. Aggiungere il latte e poi l'altra metà della farina. Mescolare velocemente quel che basta per unire gli ingredienti.  Versare il composto sopra la frutta e livellare. Cuocere in forno per 45 minuti circa.



Enjoy,
And Spread the Mess

Torta al mandarino di soli albumi

There are a number of ways in which a morning might begin. It may for example begin with an alarm clock that sounds to your sleeping ears like the mighty blow of a Viking's horn; or with the ever-so-tender touch of your dog who, meaning well, erroneously assumes that licking you first thing in the morning makes you happy. Then there is the possibility that you wake up spontaneously - just to discover that you've been without cover for a while, judging from the popsicle-like quality of your body. You could also wake up with a kiss, but fairytales are démodés. There are also mornings when you don't wake up. You lie there, consciously asleep, and pretend that the world thinks that you're still sleeping even though everyone can tell that you're not. So you ignore the world and continue sleeping - awake.
And then there's what happened to Celestial Dragon. He was having the most beautiful dream: he dreamt of round fruits and sweet fruit juices, he dreamt of fruits with cream and fruits coated in chocolate, he dreamt of tutti frutti, and fruit cakes. At that precise moment, just as his divine brain was processing the very complex interplay between the image of a 'fruit cake' and the smell emanating thereof, translating everything into an extraordinarily vivid sensation akin to reality only, he woke up.
Just imagine the dismay. The disappointment. The desperation.
Yet some parts of that dream seemed to linger still. Something tangible, something important. But Celestial Dragon couldn't really put his finger on it. Or his paws. Or head. And then the blow – satori-style. Divine Cherry, gifted with divine premonition and thoughtful thoughts, had actually prepared a fruit cake. But not just any fruit cake. It was the best fruit cake in the world.
And so it was that what for Celestial Dragon had begun as a disappointingly disastrous morning, came in fact to be one of the most enjoyable of them all.


Clementine Cake
Ingredients:
-180g of soft butter
-275g of sugar
-375g of flour
-1 tsp of baking powder
-230g of egg whites
-1 glass of milk
-the grated skins & the juice of 3 clementines

Clementine marmelade
-140g of clementines
-350g of water (= x2.5 the weight of the clementines)
-140g of sugar

The cake
Whisk the butter and the flower in a large bowl until it gets light and pale. Sift the flour and the baking powder and add it to the bowl, add the glass of milk, the clementine juice and the grated zests as well. Mix well in order to amalgamate the ingredients. Meanwhile, in another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Add it to the mix, a third at a time, delicately. Pour the mixture in a previously buttered and floured loaf mould. Put in the preheated oven at 180°C for 40mins.
The marmelade
While the cake is in the oven, put in a heavy bottom pan what is left of the clementines after you've squeezed them, plus a couple of fresh clementines cut into pieces (skin on). Weigh the fruits and cover with water (water weight = 2.5 times fruit weight). Cook for 30-40 minutes or until the fruits start to flake. Add the sugar (sugar weight = fruit weight) and stir to dissolve. Cook at medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the marmelade has the right consistency. Do not hesitate to taste. To check the consistency: put one teaspoon of marmelade on a cold plate, tilt the plate and if the marmelade doesn't run down easily, you know it is ready. If it is too runny, on the other hand, be a dear and cook it a while longer.

Spread the surface of the cake with some warm marmelade. It's ready!


Torta al mandarino
- 180 g burro morbido
- 275 g zucchero
- 375g farina
- 1 cucchiaino lievito
- 230 g albumi
- 1 bicchiere di latte
- buccia grattuggiata e il succo di 3 mandarini

Marmellata di mandarini    per un vasetto e un bicchierino

- 140 g mandarini (bucce avanzate e mandarini interi)
- 350 g acqua (= x2.5 il peso dei mandarini)
-140 g zucchero

La torta:
In una ciotola capiente montare con le fruste elettriche il burro con lo zucchero fino ad ottenere un composto chiaro e spumoso. Aggiungere la farina settacciata con lievito, il bicchiere di latte, il succo di 3 mandarini e la buccia grattuggiata degli stessi. Mescolare bene per amalgamare gli ingredienti. A parte in una ciotola asciutta e pulita montare a neve fermissima gli albumi. Aggiungere gli albumi al composto un terzo alla volta, delicatamente. Versare il composto in uno stampo rettangolare imburrato e infarinato. Infornare in forno gia' caldo a 180°C per 40 minuti.

La marmellata:
Mentre la torta e' nel forno, mettere in un pentolino dal fondo spesso gli avanzi dei mandari spremuti insieme ad un mandarino intero  tagliato a pezzetti (compresa la buccia). Pesare la frutta e coprirla con acqua fredda. Il peso dell'acqua dev'essere 2 volte e mezzo quello della frutta. Far cuocere finche la frutta non si sfalda. A questo punto aggiungere lo zucchero (pari peso al peso della frutta). Mescolare per scioglierlo. Dopo 10 minuti, frullare una parte della frutta con il frullatore ad immersione. Contiunuare a cuocere a fuoco medio fino ad ottenere una densita' marmellatosa (circa 20 minuti).
Per verificare la densita' della marmellata, prelevare un cucchiaino dal pentolino e poggiarlo su un piattino freddo, se inclinando il piattino la marmellata scende lentamente e' pronta. Se risulta ancora liquida, proseguire la cottura.

Spalmare la superficie della torta appena sfornata con un po' della marmellata preparata.


Enjoy,
And Spread the Mess

Red and Blue Macedonia

It was a quiet celebration. There were no candles, no music – even if there had been, they wouldn't have heard it. There were no confetti, no welcoming party, no surprises. It was just the two of them, and it was all they needed. And they were happy. Celestial Dragon had finally returned home. He had finally destroyed the demon Odious-Ferocious, ruler of all that is Lazy, and had returned home a victor; he was now a shining, primeval and neanderthal male, eager to prove his renewed manliness and vigour. And in order to celebrate both his surprising return and his stupendous victory, Divine Cherry decided to prepare a speciality of hers; indeed, it was something she hadn't done for a long time. What is the ultimate dessert a Divine Cherry can make? Precisely. You've guessed it. And you've read it in the title, let's be honest. It's a so-called Macedonia, or in English that really is Italian but in fact isn't, Tutti Frutti.
Do we need to describe it? Do we need to outline how you take the fruits, wash them, cut them if necessary and arrange them in a beautifully fruity bouquet? Do we need to talk about the tender perfume that emanates from summer's freshest batch, or about the soft, velvety caresses one is given on the tips of one's fingers (that oh-so-sensitive but sadly underrated part of one's anatomy) when merely, gently, touching the sweet fruits? No, I think not. Imagine it. Imagine it and be imaginative. Slowly close your eyes and taste the forbidden fruit in your mind, feel it on your tongue, and long for it with your heart. And when you're there, when you're almost there - so close that you could touch it were it not a self-induced illusion - just then you can open your eyes again; in joy and happiness and with a large smile on your childishly happy face. Now you know what Divine Cherry managed to do on the day Celestial Dragon returned.


Recipe:
Coupelle
-1egg white
-50g of sugar
-25g of flour
-25g of butter
-grated lemon zest

Mix the egg white with the sugar and the flour. Melt the butter and add it to the mix when it has cooled down a little. Grate in some lemon zest and mix it all well. Take a spoonful of the paste and pour it on a with baking foil covered baking tray. Disperse it evenly so that you form a circle with a 10-12cm diameter. Using that as a rule of thumb will yield you 6 coupelles. Once you've used all the paste, put it an a preheated oven at 180°C for approx. 5mins. You can take it out when the borders of your coupelles have darkened. Let them cool slightly and when they are still warm each coupelle on an upside-down glass so as to give it the form of a small bowl.

Garnish
-Strawberries
-Blueberries
-Black grapes
-Raspberries
-1 tbsp of sugar
-the juice of half a lemon
-2tbsp of sugar for the caramel

Cut the strawberries and the grapes in half and mix them carefully with the rest of the fruit in a bowl. Add the sugar and the lemon and let it rest for 15mins.
Meanwhile, put the 2tbsp of sugar in a small double-based pan on medium heat. Let it melt without touching or mixing it whatsoever. When the sugar has melted and has attained a shade of brown which you think is fine, pour it delicately on a piece of baking foil. Rotate your pan a little and move it to and fro in order to created a nice design with your caramel. Let it cool completely and eventually take it off the baking foil and garnish the tutti frutti with it.



Ricetta in italiano:
Divine Cherry e Celestial Dragon partecipano con questa ricatta alla sfida di settembre di Menu turistico!

Coppette di cialda:

-1 albume
-50 g zucchero
-25 g farina
-25 g burro
-scorza di limone grattuggiata

Mescolare l'albume con lo zucchero e la farina. Fondere il burro e aggiungerlo al composto quando i è leggermente raffreddato. Grattare un po' di buccia limone e amalgamare il tutto. Prendere un cucchiaio di pastella alla volta e versarla su una teglia coperta di carta forno, spalmare la pastella in modo da formare un cerchio di 10-12 cm di diametro.Con queste quantità verranno 6 cialde. Inofrnare in forno caldo a 180° C per 5 minuti circa. Tirare fuori dal forno quando i bordi dei cerchi sono scuriti. Lasciare intiepidire mezzo minuto e quando sono ancora calde far aderire le cialde sul retro di alcuni bicchieri capovolti e dare la forma di una ciotolina.


Guarnizione:  ( N.B: i frutti di bosco sono ancora in stagione a casa nostra;) )
-Fragole
-Mirtilli
-Uva nera
-Lamponi
-un cucchiaio di zucchero
-il succo di mezzo limone
-2 cucchiai di zucchero per il caramello

In una ciotola tagliare a fettine le fragole e gli acini d'uva a metà, mescolare delicatamente con gli altri fruttini. Aggiungere zucchero e limone e fare macerare per 15 minuti.
Nel frattempo mettere 2 cucchiai di zucchero in un pentolino a fondo spesso su fuoco medio. Far fondere senza toccare nè girare mai lo zucchero. Quando lo zucchero si è sciolto e ha raggiunto una tonalità che vi aggrada, versarlo con delicatezza su un pezzo di carta forno, ruotando un po' il pentolino in modo da formare un motivocon il caramello. Lasciare raffreddare completamente e staccare dalla carta forno, appoggiare sulle coppette oppure spezzettarlo e spargerlo sopra...


Enjoy,
And Spread the Mess

Peach Cake

'Enough,' said Divine Cherry determinedly.
'Why, don't you like me?' asked Loneliness.
After having forsaken the Garden of the North-East, Divine Cherry went back to her customary dwelling place. It is situated in the North East of another region of the universe. Some say that it is but 500miles from the polar circle, and that the wind there never stops blowing. Still, it is generally a place of happiness, of joy and of exceedingly good memories; and Divine Cherry now spends most of her time there. It is also where the Celestial Dragon has elected domicile, and it is not where he currently is. When Divine Cherry then came home, innumerable moments ago, she found no one in the house but Loneliness, that old uninvited guest. As Divine Cherry sank on the emerald sofa that adorns the Room-that-Lives, she looked Loneliness in the face and thought no, not this time.
Unconsciously – that is, without thinking about it – Divine Cherry thought of the Five Fruit Dogs and of her first love: Golden Peach. The combination of these reminiscences led to Divine Cherry's realisation that she was still in the possession of Golden Peach's sacred fruits. She had purchased them in memoriam of the fertile Garden of the North-East. So it came to be that Divine Cherry found a way to cheerfully say 'enough' in the face of Loneliness – who, for her part, sulked. In fact, a tiny sparkle of inspiration had ignited her immense imagination, and Divine Cherry was now hell-bent (although she doesn't particularly like Hell. She rather dislikes it, to be honest: the TV screens there are rarely Full HD. It is here merely used as an expression.) on preparing a Peach Cake. So Divine Cherry got up from the emerald sofa, headed for the kitchen and diligently put herself to work.
She first mixed 150g of butter with 100g of sugar and a pinch of salt until the consistency of the mix was creamy. She then added, one by one, two eggs. Finally, she added 225g of flour and a tsp of baking powder to it and mixed it well until she ended up with a homogeneous paste. Once that was done, Divine Cherry dedicated herself to the Cutting Ritual. She first, reverently, held two peaches under the water in order to wash them from any profane impurities. Then, with utmost care and dexterity, Divine Cherry cut the peaches in slices. She made sure to leave the skin on them. Once the peaches were both cut, she again held up the holy knife and cut each and every slice again in three pieces. She then ended the ritual with the wiping of the hands on a nearby cloth. It doesn't have to be a special cloth. Some old rag will do. It just has to be clean, obviously. Divine Cherry then added the cut peaches to the mix, stirred well and transferred it all into a mould. She happened to use a mould for plum cakes, but I suspect that any mould would do, really. However, Divine Cherry made sure that the pieces of peach were distributed evenly in the mould, in order to avoid, later on, to have to play Russian Roulette: whoever gets the pieces of peach loses. Or wins. Opinions differ on the question. Eventually, Divine Cherry put it all in the preheated oven at 180°C for 40mins and sat back with a contented smile on her face.

Again:
PEACH CAKE
-150g of butter (at room temperature)
-100g of sugar
-2eggs
-225g of flour
-a tea sp of baking powder
-a pinch of salt
-2 medium-sized peaches

Work the butter with the sugar and the salt until you get a creamy consistency. Add the eggs one at the time. Now add the flour and the baking powder and mix well with a wooden spoon until you get a homogeneous paste.
Wash the peaches and cut them in slices, leaving the skin on. Cut every slice in three pieces. Add those to the mix and pour it all into a mould (in this case a plum cake mould has been used, but e.g. a round mould would do as well). Make sure that the pieces of peach are distributed evenly. Put it in the preheated oven at 180°C for 40mins.


Ricetta in italiano:
CAKE ALLE PESCHE
-150 g burro a temperatura ambiente
-100 g zucchero
-2 uova
-225 g farina
-un cucchiaino di lievito
-un pizzico di sale
-2 pesche medio grandi

Lavorare il burro a tocchetti con lo zucchero e un pizzico di sale fino ad avere una consistenza cremosa. Incorporare le uova una alla volta. Aggiungere la farina con il lievito e mescolare con un cucchiaio per avere un impasto omogeneo.
Lavare le pesche e tagliarle, lasciando la buccia, a fettine e ogni fettina in 3 pezzi. Aggiungerle all'impasto e versare il tutto in uno stampo da plum cake ( ma anche tondo va bene ovviamente...) controllando che le pesche siano distribuite uniformemente. Infornare in forno gia' caldo a 180 gradi per 40 minuti.


Enjoy,
And Spread the Mess