CookbookA collection of

recipes and advices for the

kitchen

This is a mini guide that offers useful advice for cooking with lots of new ideas and fun recipes to be savored with friends!

Happy reading and . . . good appetite!

We thank all blogs and friends who have recommended these recipes and for all their advice :)

Pears and chocolate

Ingredients (per person)1 pear

50 gr of dark chocolate½ glass of red wine, Nero d'Avola

Pearls Falanga (to taste)Cinnamon (to taste)

Preparation:Bake at high temperature the pears in a roasting pan by adding the Nero d'Avola and turn them from time to time, (alternatively wrap in aluminum foil). Keep in oven for 30/40 minutes. Melt chocolate in double boiler, using a small pan over another pan of water so that the chocolate melts with water vapor.Leave the pears from the oven, place them on a plate and add the beads. Grate the pears on top of the cinnamon and add the pistachios for garnish.Serve with hot chocolate for added pleasure.Wait for the comments of the lucky diners. . .Notes:The recipe is very simple, but it is essential to choose the quality of ripe pears, which are already very gentle so as not to add any sugar added.

Chocolate brownie

Ingredients210 g ground almonds (1¾ cups)

50 g raw cacao or unsweetened cocoa, sifted (½ cup)30 g sliced almonds (1/3 cup)

50 g unsweetened chocolate, chopped into small pieces (2 x 1oz squares)

½ tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) pinch salt

2 tbsp flax seeds, ground (see note below)6 tbsp boiling water

1 large egg250 ml coconut milk (1 cup)

125 ml coconut oil, melted (½ cup)2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon juice (optional: lime juice if you don't have lemon)12-15 drops stevia liquid extract (we used Herbal Select, you

could also use chocolate flavoured liquid stevia)

PreparationLine a 275mm x 175mm (11" x 7") baking tin with non-stick baking paper. Put the ground almonds, cocoa/cacao, sliced almonds, broken chocolate, baking soda and salt into a large bowl and mix well. Add the boiling water to the ground flax seeds and mix together, set aside. Note: if you don't have any flax seeds then add another egg and 2tbsp of water instead of the flax seed and water mix. Mix the coconut milk, melted coconut oil, vanilla, lemon juice and stevia together, add the flax mix. Pour wet ingredients onto dry ingredients and mix until all the ingredients are combined thoroughly. Pour the brownie mix into the baking tray and bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes. After 40 mins check by poking a toothpick into the centre of the brownie. If it comes out clean or is just a little sticky then the chocolate brownie is done, if it's very sticky then leave in oven for another few minutes before trying again. Don't overcook, it's better for the brownie to be slightly sticky than dry. Remove from oven and leave in tray to set for another 30 mins, then remove to a cooling rack and slice into 16 pieces.This chocolate brownie needs to be stored in an airtight container and in the fridge to maintain it's freshness.

Chocolate and pistachio

Ingredients

100 grams of dark chocolate50 grams of sugar

1 egg yolk70 g of butter

1 Tablespoon of Rum or Brandy30 g of hazelnuts100 g of pistachio

Preparation

Let it sit for a few minutes off the butter from the refrigerator, so that it softens, and in the meantime, melt the chocolate in double boiler * mixing not to leave lumps when melted let cool slightly. In a separate bowl, knead the butter, which has been softened, to the cream with a spatula (a spoon will do) adding by hand the sugar and egg yolks, pour the melted chocolate and also 1 tablespoon Rum or Brandy ; mix together.United have crumbled into the bowl where the crunchy biscuits Falanga and the mixture and mix well, to get a better result a council is to mix it well by hand chopping even more cookies and crunchy. The dough is ready! Put the dough on a sheet of aluminum foil and wrap it to give it a cylindrical shape resembling that of a sausage, pressed far enough.Keep your chocolate and pistachio sausage in the freezer for 2/3 hours. Removed from the freezer, sliced like a salami and serve, surprising your guests! If you were to advance you can keep in the fridge.Notes* (You put a small pan over a larger pot with water, to melt the chocolate with the water vapor and not by direct contact, the latter method, it does not seem to be much loved by chocolate!)

Carrot cake

Ingredients175 g light muscovado sugar

175 ml olive oil3 large eggs, lightly beaten

140 g carrot, grated100 g raisins

1 large orange, grated zest only125 g rice flour

50 g fine cornmeal (polenta flour)1 tsp bicarbonate of soda¾ tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon½ tsp ground nutmeg

PreparationLine a baking tin approximately 17.5cm x 27.5cm (7" x 11") with baking paper. Put the muscovado sugar, olive oil and eggs into a large mixing bowl and gently mix together with a wooden spoon until well combined.Stir in the grated carrots, raisins and grated orange zest. Gently mix together. Sieve the rice flour, cornmeal, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg into the bowl, and lightly mix all the ingredients together until all the particles are moistened. Do not over mix. The mixture will be quite runny. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes. Check after 40 minutes to see if it's cooked by inserting a metal skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean then the cake is done. The cake will also feel firm and springy on top. Remove cake from oven, and leave to stand in the tin for 5 minutes, then remove and leave to cool on a cooling tray. To make the frosting, mix together the icing sugar and orange juice to make a smooth mixture, the frosting needs to be able to be drizzled over the cake rather than spooned on, so it shouldn't be too thick or too runny. When the cake is completely cool drizzle the frosting over it and let it drip down the sides of the cake. Leave to set, then cut into pieces.This cake will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days, however it also freezes well, but must be frozen without the frosting on top.

Banana muffins

Ingredients70 g brown rice flour

45 g tapioca flour45 g potato flour

1¼ tsp baking powder½ tsp xanthan gum

½ tsp unflavoured vegetarian gelatine30 g sugar¼ tsp salt

½ tsp grated lemon peel1 dessert apple, cooked with 1 tbsp water and mashed to a puree

1 large egg, beaten4 tsp light olive oil or flavourless oil

6½ tbsp milk¼ tsp vanilla extract

1 firm banana, chopped6 paper muffin cases

PreparationMix together the rice, tapioca and potato flours, gelatine, xanthan gum, baking powder, sugar, salt and lemon peel.Mix the apple puree with the egg, oil, milk and vanilla. Mix this into the dry ingredients so that you get a lumpy batter.Gently fold the banana into the mixture, then divide equally into the 6 muffin cases in a muffin tray. Bake for 25 minutes. Leave to cool on a baking tray.These muffins are delicious either hot or cold, and will keep in an airtight tin for a couple of days.

Apple cake

Ingredients110 g all purpose wheat free flour

25 g porridge oats25 g unrefined sugar

25 g raisins25 g hazlenuts, whole

25 g almonds, 50% chopped, 50% left whole 1 apple, cored and chopped roughly

¾ tsp baking powder½ tsp bicarbonate of soda½ tsp xanthan gum½ tsp mixed spice

pinch salt25 g low fat spread, marg or butter, melted

100 g greek yogurt or set natural yogurt75 ml milk

2 tbsp honey (rice syrup can be substituted)½ large egg, beaten (or use 1 small egg and only 60ml milk)

1½ tsp porridge oats (to sprinkle on top of cake)

PreparationIn a large mixing bowl place the flour, oats, sugar, raisins, half the hazlenuts, the chopped almonds, apple, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, xanthan gum, mixed spice and salt. Stir to mix. In a separate bowl mix together the melted butter, egg, milk, honey and yogurt. Then pour onto the dry ingredients. Gently mix the wet and dry ingredients together, leaving the mix lumpy but with no dry patches. Drop the mixture into the cake tin in spoonfuls, leaving it very uneven on the surface. (The mix will spread to fill the gaps during cooking). Scatter the remaining hazlenuts and whole almonds over the top, and then sprinkle 1½ teaspoonfuls of porridge oats on the top. Cook on the centre shelf of the oven for 45 minutes. The cake should be covered loosely with foil after the first 25 minutes to stop the nuts burning. To check whether the cake is cooked completely, insert a metal skewer into the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean the cake is cooked. Leave the cake to cool in its tin for about 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack, removing the baking parchment and leaving to cool completely.

Thanks for your attention

and…GOOD APPETITE!!!