Flourless Chocolate and Almond Torte

I’ve been harbouring a dark secret. I’m not much of a dessert person, and I say that shamefully and regretfully (sorry Leslie Knope, I hope we can still be friends). That is not to say I can’t appreciate a good dessert, in fact some of my most memorable meals last  year were won by incredible puddings. It’s just that if you gave me a choice between a bowl of gooey, cheesy pasta and some strawberry cheesecake, the pasta would win hands down. Starter vs dessert? There’s no question; I would abandon the latter in a heartbeat.

But I’m not a total monster and in fact I LOVE making desserts, it’s just I’m more of a savoury gal. So when the sweet cravings do start to raise their multifaceted heads it’s an exciting opportunity to try something new. I struggle with the texture of sponge and prefer something either dense and gooey, or light and airy. Somehow (probably due to the fact that in my hankering I under baked it) this chocolate torte seems to encompass both.

I love the unexpected simplicity of this dessert. It involves few ingredients and little patience, as long as you have an electric mixer/whisk. The great thing about something so simple is that it’s very easy to dress up. A few edible flowers, a scattering of fruit or a drizzle of caramel and you have an instant centre piece. I’d love to try this with ground hazelnuts or pistachios instead of almonds and see how it turns out.

200g dark chocolate
200g butter
5 eggs
150g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
Vanilla Extract
Icing sugar for sifting
Raspberries (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 180c. Line the bottom of a springform pan with baking paper and grease.

2. Slowly melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a gently simmer pan of water. Melt until it a completely silky, flowing consistence. Add a dash of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt (or more than a pinch if you’re anything like me). Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Separate eggs into 2 bowls. To the yolks, add 50g of caster sugar and beat. Fold in the chocolate mixture, followed by the ground almonds.

4. Using an electric mixer or whisk, beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until it forms stiff peaks. Gradually add remaining sugar until stiff and glossy.

5. Gently fold in the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, taking care not to over mix and lose the airiness.

6. When combined, add to pan and smooth top. Bake in oven for 35 mins. Remove and allow to cool. The top of the torte will sink as it cools.

7. Remove for tin, coat with a light dusting of icing sugar, and decorate as you wish. Serve warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

 

Eating Edinburgh

It was about this time last year that I first visited Edinburgh as a voluntary adult rather than a resistant tween sulking about having to spend my new years eve with family *ugh*. I was actually born in Edinburgh but I’ve only visited it sporadically as I’ve always been based around London. I think in some ways it was a hinderance having family there as we were less inclined to explore, a bit like my tragic lack of exploration of the main London landmarks.

I didn’t really know what to expect from the food in Scotland. I once walked in on my dad drunk on Burn’s night, screaming poetry and stabbing a haggis, that’s about as far as I got. A fantastic list of high end restaurants have popped up over the last 10 years, from Kitching to Kitchen, Mark Greenaway and Ondine’s. I went in with a huge list of well-known, pricey places I’d read about (thanks Telegraph), but this was quickly abandoned once I realised how many little gems this beautiful city has to offer. Here are my top 5 picks of lesser-known restaurants in the heart of the old town.

 1. Monteith’s

Monteith’s is so tucked away you’d be forgiven for missing it, was it not for the impressive arch of twinkling branches that mark the entrance, reminiscent of those you find on the path to Arthur’s Seat. To me, this is the perfect menu. Meals we know and love, reimagined and reinterpreted to something new. You can taste the care that’s taken in their sourcing of fish and meat, using a family butchers that dates back to the 1800s.

2. The Devil’s Advocate

A recurring theme in Edinburgh’s Old Town seems to be stone-fronted restaurants and bars tucked away down alleyways, missable were it not for their candle filled windows and quaint little signs. The Danish concept ‘hygge’ springs to mind; a word that encompasses everything that is cosy and comforting. The Devil’s Advocate epitomises this. Not only is it the perfect rainy evening hideaway, the food is fantastic. But what has stuck with me the most are the cocktails, particularly a tea soda, ginger and gin concoction that I’m dying to recreate.

Baked cod, carrot puree, heritage beetroot savoy & bacon crisp – For the grand total of £13

3. Bramble Bar

Although not technically in the Old Town, this deserves a special place on my list. After sinking a few tea soda cocktails at Devil’s Advocate I gave the waitress a grilling about where we could go for a drink. She mentioned a little bar just off Thistle Street, noticeable only if you look out for the small patch of astroturf outside. We walked past it twice and were about to give up when we finally spotted a tiny sign mounted outside (clue – look out for the dry cleaners). On a wet weekday on the wrong side of spring, Bramble was bustling with laughter and the sounds of records. The barmen were so friendly and seemed to genuinely love what they were doing. The menu is as exciting as it is unique – check out their salted caramel green tea vodka.

4. Mosque Kitchen

Mosque Kitchen was an old favourite of my mum’s, who went to the beautiful Edinburgh University in the late 80s. Almost 30 years later and students can still fill up their plates with £5 curries today. Whilst the website may boast ‘if you need a romantic getaway, Mosque Kitchen is for you’, this is not the case. What it can offer is a paper plate and plastic cutlery, heaving with authentic, cheap, delicious curries. The are no frills here and that’s just how I like my curry. Make sure you find a good space in the corner for a nap afterwards.

5. Wings

Whilst not the most culinarily diverse, sometimes you just need a big ol’ bowl of chicken wings. And that’s exactly what you’ll find here – over 60 varieties of wings; smothered, fried, dry. Wings is a treasure chest of Atari’s and Nintendo’s and movie paraphernalia with themed tables (we got the pin up table). Try their Wall of Flame challenge if you think you can handle it.

If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, then heart of the city is in my stomach. That doesn’t make any sense, but it sounds pretty poetic if you ask me. Food definitely plays a huge part in my memories of a city, and I’m so glad to have found some new favourites in a city I’ve neglected. If you ever find yourself in Edinburgh, do yourself a favour and bypass The Elephant Room for Lucano’s, get gruesome in the Pathology museum, sink a white chocolate hot chocolate at Mary’s Milk Bar, and find your own ‘hygge’.

Hello, it’s me

 

Hello, I’m Phoebe and I really, really enjoy food. Here’s a selection of photos of me really, really enjoying it. When I’m not eating it you can find me lurking over your shoulder trying to see what you’re eating. I also like to read about it, make it and talk about it. My brain functions like a giant menu – if someone’s travelling to a new place I may not be able to tell you the capital city but I sure as hell can tell you where to get the best sandwich.

When I was a kid I only ate 3 things; pasta carbonara, margarita pizza and roast dinners. I was a pretty smart kid. It wasn’t until I went to uni in the culinary epicentre that is (not) Colchester that I really started to enjoy cooking, and my perpetual need to bring people together to eat developed. Since then I’ve built a weighty collection of cook books, a never ending wish list of restaurants to try, and a not-so-healthy obsession with baking tools (hello unopened fondant sculpting tools).

I have a no holds barred attitude towards food. Generally, I try to eat fairly healthily throughout the week with minimal alcohol and white carbs. Sometimes I even succeed. But I truly think that taking the time to cook from scratch is the healthiest diet. We can’t always afford to eat only organically, and juicers are really annoying to clean. But knowing exactly what goes into your meal is a great way to keep track of your food habits and learning to love food rather than treating it as an enemy with dieting.

Delicious food doesn’t have to be a luxury you deny yourself, it can be right there in your cupboards and you don’t even know it. It can impress, comfort, seduce and de-stress in just one bite. It can bring together friends and families around groaning tables and clinking glasses, show you a diamond in the dirt in a stumbled upon place, and man can it help a hangover.

I hope that through my love I food I can bring you a little bit of that joy, whether it’s a new date night restaurant, a failsafe roast chicken or a new love of an untried ingredient. Stay tuned for my first recipe – Green Chilli Chicken Enchiladas with Grilled Pineapple Salsa.

Enjoy your next meal, whatever it may be.