Coffee, Chocolate, Macadamia Nut Cake

Today I attempted to make a cake, it turned out to be quite a success, so I have decided to share the experience with you on my blog.  

First off, I had to pop to the store to buy a cake tin, which indicates how often I bake, not much.  I bought a retangular tin, dimensions: 9"x 5"x 2", or 24cm x 13cm x 5cm, so I guessed the volume of cake needed to be about 4 cups, or 800ml.  However, my measurements made about 3 cups or 600ml my cake was a little thin, therefore I suggest increasing everything by 50g. 

Dry Ingredients: 

150g of rice flour, I used a combination of both white and brown for no other reasons than finishing off the white rice flour. 

100g of sugar, I combined 60g of mascavo sugar with 40g of coconut sugar again to finish off the mascavo sugar. 

(this cake idea was an attempt at getting rid of some things I had in the cupboard) 

100g of pure, organic cacao powder

A teaspoon of bicarbonate soda and a teaspoon of baking powder 

A good grind of himalayan pink sea salt 

Wet Ingredients: 

1/4 cup of black coffee or 50ml 

1/4 cup of homemade almond milk or 50ml 

2 eggs beaten with about 10 drops of natural vanilla extract 

90g of melted cacao butter 

Making the cake: 

Preheat the oven to 180-210 degrees 

Put all the dry ingredients into the mixer/blender then add the beaten eggs with vanilla, almond milk, and melted cacao butter and mix.  After slowly add the coffee as not to make the mixture too runny. To be honest I wish my cake had had a stronger coffee flavour, so I would put more coffee and perhaps not add the almond milk. 

Grease the cake tin, I did so with cacao butter, and pour in the mix pop in the preheated oven and wait about 15 to 20 mins depending on how well your oven works. Remove and let it cool. 

For the centre and topping:

60g unsalted, toasted macadamia nuts that I lightly crushed by bashing them in a plastic bag 

60g of cacao butter 

60g of raw cacao bar 100% pure - This is difficult to find, so the strongest dark chocolate you can find will be enough 

2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup 

30g of coconut sugar 

50ml of homemade almond milk 

50ml of black coffee 

(The topping was a bit runny, so I would use less of the liquids (coffee/almond milk) about 25ml of each).

Method 

I started by melting the butter and chocolate in a sauce pan on a low heat and then added the maple syrup and sugar.  Then I added the coffee and almond milk and finally the nuts. 
I continuously stirred until it boiled then shut off the heat ,while continuously stirring until thick. Allowing that to cool, I cut my, cooled down, cake in half.  When the topping was cooler I gently spooned the topping and spread it over the middle of one half.  Then put the top back on and spread the rest of the top allowing it to run down the sides.  

If you are unfamiliar with using cacao butter you should note that once the melted cacao butter cools it becomes solid again, so in the cake mix you should get it into the hot oven rather quickly to avoid hard lumps of cacao butter.  In the frosting/topping/icing it can have a positive effect, as it stiffens up the sauce making it stay better on and inside the cake, but you will see specks of white cacao butter once cooled. 

Fernando de Noronha.......My view on how to do it, enjoy it in a short time!!!

After my recent trip to Fernando de Noronha, 06/01/2014-12/01/2014,  I felt it necessary to share my experience of the island and impart some knowledge that I learned along the way.

On purchasing the plane ticket to the island I was surprised to find a R$537.35 tax on top of the price of the two tickets, but i thought it was probably the island tax that each tourist is required to pay before entering.  However, on arrival I was surprised to be charged a further R$100.08 environmental tax.  Any tourist visiting the island should be prepared for the different charges for accessing the island and its beaches.

In addition to the environmental tax that is paid at the airport, you also need to buy a beach pass to access the beaches in the national park: Praia Sancho, Praia do Leao, Baia do Sueste and Praia da Atalaia.  The pass costs R$75.00 for Brazilians and residents in Brazil and R$150.00 for foreign visitors, I advise that you purchase this pass on your first day in Vila dos Remedios square.  It is also strongly advisable to register yourself to visit Praia da Atalaia at the museum and wildlife centre located at the Boldro turning, as there is a limited number of visitors allowed per day and could be a waiting list.

Once you have got all the official stuff organised you will need to think about transport around the island as the beaches are spread out and not so easy to get to.  A popular way to move about the island is by renting a beach buggy which cost between R$100-R$130 per day.  Make sure you rent one in good condition as many have seen better days.  Also check the availability of petrol on the island, as you may find that there is a shortage and would therefore need to wake up early to fill the tank.  Alternatively you can use taxis, they charge between R$20.00-R$30.00 for most journeys, so 4 taxis a day is roughly equal to a beach buggy.  The only issue with taking taxis is trying to book one for a return journey from the beaches.   Calling a taxi was difficult as quite often there was very weak and limited phone signal.  The island bus goes to Baia do Sueste and passes by most of the villages,  but is not good for most of the beaches that are only accessible by a dirt road.

The beaches are all incredibly beautiful, but depending on the time of year not all are good for swimming.  I went to the island in January which is ideal for surfers but not for swimmers.  In fact you could only swim safely at Baia do Sueste, and with more risk at Praia do Leao because the waves were too big at all the other beaches.  As I said before there are beaches in the national park for which you will need a pass, but there are also free beaches: Praia Cacimba do Padre, Praia do Bode, Praia dos Americanas, Praia Boldro and Praia da Conceicao.

Besides Praia do Leao the national park beaches are quite well organised with a shop, showers, toilets and snack bar.   These facilites are not located on the beach, but you will have to pass through them to get to the beach.  At the snack bar you are able to rent sunshades and chairs and get cold non alcoholic drinks, also the shop assistants can call you a taxi if you need one.   If you go to Praia do Leao you will need to be more prepared, as there is no infrastructure at all and you will have to take your own sunshade, chairs and drinks.  I was told that in the future it will be like the other national park beaches with the facilities but not as yet.

The public beaches have simple bars and restaurants and you can rent chairs and sunshades.  Praia Conceicao does not have toilets, although the others have porta loo facilities.  This may not appear to be a problem but when considering you can't easily enter the water it could be a problem.

There is also the port that has a great sunset spot called Mergulhao where you can get a nice drink and good food, of course, it is totally overpriced, but that goes for most of the places on the island.  Eating out and drinking on the Island can be very expensive, but there are some cheaper options. 

Eating out, in general, was a disappointment as most restaurants are very expensive but offer very average food.  If you like to drink wine with your meal you are more limited to restaurants in the posher hotels or environmental lodges, because the local restaurants don't usually have wine on offer.  White wine drinkers are at even more of a disadvantage as even good restaurants notably "Ze Maria" don't chill white wine.  My advice is drink caipirinha or beer.  

Most accommodation on the island is simple providing only basic necessities and very few places are located near a beach.  There are more exclusive hotels, but the design and atmosphere did not really justify the price.  True in hotel you have the advantage of having everything organised for you and, therefore, you will probably need not be concerned with the troublesome task of renting buggies and getting to and from the beaches.  If ,however, you prefer more independent travel the simple pousadas don't always give you all the information you need on arrival, hence the blog entry!!

To conclude, the island is great place to visit and see some amazing marine life and beaches, but it is not cheap, it is difficult to access things and difficult to move around, so be prepared. 

Couve Chips and Zucchini Pasta Sauce

Those who know me know that I am most at peace, and therefore, most creative when I'm in the kitchen cooking; I'm always looking for healthier and interesting ways to cook vegetables and would like to share a couple of my recent discoveries on this blog entry. 

During my time at the University of Miami one of my closest friends, an Italian girl, one day made me the most exquisite zucchini pasta sauce that I had ever tasted.   This weekend with a very oversized, organic zucchini I recreated the dish a little healthier than the original but equally delicious.  

The original dish requires you to wash and peel the zucchini and shallow fry the cut medallions in hot olive oil.  I don't like frying things, it makes a huge mess and you use a lot oil, which doesn't come cheap in Brazil, so I decided to roast the medallions in the oven with just a drizzle of olive oil over the top, also, I didn't bother to peel the zucchini as it was organic and felt that the skin could only add a nice flavour.  So as to minimise the washing up, I also roasted 5 unpeeled garlic cloves and some chopped up onion in the same roasting pan.  For flavour I threw in some bay leaves and sea salt on top of the zucchini and left it all to roast in a hot oven.  

Once everything was roasted I put the zucchini, onions, and peeled garlic cloves in the blender and blitzed it into a pale green creamy sauce.  I added a little white wine as liquid to help the blender get going..... result delicious.  

I think the best use of this creamy sauce is fill up oversized pasta shells

Another healthy snack that I made this weekend was a variation on kale chips.   I'm not sure if you can get kale in Brazil, so I opted to use couve instead and it worked out great!!

The most important element to this great, healthy beer snack is a very hot oven and very dry couve leaves.  Wash, dry well and cut out the stems of the couve, tear the leaves up into a roasting dish and drizzle olive oil and sprinkle sea salt on top, pop in the oven and wait to they get nice a crispy. They don't take long so don't leave them.  Take out of the oven eat with a cold beer, chips with out the guilt!! 

Sole Food Recipes - Sweet Potato Salad and Sweet Potato Home Fries

Sweet Potato is a great, healthy alternative to regular potatoes and is as versatile as regular potatoes. it can be found easily in most supermarkets and street markets in Sao Paulo.  There are two common types of sweet potato red and white and either or both together can be used in these simple healthy recipes.

Sweet Potato Salad 

In order to keep the recipe as healthy as possible I have substituted mayonnaise for  natural, whole fat yoghurt, which is a great way to include probiotic into your diet.  Personally, I always prefer to use full fat rather than skimmed or semi skimmed and just use less.  You can also use cottage cheese which is low in fat, but can be expensive to buy in Sao Paulo.  However, I have noticed you can get it from the supermarket "Dia" quite cheaply. 

The flavours that I like to use with sweet potato are cinnamon, paprika, lemon juice and fresh coriander.  Sweet potatoes lend themselves nicely to warm spices with a little kick of heat, seasoned correctly you can avoid salt altogether yet another health benefit.  

Ingredients for the salad:

4 large sweet potatoes, red or white or both mixed together 
1 small pot of natural, whole fat yoghurt or cottage cheese 
handful of fresh coriander 
4-5 spring onions 
1 lime or lemon, whichever is available 
1 fresh red or green chilli 
Paprika 
Cinnamon 
Freshly ground Sea Salt 
Freshly Ground Black Pepper 

Peel, wash and chop the sweet potatoes into cubes of roughly the same size and add them to a large pan of boiling water.  Once cooked through drain and leave to cool.  This can be done in advance to allow cooling time. 
Empty the yoghurt or cottage cheese into a mixing bowl and squeeze the juice of the lemon or lime to it, add a little salt and pepper for taste.  For extra health benefits you could also add a pinch of turmeric to the yoghurt or cottage cheese.  Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory spice and can help people who suffer with skin disorders, like psoriasis and arthritic problems.  Unless you eat a lot of Indian cuisine it can be difficult to include into your diet, so mixing it with yoghurt for dressings is great way to get it into your diet and besides it will make the yoghurt turn a lovely pale yellow colour.  Here you can also add a teaspoon of cinnamon and teaspoon of paprika into the yoghurt mix 
Wash and chop up the fresh coriander, spring onions and wash and deseed the chilli.

Once the potatoes have cooled down mix them together with the yoghurt dressing, fresh coriander, spring onions and chilli, chill in the fridge for 10-20 mins serve as a great healthy side dish. 

Sweet Potato Home Fries 

This is an excellent recipe to go with dips and is a much healthier option than buying fatty potato chips that are full of saturated fats and salt, plus it is cheaper and takes no time at all to make.  

Pre heat your oven to about 180 degrees to get it nice and hot, while that is heating up peel and wash your sweet potatoes.  Chop the sweet potatoes down the middle, on the long side, then down the middle again on the long side, so they look like big cut chips.  Depending on how big the potatoes are you may have to chop them one more time, just make sure they are all roughly the same size.  

Take a roasting pan and put a small circle of sunflower oil in the centre throw in the sweet potatoes and mix them into the oil, making sure they are all nicely coated.  Now dust a teaspoon of paprika and cinnamon over the potatoes mixing again with your hands to make sure they all have a nice even coating. Shake the roasting pan and pop into the oven allowing them about forty minutes to cook.  if you have a gas oven you may need to turn them so they cook evenly.  

Once soft in the middle with a crunchy outer layer put onto a serving dish with some kitchen paper to absorb any excess fat and serve with either a homemade tomato salsa, guacamole or mint yoghurt dip delicious and healthy with no SALT !!!!

I will put my dip recipes up soon.

http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/20-health-benefits-of-turmeric.html
http://www.undergroundhealth.com/harvard-low-fat-milk
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=64
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=79753

Vocabulary Review, Phrasal Verbs and Idiomatic Expressions

Daunting - "When something is daunting you really don't look forward to it, as it will probably cause you stress"
Word collocations:  daunting task 

Umpteen - "a lot" 
Word collocations:  umpteen things to do 

Landline - "house telephone"
Word collocations:  Landline services 

Saga - "a long story" 
Word Collocations:  Family Saga 

Dab hand at something:  "to be good at something" 
Word Collocation:  Dab hand at cooking 

Jot Something Down:  "take a note of something" 
Word Collocation:  Jot down my number 

To play something out:  "is when something is being acted out"

Cut to the Chase:  "get to the point" 

Get on with something and Get down to business:  "to do something" 

To be put off:  "to be dissuaded or feel like you don't want to do something"

Out of the blue: "When something happens suddenly"

Get your points across:  "make your point clear" 

How to make a complaint in English

Living or visiting other countries is usually a fun, pleasant experience; however, there are times when we are faced with problems that require us to complain about poor services, or mistakes, a task that can quite often be stressful and daunting when you have to do it in a second language.  

I live in a foreign country, Brazil, which for the most part is great until you need to deal with the telecommunication companies, possibly the most incompetent companies in the world. My recent dealings with them have resulted in many hours on the phone; umpteen case numbers or protocol numbers, which are never required a second time; various visits to stores; various visits to my house, by technicians and at present I am still without a landline service.  This whole saga has been played out in Portuguese my second language and has, quite honestly, contributed to the stress of the situation and inspired me to write this blog entry on "How to deal with Complaining in English", so let's cut to the chase and get on with it. 

The first and most stressful point you have to face when complaining on the phone is actually understanding the person at the other end of the line, I have found it helpful to tell them that I am not a native speaker and therefore I will need them to speak slowly. Sometimes this results in them talking to you like you have a learning or hearing disability, but hey if it helps make things clearer I am in favour.   Highlighting the fact that English is not your first language will benefit the situation in two ways, first if you make a mistake the person will know why and second you put the pressure back on them to explain things clearly and simply to you.  

Second, be ready to give all your personal information to them, such as full name, ID numbers, reference numbers, address etc.  This is a golden opportunity to practice all those language skills you learned in English 101 when the teacher would constantly ask you questions like:  What is your name? What is your surname? What is your date of birth? What is your address etc?...... at this point you can take advantage of practising your English without the expense of paying a school or a teacher.    Also there will be plenty of opportunities to practice taking down numbers, as case numbers and reference numbers are usually assigned to each complaint.  In my own experience I have become a dab hand at jotting down protocol numbers.  

Once all the formalities have been dealt with it is time to get down to business and tell them what the problem is.  Depending on how complex the situation is it maybe useful to have some notes of specific vocabulary for the situation, that way you don't stumble too much and lose track of your points.  Don't be put off by interruptions, or out of the blue questions, keep calm and make sure you get the most important points across.  

Finally, you will want your problem to be resolved as calmly and stress free as possible. Maintaining composure and not becoming too stressed out will be highly beneficial to your language learning, as getting stressed out can greatly jeopardise clarity and accuracy.  

BLOG IS BACK

After a long period of absence the blog is back with a view to post at least once month interesting 

How to guides
Best Practices and Tips
Vocabulary Reviews
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs and Slang
News Updates
Question forums   

All this to assist with your language learning!!!

So let's get started with our first post of the month...........