Chocolate and Liquorice Cake with Fennel

Every so often I see or read something and think that it will be worth trying.
I'm thinking this is one of those recipes...
So it's being put on this blog in order that I can find it easily.
Thanks to Cuisine magazine, Issue 206, July 2021 page 118
I'll be back to update once I've had a chance to give it a go.
I still haven't got a conclusion on the correct way to spell licorice/liquorice

Chocolate and Licorice Cake 
This makes 1 cake that can serve 4 to 6 people

150g caster sugar
130g plain flour
40g brown sugar
7g baking powder
3g baking soda
1g salt
1g powdered star anise
100ml molasses
100ml vegetable oil
100ml orange juice
90ml licorice water
1 egg
1 egg yolk

Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius
In a bowl, sift the dry ingredients.
In another bowl, whisk the wet ingredients and eggs.
Pour this into the dry ingredients bowl 
and mix gently with the whisk  until smooth.
Pour this batter into a lined 24x15cm cake tin.
Bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Cool cake in the tin before turning it out.
Trim the top of the cake with a serrated knife to make it flat.
Place cake on a cake rack set over a tray.

Warm the ganache gently in a saucepan stirring constantly.
Pour over the cake to cover the entire surface.
Place in the fridge to set.
Once set, trim away the edges to make it squared up
so the delineation between cake and ganache can be seen.
Garnish with macerated fennel and fronds, if desired.

Licorice Water
1 bag hard aniseed candy
500ml water

Bring candy and water to a gentle simmer over low heat.
Stir occasionally until candy is completely melted.
Set aside in the fridge.

Chocolate Licorice Ganache
260g soft organic licorice
400ml water
100g 70% dark chocolate (broken into pieces)

Finely chop the licorice and combine with water
in a saucepan over a low heat on the stove.
Stir often until nearly melted.
Pour into a blender and blitz until smooth.
While the mixture is still hot, add the chocolate
and mix until the ganache forms.
pour into a container and set aside.

Garnish (optional)
80g sugar
80ml water
30ml white vermouth
half fennel bulb
fennel fronds

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan.
Heat until sugar is dissolved.
Take it off the heat to cool.
When cool, add the vermouth.
Peel the outside of the fennel bulb.
Shave it thinly with a mandolin.
Macerate the fennel in the vermouth syrup
and keep it in the fridge to serve cold.
Garnish with fennel fronds. 

So, there you have it - and me for future reference.

Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad

Yhup, it's summer time - and autumn is fast approaching, so here is a tasty lil salad to add to the lazy summer meal or bbq.

PEAR and WALNUT SALAD

For the dressing:  2 teaspoons of runny honey
                           1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
                           2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Combine these three ingredients together to make the dressing. Couldn't be simpler...

2 pears - whatever variety is in season and/or to your preference.
Simply core the pears and cut thinly (with the skin on).
Place in a bowl and pour most of the dressing over them

4 big handfuls of lettuce (rocket works best - but whatever salad leaves you like)
1 small red onion - cut thinly into slices
100g of blue cheese - crumbled
1/2 to 3/4 cup of lightly toasted walnuts
Combine these all together - then scatter the pear slices on top - followed by the remaining dressing

And enjoy

We've made this salad a few times already - and always a winner...
Feel free to add sliced celery as well if you want to bulk it up a bit when extra guests arrive
And for the "whole-hog" effect, add thin slices of fresh fennel bulb as well
Let your guests crack pepper and flaky sea salt over their portion themselves


Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad