Thanks to all the wonderful folks that submitted their recipes for the "Grown in Britain" Prize Draw.
The recipe lucky enough to be pulled from the bag was submitted by Sebastien Durieu from Glasgow, who says:
"I am trying to eat seasonal food because is fresher and so tends to be tastier and more nutritious.
It is also important to support my local economy and reduce the energy needed to transport the food.
I feel I am making an effort to reconnect with nature’s cycles and the passing of time.
I have now started growing my own selection of seasonal vegetables on my patio at home."
Well we like the passion, we love the recipe and we really hope the book is a valuable addition to Sebastien’s collection.
If you weren’t lucky this time round, don’t despair, you can still buy a discounted (20% off) copy of this book at www.dk.com. Simply enter the code VIPbonus at the checkout to receive your 20% discount. Offer ends 31st December 2009, while stocks last.
Sebastien Durieu’s Courgette Cake
Ingredients:
1 carrot
1 courgette
3 eggs, separated
115g soft light brown sugar
30ml ground almonds
Finely grated rind of 1 orange
150g self raising wholemeal flour
5ml ground cinnamon
5ml icing sugar, for dusting
Fondant carrots and courgettes, to decorate
For the topping:
175g low-fat soft cheese
5ml clear honey
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Line an 18cm/7in square tin with non stick baking paper.
Coarsely grate the carrot and courgette.
Put the egg yolks, sugar, ground almonds and orange rind into a bowl and whisk until very thick and light.
Sift together the flour and cinnamon and fold into the mixture together with the grated vegetables. Add any bran left in the sieve.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff and carefully fold them in, a half at a time.
Spoon into the tin.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour, covering the top with foil after 40 minutes.
Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack and remove the lining paper.
For the topping, beat together the cheese and honey and spread over the cake. Dust with icing sugar and decorate with fondant carrots and courgettes.
Variations taken from the other entries:
1. Try using nutmeg or ginger or mixed spice as well as / instead of cinnamon.
2. Experiment with adding walnuts, Brazil nuts, raisins and / or sultanas.
3. How about using some vanilla? Or some desiccated coconut?
4. Maybe try replacing a little bit of the flour with oats?
5. Perhaps use some lime-zest or orange-zest in the topping mix.
6. Finally, how about a CHOCOLATE courgette cake?
Categories: recipes, seasonal eating, vegetables
This sounds a lovely recipe, and I’m going to try to adapt it to a gluten free version. One question I have is roughly what weight should the carrot and courgette be as there would presumably be quite a different result if a small courgette was used compared to a large one.
Glad you like the sound of it Rhonda! Would you share your gluten free adaptation with us when you have a minute? I think that would be very useful for a lot of our readers. Vis the weight of the courgette and carrot … You’re right that it should yield quite different results depending on the natural size of the veggie in question, and if you were working with what you have left over in your box, rather than buying specifically, then I think that’s probably all part of the fun. If you’re shopping specifically for the cake, I’d aim at between 200 and 250g of grated vegetables. I hope that helps?
Rhonda Have you made that gluten-free version yet? Would love to know the result. Could we simply replace the flour with more ground almonds and some baking powder do you think?
Yes I did try it but unfortunately it wasn’t too successful just substituting the SR wholemeal flour with SR gluten free flour. I think your suggestion of adding more ground almonds and less gluten free flour may well work. My version was just too “vegetabley” if you know what I mean! However, I have had success with adapting a chocolate gluten free courgette cake recipe and can give you this, if you like.
Yes, please!
OK, here’s my gluten/dairy free version of Chocolate Courgette Cake which I have made and it tastes great! Some of the measurements are in cups, I use UK cups. 75 g good quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces 1/4 cup rapeseed oil (or other vegetable oil) 1 1/4 cups Gluten Free self raising flour (I used Doves Farm) 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 50g dairy free marg (I used PURE sunflower) 3/4 cup sugar – half dark muscavado/half golden caster 2 eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/4 cup oat milk (or whatever kind you like) + squeeze lemon juice 1.5 cups grated courgette 1. Preheat oven to 350F/Gas 4. Grease a 9 inch pan and dust with some cocoa powder 2. Melt chocolate along with oil in bowl over saucepan of water over low heat 3. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into medium mixing bowl 4. In large mixing bowl, cream together marg and sugar till light. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and milk/lemon juice, beating until combined, then fold in the chocolate and oil mixture, and then the courgette. The mixture should be like a thick batter so if it’s too thick looking, add a bit more of the milk or put in less courgette. 5. Scrape the batter into prepared pan and bake for about 40-50 minutes – may take longer, until skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for about 10 minutes on a wire rack, then invert it on the rack, remove the pan and cool completely 6. May be served plain, iced with your favourite icing sugar or dusted with icing sugar. Serves 8-10 Hope you enjoy it!
Thanks, Rhonda. I’ll give it a go. Sounds yummy.