A Spoonful of Speculoos.

I don't know whether I'm quite ready to admit this yet, but I think something may have replaced Nutella in my heart. There, I said it.

Just a couple of months ago, I would have told you that nothing could beat it and if you'd tried to persuade me otherwise, I just wouldn't have believed you. But I've been proved wrong. The new addition to my life is pâte à tartiner aux Speculoos. And I simply can't get enough of it. Now, unless you're living/have lived/have been recently to France, it is unlikely that you will have been acquainted with this wonderful invention, so I shall explain to you what it is. It's a spread with a similar consistency to Nutella, but the colour of peanut butter with the most delicious sweet and cinnamony taste that makes me want to carry on eating it forever. If you've ever had a coffee that comes with one of those little posh cinnamon-flavoured biscuits on the side, then that's the flavour. You're probably thinking, well actually I don't know why you're making all that fuss, because it doesn't sound like anything special. And I've got to be honest with you, when I first heard about it I didn't dash to my local supermarché to buy some. But once I tried it, I was hooked, and ever since, I've just not been able to stop eating it...

I may even go as far to say I'm slightly addicted and I'm on my way to trying it in every form possible. Like Nutella, it goes very well on toast and I'd reccommend it on crêpes too. I've had Speculoos flavoured ice cream and the other day I even discovered there's such a thing as Speculoos flavoured yoghurts! Today I celebrated finishing my exams with none other than a Speculoos cupcake. But actually, you can't beat a sneaky spoonful of the stuff straight from the jar, which I know you shouldn't, but when it's there you just can't resist!!

I've been dying to bake something that's Speculoos-related for a while now and with it being my friend Abbey's birthday recently, it was the perfect opportunity to bake a Speculoos cake. And as it was her who introduced me to my new addiction, it seemed only right. So here it is...my Speculoos birthday blondie cake.

 

Speculoos Birthday Blondie Cake

Ingredients:
150g White Chocolate
30g Butter
70g Speculoos
3 Eggs
175g Sugar
1tsp Vanilla Essence
200g Self-Raising Flour
1tsp Baking Powder
75g Raisins
6 Speculoos Biscuits, crushed into small pieces
Exra Speculoos for the filling and topping

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Line two cake tins with greaseproof paper.
3. Break chocolate into a pan and add butter and Speculoos.
4. Melt over a gentle heat.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in sugar thoroughly.
6. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla essence, raisins and the biscuits.
7. Stir in flour and baking powder.
8. Pour into prepared cake tin.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes - it should be ready when a skewer inserted still comes out a bit sticky.
10. Allow to cool.
11. Remove from tins and peel off greaseproof paper.
12. Spread one cake with a generous layer of Speculoos and place the other cake on top.
13. Spread another layer of Speculoos on the top.
14. Using raisins decorate your cake as you wish.
15. Share and enjoy!  

 

Go on, try a spoonful of Speculoos! I will be taking several jars home in my suitcase and that won't be enough...that's how good it is.

Falling in love with Barcelona...

As promised, I have eventually got round to putting together a post on my trip to Barcelona. Better late than never...!

I love city breaks; arriving on that first day and knowing that there's so much hidden away just waiting to be explored and then by the end you don't want to leave. Well that's exactly how I felt when I went to Barcelona last the other week for a few days...I can only rave about how good it was when people ask and I'm already thinking about when I can go back next! From Gaudì's Sagrada Famìlia and Parc Güell, to the Parc Ciutadella and the beach on the Med, Barcelona literally has everything. And of course, the food there is pretty great too. I mean, who doesn't love tapas and sangria? Well, I'd just like to share with you a few of the tasty treats that I managed to find whilst I fell in love with Barcelona... 

We found a lovely place that became our regular for breakfast, which was just round the corner from our hostel where we staying, called Caffe di Francesco. I think it may actually be Italian, but it sold a variety of Spanish pastries that made a perfect start to our day! And it did great coffee too.

Caffe di Francesco

66, Passeig de Gràcia,

08007 Barcelona.

I had a chocolate magdalena, which was delicious! The Spanish equivalent of the madeleines that I made the other week actually. Light and fluffy and suitably chocolate-y. And you can't really complain when you're basically eating a cake for breakfast!

Abbey had a canya crema which apparently was also very tasty. I had the chocolate variety another time, which was a bit like a pain au chocolat (and in fact, I think it's just the Spanish version of it), but the pastry was flakier and the chocolate in the middle was more like cream. I'd definitely reccommend it!

The place just generally had a nice feel to it: a buzzy atmosphere, friendly staff and so convenient for us. If you're ever in Barcelona anywhere near here, make it your port of call breakfast. Apparently there are a few others dotted around the city too. If you can't find one though, just be sure to try a canya xocolata! It doesn't feel like breakfast, but when you're on holiday you're allowed to eat dessert for breakfast! And if the Spanish do it, why can't you?

Of course, a trip to Spain (for me anyway!) cannot go by without eating some tapas. So on our first night we headed out in search for some typical Spanish food. This was aided somewhat by the most brilliant guidebook that I have ever purchased (and yes, I did not stop going on about it the whole time I was there!). It's called 'Top 10 Barcelona' and at only £4.79 it's definitely worth getting, because it led us to all sorts of hidden treasures that we never would have known existed otherwise. One of such places was a cute little tapas restaurant that I don't think we would have noticed without knowing about it, because it doesn't look like much from the outside. It did fantastic tapas though, with all the usuals, our waiter was friendly and it was very reasonably priced. I just can never get used to the fact that the Spaniards eat their evening meal so late! We went at about 8pm and it was virtually empty, but we were hungry so the delicious food was all that mattered to us! Don't let the outside put you off and give this authentic little tapas restaurant a try. The only slight downside was that they didn't serve sangria (which shocked me slightly...no sangria in a Spanish restaurant?!), but as we soon realised it's not difficult to find in Barcelona and it was soon forgotten once we had a glass of wine on the table!

Bodega La Palma

7, Carrer de la Palma de Sant Just,

08002, Barcelona

Chorizo, patatas bravas and some sort of vegetable pastry (I can't remember the name of it!). All extremely garlic-y, but I expected nothing less!

Again, I can't remember the name of this either, but I think it was potato-based with vegetables inside. As you can see, it's deep-fried too (which a lot of it was), so you really don't need many dishes. I think we ordered about 6 between the two of us.

And of course, a truly tapas meal isn't complete without a Spanish tortilla. Yum! In the background you can just see the bread too which with the tomato and garlic on top (which we had to smush on ourselves in one restaurant!) is a Catalan speciality apparently. Delicious.

I must also tell you about THE most amazing market we found. Now I have a little thing for markets anyway and so I try to go to the market that's on in Aix at least once a week to pick up some fruit and veg. The smells, the hustle and bustle, the beautiful array of colours...it just makes me want to buy everything! And wish that we had markets as good as this back home. I have to admit though that the Mercat de la La Boquería, just off Las Ramblas, beats Aix's little market any day. For one thing, it's massive. When I was offered a map as I walked in, I thought, "don't be so stupid, why would I need a map to navigate a market?" but as I stepped inside I quickly realised that it would definitely be somewhere I'd get lost in (especially with my brilliant appaling sense of direction!). That just gives you an idea of the size of it. I don't think I've ever seen so much fresh food displayed so beautifully in one place! There was virtually every fruit imagineable, and nearly every one had been made into a fruit juice, vegetables I didn't recognise, ostrich eggs, duck eggs, bog-standard hen eggs, fish (and a very pungent smell to go with it), cheese, sausages, mushrooms of all varieties, sweets, chocolates, cakes and every type of offal that can be eaten, which I must confess did make me feel a little queasy! It was definitely an experience and if you get the chance you must go!!

Mercat de la La Boquería

91, La Rambla

08001, Barcelona

Before we left, we had just enough time (and left just enough room!) to fit in a visit to a cute little café for xurros, which again was recommended to us in the guidebook. I don't think I've actually ever had xurros before and it wasn't quite what I was expecting. The chocolate we were given was very dark and intense and perhaps a bit bitter for my liking, but I'm glad I tried it. My trip wouldn't have been complete without it! It was all served to us very nicely anyway (and by a rather lovely looking waiter!) and was certainly the perfect end to a perfect holiday. I will definitely be going back to Barcelona, but in the meantime I'm going to make the most of my last month or so in France and eat as much French food as possible before I have to say goodbye to my beloved Aix. 

Granja La Pallaresa

11, Carrer de Petritxol,

08002, Barcelona

  

But honestly, you MUST go to Barcelona. You're missing out if you don't!

 

Moelleux au Chocolat

Firstly, I'm sorry for my lack of blogging lately! I don't know where the last couple of weeks have gone actually - they've flown by and I seem to have been ridiculously busy. A couple of days ago I got back from a wonderful trip to Barcelona, which I will be blogging about in the not-too-distant future I hope, because there a lot of food-orientated things I'd like to share with you. For now though, I'll leave you with this recipe that is certain to get your tastebuds going. Granted, today's beautifully sunny weather here in Aix does not particularly make me want to bake this, but when have I ever been known to refuse chocolate?!

How often do you go down the dessert aisle at the supermarket and hope that today will be the day that the Gü chocolate fondant puddings will be on offer? But oh, that would be too good to be true! And it's always when I really fancy something far too chocolatey, when a bar of Cadbury's just doesn't do the job. I simply can't justify spending over £3 on two tiny desserts though, even if I do convince myself that it's worth it because you get to keep the little ramekins they come in. Well fear not, because I have found a recipe for them (courtesy of Rachel Khoo's TV programme that I am just a little bit in love with still!) so you can make them whenever you want! They might even taste better. And they've got a little twist, because not only does the chocolate come oozing out when you break into it, but a pool of caramel too. If this hasn't got your tastebuds going, I don't know what will!!

Considering how impressive these desserts look, there's not really much too them. You don't even need ramekins, because I improvised with a little coffee cup. The key is to not cook them for too long, because it's the fact that they're a little under-cooked that means you get the melted chocolate in the middle. This is also why it's important to let the mixture chill in the fridge for at least an hour before cooking. Surprisingly, the caramel sauce is very simple to make too. And literally all you need is sugar and cream. Yes, they're not the healthiest of desserts, but then that's what makes them taste soooo wonderfully delicious! Give them a go and you can bake away to your heart's content...without having to worry whether or not there's an offer on at Sainsbury's!

Moelleux au Chocolat     makes 6

Ingredients:
For the sponge:
150g Dark Chocolate (so it tastes as chocolatey as possible!)
85g Butter
170g Sugar
85g Flour
6 Eggs
Cocoa Powder

For the caramel sauce:
150g Sugar
150ml Cream

Method:

1. Start off by making the sponge. Melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring gently.
2. Whilst this is melting, grease the ramekins (or coffee cups in my case!) with butter and coat in cocoa powder.
3. In a mixing bowl, stir the sugar and flour together.
4. Add the melted butter and chocolate and stir through.
5. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add to the mixture, sitrring through again thoroughly.
6. Put the mixture into the ramekins so they are about two thirds full.
7. Place in the fridge and chill for at least an hour.
8. Whilst the mixture is chilling, get on with the caramel sauce. Sprinkle enough sugar to cover the bottom of a medium-sized saucepan.
9. Cook until it melts and turns golden brown and then add the rest of the sugar.
10. Continue cooking until it turns the colour of Coke.
11. Add the cream. Stand back at this point as it does boil up.
12. Cook until it coats the back of a spoon (or reaches 108 degrees if you have a themometer!).
13. Pour into a bowl and cool in the fridge, but it does have to stay runny.
14. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
15. Remove the chilled ramekins from the fridge.
16. Transfer the caramel sauce to a piping bag (or a sandwich bag in my case!).
17. Push the end of the piping bag into the mixture and squeeze some of the caramel sauce out.
18. Place in the oven for 15 minutes, until they are cooked around the edges, but still gooey in the middle.
19. Turn the ramekins upside down onto a small plate and enjoy! You will not be disappointed, I promise! Well, I wasn't anyway...
    

 

Also, I apologise for the lack of real photos of the finished product for this post. I recently deleted all the photos on my camera, which I literally NEVER do. Now I know why. I forgot to upload the beautiful photos I took of my moelleux au chocolat onto my laptop. Typical. I definitely won't be doing that again anyway. I've included some chocolate-y pictures despite this, as I don't think you can get a dessert that's more chocolate-y! It just gives me an excuse to make them again I guess!!