Dessert Hummus

I didn't modify this recipe at all, so I'm just going to link to the original: Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Dip. I made this for writer husband whose two favorite foods are cookie dough and hummus, and that's what this recipe is. Cookie dough flavored hummus. The site says it's skinny and I guess it is, compared to real cookie dough - the whole batch worked out to a little over 1000 calories (with fat free cream cheese, which was all they had at the store I went to), and split in four there was still quite a lot of hummus in each portion. I don't actually count calories myself, though - that's my writer husband's schtick - and what I like about it is that instead of the butter-sugar-sugar-flour nonsense that cookies have, this dip is all peanut butter and old-fashioned oats. Along with the chickpeas, that makes it super nutritious. Tons of fiber and protein! I made it with dark brown sugar instead of the light brown used in the recipe, because I prefer the richer taste of dark brown - it's also less processed if that bothers you.

I also used fat free milk because that was all we had, but I'd love to try it with almond milk. I'd also prefer to use reduced or full fat cream cheese instead of fat free because it would be creamier and richer, but if you do count calories, it tastes just fine with fat free!

Adaptation of a Portuguese Orange Cake

I grew up with Brazilian Portuguese food, since my mamma's restaurant was taken over by Helios, a Brazilian, after she died. But it wasn't until Skyfall came out and I discovered Raoul Silva (portrayed so flawlessly by Javier Bardem) that I became interested in actual Portugal.

Be fair: aren't you a little more interested in Portugal now? I love rice pudding and custards, which are two of the most popular Portuguese desserts, but when I found out that the Portuguese have an orange cake, I had to try it. Orange cakes are one of my absolute favorites.

I was out of milk at the time so I had to scout around for a recipe that I could actually make, and then I ended up adjusting it anyway because I'm me. 

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Separate 3 eggs and beat the whites until stiff. In a large bowl, beat 2.5C white sugar and 1/2C brown sugar with 1/4C olive oil and 1/4C yogurt. Stir in the egg yolks. Juice 1 orange and zest it. Add the juice and the zest to the mixture. Stir in 2.5C flour and 3tsp baking powder - batter will be really stiff, almost like dough. Fold in the egg whites until batter is smooth. 

Pour into a greased 9" cake pan (springform is best - this is a sticky cake) and bake for 40mins. Remove from oven, cover with foil and bake for another 20mins. 

Juice 1 orange, mix with 1/4C sugar and pour over cake as soon as you take it out of the oven. Let cool, and serve on its own or with whipped cream, or dulce de leche. 

Torta di cioccolata e arancia

This is the cake I used to ring in 2013! Served with carbonated cider for my non-alcoholic household and some sparklers on the side.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix 1/4C olive oil and the juice of 1 orange in a small bowl; set aside.

In a big mixing bowl, beat 3 eggs together with a pinch of salt until they're frothy, and then slowly add in 1.5C white sugar until the eggs become thick and pale.

Sift 1C flour, 1tbsp baking powder and 2-3tbsp cocoa powder together and gradually mix into the eggs. Then add the oil/juice and combine.

Melt 4 squares of dark chocolate and fold into cake batter. I think I used Ghirardelli 60%, but you could use anything bittersweet or dark.

Stir in candied orange peels. (I used the peels of 3 oranges - maybe about 1/4C? I'll put in a recipe for this later.)

Pour into cake pan and bake for 50 minutes.

This cake bakes up very heavy and sticky, almost like brownies. In fact, when I made it, it had that kind of brownie-like crust on top. I think it's the melted chocolate that makes the difference. But seriously; I sprayed the cake pan with Pam and dusted it with flour, and the cake still stuck to the bottom and I had to kind of squish the bottom back into it. Use a springform pan, and also use baking parchment on the bottom or you're going to have a cake tragedy on your hands. I did neither and it completely fell apart when I was trying to pry it out of the pan. It'll taste delicious, but if that happens you might consider breaking it up and serving it in bowls with some vanilla, chocolate or orange gelato.

As an aside, I got good news today! My awesome Perceforest book came in at the library! I have 9 days to pick it up, and my deadline is in 4 days, so I'll finish up my Death Of King Arthur storybook that I got last time and then go in for some Perceforest goodness!

I'm also thinking of picking up some Mary Renault books to satisfy my Alexander the Great craving until I have the time to actually read Greek literature. I hear the interactions between Alexander and Hephaistion are adorbs.

Happy New Year and kisses for everyone!

--
Salvatore