Open Kibbeh

This month at Tasting Jerusalem*, we're exploring tahini - a paste made from grinding sesame seeds, which is a key ingredient in many Middle Eastern dishes, most well-known probably being hummus.

In the past, I've made a few dishes using tahini from my favourite cookbook, Yotam Ottolenghi's "Jerusalem" ...

... Braised Eggs with Lamb, Tahini & Sumac (one of my all-time favourite Ottolenghi dishes),

... Fried Cauliflower with Tahini & Pomegranate,

... Butternut Squash & Tahini Spread,

... and the insanely, insanely, insanely good Hummus Kawarma with Lemon Sauce.

But I was yet to try the Open Kibbeh.  I'd had this one bookmarked for ages, and with this week being Pot Luck week at I Heart Cooking Clubs, it seemed like the ideal opportunity to give this dish a try.  Kibbeh is a Middle Eastern dish, most commonly prepared (as I understand it) as a kind of bulghur wheat croquette, stuffed with minced lamb, and served with a tahini sauce.

In this less conventional version, the kibbeh is prepared more like a kind of savoury "cake".  A base of bulghur wheat, topped with fragrant, spicy lamb, all topped off with a tahini sauce.

Once again, Ottolenghi did not disappoint me.  This was a wonderfully flavourful dish - great for a wintery evening, and would be excellent for a weekend lunch dish as well.  When I was a kid, my grandmother often made an Indian dish of Potato Cutlets - patties made of mashed potato, filled with savoury mince, and then fried until crispy and golden.  The flavours and textures of Ottolenghi's Open Kibbeh filled me with nostalgia, reminding me a great deal of those potato cutlets of my childhood.

I made only very minimal changes to the recipe - I used banana shallots instead of onions, replaced the spices called for in this recipe with some of the baharat spice mixture I made a while back, and cut down the oil a little.

The final dish is best served warm or at room temperature, rather than straight out of the oven - it's also likely to fall to bits if you try to serve it too hot - and in typical Ottolenghi fashion is a triumph of taste and texture.  You can be sure that I will be making this again - I hope you will try it too.

Open Kibbeh Recipe
Adapted from recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi
from Jerusalem, A Cookbook
Serves 4 as a light meal with salad
Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

125g (4oz) bulghur wheat
olive oil
1x large banana shallot, finely chopped
2x cloves garlic, crushed
1x green chilli, finely chopped (remove seeds if you don't want the heat)
350g (12 oz) minced lamb
3 teaspoons baharat spice mixture
large handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
large handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
flaky sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
generous handful of pine nuts
2 tablespoons self raising flour
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2-3 tablespoons tahini paste
juice of half a lemon
warm water
flaky sea salt

To finish:
sumac
fresh parsley, roughly chopped
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C (375 degrees F).  Lightly grease a 20cm springform or loose-bottomed cake tin, and line the base with non-stick baking paper.

Put bulghur wheat in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, and set aside for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile,  heat a little olive oil (about 1 tablespoon) in a large frying pan set over medium heat.  Add chopped shallots, garlic, and chilli to the pan, and saute until softened.  Add the lamb, and continue to saute until the lamb is lightly browned - about 5 minutes.

Stir in the baharat spice, coriander, parsley, about two-thirds of the pine nuts, and a generous pinch each of flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Cook for a couple more minutes.  Remove from heat, taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Strain any remaining liquid off the bulghur.  Add the flour, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and a pinch each of salt and black pepper.  Work with your hands till you have a mixture that is starting to hold together.  Tip the wheat into the prepared cake tin, and press firmly over the base of the tin - I found it easiest to work with slightly wet hands.  Spread the wheat out into an even layer which is quite firmly compacted.  Spread the lamb mixture evenly over the top of the wheat, and again press down quite firmly.

Bake in preheated oven until the lamb is hot and well browned - about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the tahini sauce.  Mix tahini paste with the lemon juice and a pinch of flaky sea salt.  Then add enough warm water (a little at a time), until you reach a sauce which is thick yet pourable.

Remove the kibbeh from the oven.  Pour tahini sauce evenly over the top, sprinkle with the remaining pine nuts, and return to the oven until the tahini is set and lightly browned and the pine nuts are golden.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool to room temperature before removing from the tin.  To serve, sprinkle over fresh parsley and sumac, and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

If you would like to get to know Yotam Ottolenghi a little better or any one of our other IHCC chefs, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up for Pot Luck week ...

... or check out Jerusalem and Ottolenghi's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

* Have a look also at what my "Tasting Jerusalem" friends have been doing - you'll find plenty of other great uses for the tahini, along with other interesting ingredients as well. (“Tasting Jerusalem is a virtual cooking community exploring the vibrant flavors and cuisine of the Middle East through the lens of “Jerusalem: A Cookbook” by Ottolenghi and Tamimi published by Ten Speed Press. You can follow along and cook with us by subscribing to omgyummy.com, following the hashtag #TastingJrslm on Twitter and Instagram, liking our Facebook page or joining our Google+ Community and finally checking out all of our groups’ dishes on Pinterest.”)

I'll also be sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely, and very amusing, Michelle at Ms. enPlace, at Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads, and at Foodie Friday hosted by Designs by Gollam.

         

Curried Carrot, Lentil & Roasted Tomato Soup

I have a kind of love/hate relationship with carrots.  When I was a kid, the only way that carrots ever showed up in our house was boiled (most nights), or worse still mashed up with either parsnip or swede.  I hated it, and many a "you're not leaving this table until you've eaten those carrots" war was waged in our house.  Stews too were the cause of great angst for me, as I would pick all the bits of carrot out, and then the battle would begin again.

When the '80s came around and glazed carrots became highly fashionable, I found them slightly more palatable, but they were still not a "first choice" vegetable for me.  It wasn't until I discovered roasted carrots that I found a way in which I could not just "like" carrots but really love them.  I was a little ambivalent about raw carrots too until the fabulous Marcella Hazan introduced me to a wonderful salad of shredded carrot, lemon zest & juice, flaky sea salt, and extra virgin olive oil - incredibly simple but positively sublime.

For all that I've found a few ways to love carrots, I've never been brave enough to try carrot soup.  I've always been pretty sure that I wouldn't really like it - I couldn't believe that it was going to taste any different to just blitzed up boiled carrots, and I would hate that.  But for weeks now I've been finding myself constantly drawn to Nigel Slater's recipe in Tender, Vol. 1 for "A soup the colour of marigolds".  Yes, it's just carrot soup, but it looks stunning in the photo and the title sounds so magical I keep coming back to it.  Talk about being seduced by a good line!  After my friend and IHCC co-host Deb at Kahakai Kitchen made this soup a couple of weeks ago, I knew it was only a matter of time before I had to try it.

When our I Heart Cooking Club theme of Budget Friendly Dishes came up this week, I knew the moment had arrived to put this soup to the test.  Budget friendly cooking to me is all about using ingredients which are fresh and seasonal, and with a big bag of carrots I'd picked up for $2 sitting in my veggie crisper I didn't think things could get much lighter on the pocket than that.  The original recipe also calls for yellow tomatoes.  These are definitely not in season here right now, and even if you could find them they certainly wouldn't be budget friendly.  I did, however, happen to have some tomatoes in the freezer which I had slow-roasted when they were in season.  Even though I expected these to detract somewhat from the beautiful marigold colour of Nigel's soup, it seemed like they would make a very good and thrifty alternative to the yellow tomatoes.  I subbed in some celery in place of onions, and  I also decided to add some red lentils to make this a little more "wintery" and comforting, some curry powder for a little spiciness instead of the more mellow bay leaves suggested by Nigel, and some coconut milk for a touch of luxury in such a parsimonious meal.

The verdict:  This could not taste less like "just a bunch of boiled up carrots".  My carrot soup phobia is over.  This soup is heavenly ... plenty of sweetness from the carrots, balanced out by the roasted tomatoes, some earthiness and "comfort" from the lentils, sweetness and fragrance from the coconut milk, and a little heat from the curry powder.  I will definitely be making this soup again, and next time I'm going to try replacing the curry powder with a little harissa - I think the flavours would be great with the carrots and tomatoes, and the kick of heat won't go astray either.  Hey, and guess what ...  I also discovered that my roasted red tomatoes didn't detract from the gorgeous colour one little bit, it's still the colour of marigolds.  What do you think?

Curried Carrot, Lentil & Roasted Tomato Soup Recipe
Inspired by recipe by Nigel Slater
from Tender, Vol. I
Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil
450g carrots
2x sticks celery
flaky sea salt
450g slow-roasted tomatoes
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup red lentils
1 tin coconut milk
4 cups water

Finely chop the carrots & celery - I blitzed them up in the food processor until very finely chopped.  

Heat olive oil in a heavy based pan over medium heat.  Add carrots and celery, sprinkle with a generous pinch of flaky sea salt, and cook (stirring from time to time) until the vegetables have softened and started to release some of their liquid.

Add the tomatoes and curry powder, and continue stirring for a couple of minutes.

Add the lentils, coconut milk, and water.  Stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes, until the vegetables and lentils are completely soft.   It thickens up a lot as it cooks, so feel free to add more water as necessary.

Use a stick blender to blitz to a puree (or pour into a conventional blender).  Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.  Serve.

If you would like to get to know Nigel Slater a little better, and to see all the other budget friendly dishes that are on the menu this week, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and check out the links ...

... or check out Tender, Vol. 1 and Nigel's many other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, or Fishpond NZ.

I'll also be sharing this post this week at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the delightful Michelle at Ms. enPlace, at Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays hosted by my lovely friend Deb at Kahakai Kitchen, at Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads, at Foodie Fridays hosted by Designs by Gollum, and at Cook Your Books hosted by the lovely Joyce at Kitchen Flavours.

               

Pumpkin, Date & Chocolate Scones

I know I've said this before, but I'm going to say it again, I'm not much of a breakfast lover.  Not that I have anything against "breakfast food".  To the contrary, in fact, I can very happily eat breakfast food for dinner.  It's actually eating breakfast first thing in the morning that I struggle with - my body generally feels a bit happier if it's been up and moving about for a few hours before shovelling in a bit of fodder.  Still, much as I would generally prefer to skip breakfast, conventional wisdom seems to be that one shouldn't begin the working day on an empty stomach.  That being the case, I will often start my weekday morning with a smoothie, or this Tropical Fruit Granola, or even this Banana, Lemon & Passionfruit Guilt-Free Ice Cream (which is really just a frozen smoothie).

Despite my breakfast reticence, however, I do love brunch.  Taken a little later in the morning, and consumed at a more leisurely pace, this to me is how every day should begin.  I love, of course, a good feed of bacon and eggs, almost any kind of omelette, and what would brunch be without a classic eggs benedict?  But, to my way of thinking, every good brunch should also include a little sweetness - maybe something like these Peach & Blueberry Pancakes or this Orange Mango French Toast with Honey Roasted Strawberry Compote.

Such thoughts were uppermost in my mind when it came to choosing a dish for our "Let's Do Brunch" theme at I Heart Cooking Clubs this week.  Leafing through my now much thumbed copy of Nigel Slater's Tender Vol. I, his recipe for a warm pumpkin scone captured my attention.  Nigel's suggestion of serving these with grilled bacon and sharp cheddar cheese would make a great brunch indeed, but as I mentioned I was looking for a little sweetness.  I left out the fresh thyme called for in the original recipe, and my initial thought was to add some prunes to the scones, but I had some fresh dates on hand to be used up, and I figured that some dark chocolate I had lurking in the pantry wouldn't go astray either.

These were quick and simple to make, with a soft, moist centre.  The combination of pumpkin, dates and chocolate strikes just the right balance between sweet and savoury notes, and served with a little drizzle of date syrup (entirely optional, but a nice touch if you have it) or maple syrup, these were the perfect addition to Sunday brunch.  They'd also be great with an afternoon cup of tea or coffee.

Pumpkin, Date & Chocolate Scones Recipe
Adapted from recipe by Nigel Slater
from Tender, Vol. I
Makes 8
Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

300g (11 oz) pumpkin, peeled & seeded (I used butternut)
140g (5 oz) plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
70g (2-1/2 oz) butter
1x free-range egg, lightly beaten
90ml (3 fl oz) warm milk
handful of fresh or dried dates, roughly chopped
85g (3 oz) dark chocolate (I used Whittaker's Dark Ghana), roughly chopped
a little oil or butter
date syrup or maple syrup to serve (optional)

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (390 degrees F).

Cut pumpkin into large chunks, and steam until tender.

Meanwhile, mix flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium-sized bowl.  Cut butter into small cubes, and with your fingertips rub butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Mash pumpkin and stir in the warm milk and egg.  Mix in the dates and chocolate, then add everything to the flour mixture, and mix until just combined.  (Don't be alarmed - the dough is not firm enough to handle like a conventional scone dough - mine was almost more like a thick batter.)

Heat an ovenproof, non-stick fry pan over medium heat.  Melt a little knob of butter in the warmed pan, and add the dough to the pan.  Spread it out and smooth the top.  Turn heat down to low and cook until the underside is firm and browned  - about 5 minutes.

Lightly oil a dinner plate.  Remove pan from the heat and loosen dough from the pan with a palette knife.  Place plate over the top of the pan, then flip everything over so that the scone drops out onto the plate.

Now slide the scone back into the pan, cooked side up. and put the pan into the oven until the other side is cooked and the middle is set - about 5 to 8 minutes.

Turn the scone out onto a wooden board, cut into wedges and serve while still warm.  Drizzle with date or maple syrup if desired.

If you would like to get to know Nigel Slater a little better, and to see what everyone else has cooked up this week, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and check out the links ...

... or check out Tender, Vol. 1 and Nigel's many other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, or Fishpond NZ.

I will also be submitting this post to Sweet New Zealand.  Inspired by Alessandra Zecchini, and hosted this month by Amanda at Move, Love, Eat, Sweet New Zealand is an event for all Kiwi bloggers (whether living at home or abroad), or all foreign bloggers living in New Zealand, to link up their sweet treats.

I'll also be sharing this post this week at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the delightful Michelle at Ms. enPlace, at Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads, at Foodie Fridays hosted by Designs by Gollum, and at Cook Your Books hosted by the lovely Joyce at Kitchen Flavours, and at Hearth & Soul hosted by the gorgeous April at 21st Century Housewife.

                   

Roasted Pumpkin Laksa

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs we're all about fresh, seasonal vegetables.  Our theme of "Veg Out!" means we get to choose any one of Nigel Slater's veggie laden recipes for the task.  Sounds easy enough, right, until you have a look at just how many such recipes Nigel has in his arsenal and try to narrow down the choice.

Today is the first day of winter here in New Zealand, so I was definitely on the lookout for something warming, and quite possibly "soupy".  When I stumbled across "A new pumpkin laksa for a cold night" in Tender, Vol. I, I knew I'd struck gold.  I'm not personally a huge fan of your run-of-the-mill pumpkin soup - it's ok, I guess, but it just doesn't excite me.  I do, however, love a good laksa, and the idea of combining the aromatic, coconut-rich broth and noodles with the sweet nuttiness of pumpkin really appealed.

Nigel says that, since first making this dish, he has constantly tweaked the recipe, taking things out and putting things in, according to mood and availability of ingredients.  He does caution, however, that this needs "to be done with care;  you don't want too many flavours going on.  Vietnamese soups such as this" (actually to the best of my knowledge a laksa is a Malaysian dish, not Vietnamese, but that's what Nigel calls it and I'm just quoting here) "are traditionally ingredient rich but should never taste confused.  By the same token to simplify it too much would be to lose the soup's generosity and complexity and therefore its point."

He goes on to say "The laksa appears complicated at first but in practice it is far from it.  Once you understand the basics, the recipe falls into place and becomes something you can fiddle with to suit your own taste.  The basic spice paste needs heat (ginger, garlic, tiny bird's eye chillies);  the liquid needs body and sweetness (coconut milk, rich stock);  the finish needs sourness and freshness (lime juice, mint, coriander).  The necessary saltiness comes from nam pla" (fish sauce) "and tamari rather than salt iteself.  These notes in place, you can feel free to include noodles, tomatoes, greens, sweet vegetables or meat as you wish.  What matters is balance."

I did make quite a few changes to this recipe.  Whilst I am normally one to be stripping recipes back and simplifying them as much as I can, in this case I did up the ante a bit on a number of fronts, which did make the dish a little more complicated (not much), but it was truly worth it.  Firstly, the pumpkin.  Nigel suggests steaming the pumpkin, but I was imagining the pumpkin replacing the fried cubes of tofu you might ordinarily find in a laksa, and decided that tossing it with a little sesame oil and roasting it was the way to go.  I also added a shallot, some whole toasted coriander and cumin seeds, a few macadamia nuts, a couple of kaffir lime leaves, and some ground turmeric, coriander and cumin to the curry paste.  I wanted an extra punch of heat, so added in some red curry paste.  I served this with rice vermicelli, and some blanched bok choy and bean sprouts.  Chunks of cucumber, shredded Chinese cabbage, halved hard-boiled eggs, shredded leftover chicken, cubes of fried tofu, or prawns would all be great options for a few alternative add-ins.

This laksa was perfect for a cold winter evening.  The sweet, soft, nutty pumpkin, silky rice noodles, crispy bok choy and bean sprouts, all bathed in a gorgeously fragrant, coconut-rich broth, was a symphony of flavours and textures, and even though I did a little bit extra for this dish it was hardly arduous work.  I will definitely make this again.

Roasted Pumpkin Laksa
Adapted from recipe by Nigel Slater
from Tender, Vol. I
Makes 4 generous servings
Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

350-400g (12-14 oz) pumpkin
olive oil
sesame oil
flaky sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

for laksa paste:
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
3-4 small, hot, red chillies (remove seeds if you want to moderate heat)
1 shallot, peeled & roughly chopped
3x cloves garlic, peeled & roughly chopped
thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled & roughly chopped
2x stalks of lemongrass, outer leaves discarded & inner stalk roughly chopped
generous bunch of fresh coriander, stems & leaves, roughly chopped
2x kaffir lime leaves, central stem discarded & leaves roughly chopped
small handful of macadamia nuts
1 tablespoon sesame oil

sunflower oil
2 tablespoons red curry paste (I used Asian Home Gourmet brand)

for broth:
sunflower oil
sesame oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2-1/2 cups chicken stock
1x can coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
juice of 1x lime

to finish:
noodles of your choice
shredded bok choy
bean sprouts
fresh coriander, roughly chopped
fresh mint leaves

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C (390 degrees F).

Peel and de-seed pumpkin, and cut into bite-sized chunks.  Put pumpkin pieces into a small bowl.  Add a generous drizzle of olive oil, and cautious drizzle of sesame oil, along with a generous pinch of flaky sea salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.  Toss everything together until pumpkin is well coated with oil and seasonings.  Tip pumpkin out onto an oven tray lined with baking paper, and bake in the preheated oven until golden and just tender - this will probably take around 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and keep warm.

To make the laksa paste, begin by toasting the coriander and cumin seeds in a dry pan until fragrant and slightly coloured.  Remove from pan and add to blender or food processor, along with chillies, shallot, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, fresh coriander, lime leaves, macadamia nuts, and sesame oil.  Blitz until you have a rough paste.

Heat a generous slosh of sunflower oil (about a tablespoon) in a large, deep pan set over medium heat.  Add red curry paste to the pan, and cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes until the paste is fragrant and "burnished" (but not burnt!!).  Remove paste from pan and set aside.

Return pan to the heat with another generous slosh of sunflower oil, and a slightly more restrained slosh of sesame oil.  Add ground coriander, turmeric and cumin to the pan and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the laksa paste to the pan, and cook for several more minutes, stirring constantly, until the paste is very fragrant and almost a little "jammy".  Stir in the red curry paste, chicken stock, coconut milk, fish sauce and lime juice.  Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for several minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare noodles according to package instructions, and blanch the bok choy and bean sprouts.

To serve, add noodles to deep bowls.  Top with bok choy, bean sprouts and roasted pumpkin.  Pour over the hot broth, and finish with some fresh coriander and mint leaves.

Serve immediately.

If you would like to get to know Nigel Slater a little better, and to see all the other veggie strong dishes that are on the menu this week, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and check out the links ...

... or check out Tender, Vol. 1 and Nigel's many other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, or Fishpond NZ.

I'll also be sharing this post this week at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the delightful Michelle at Ms. enPlace, at Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays hosted by my lovely friend Deb at Kahakai Kitchen, at Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads, at Foodie Fridays hosted by Designs by Gollum, and at Cook Your Books hosted by the lovely Joyce at Kitchen Flavours.

               

And for just a little more sharing "love", I'm sharing this post at Cooking with Herbs, created by the lovely Karen at Lavender & Lovage, and hosted this month by Lancashire Food.

Sweet New Zealand # 34 Round-up

It has been my privilege to host Sweet New Zealand once again this month - a monthly blog event, created by the lovely Alessandra Zecchini, which offers an opportunity for all Kiwi bloggers (whether you are living in New Zealand or overseas), as well as for non-Kiwi bloggers living in New Zealand, to connect and share some of those sweet treats from your kitchen.  As always, we have some wonderful entries this month, and I have certainly enjoyed discovering and visiting all of your posts.  Thanks to all of you for participating.

Our first entry this month was from our founder, Alessandra Zecchini, who shared these Hazelnut & Vanilla Verrines with Quince Jelly, Figs & Cape Gooseberry.  This is quite possibly one of the most beautiful desserts I've ever seen and, as an added bonus, Alessandra also shared some uplifting photos of the beautiful Cardboard Cathedral in Christchurch.

Next up was my own entry for a Chocolate Beetroot Cake. This may not be the absolutely best chocolate cake you've ever eaten, because as everybody knows there are plenty of people out there who can bake a better cake than me. But this is hands down the best, most moist, dense, fudgy chocolate cake I've ever made, and it won't be the last time I make it either.

Feijoa season may be almost over, but there's still a bit of fruit around and if you've been wondering what to do with that over abundance then check out this gorgeous looking feijoa jam from Alessandra Zecchini which she says is just like guava paste.

Would you ever imagine that such decadent looking little morsels are in fact Healthy Vegan Cookies? Check out these gorgeous looking cookies from Arfi at HomeMadeS - seriously, if that's healthy, pass the plate my way!

And, since we're talking healthy, how about this Low Carb Baked Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache from Libby at Ditch The Carbs.  This is a quick and simple, yet low carb version of a New York style baked cheesecake, and I'm loving the idea of the chocolate ganache topping.

This stunning gluten-free Baklava Cake came from "new to me" blog, My Persian Feast by Sanaz.  After getting kind of addicted to baklava when holidaying in Greece, I can't wait to try it in cake form.   Looks amazing.

Do you, like me, have a secret passion for Bounty Bars?  Of course you do - how could anyone not love all that coconut smothered in dark chocolate.?! I'm thinking these homemade "healthified" Bounty Bars from Amanda at another new to me blog, Move Love Eat, could be dangerous, very dangerous indeed.

I don't know about you, but a good lemon tart is pretty much hands-down my favourite dessert, but I'm always a bit nervous about making it.  I think this utterly gorgeous looking Heston Blumethal Lemon Tart from Mairi at Toast just might be the one that helps me overcome my lemon tart fears. 

We've nearly all made the good old pineapple upside down cake at some time or another, haven't we? But how about this luscious looking Upside Down Caramelised Banana Cake from Frances at Bake Club. Now if that doesn't get you licking your lips I don't know what will. 

Lesley at Eat, Etc. always does beautiful baking, frequently serving up things that are a little different to the run of the mill, and often things I haven't come across before. Her gorgeous looking Dutch Ginger Cake this month is no exception. 

Is there anything better than a seriously decadent chocolate tart?  Well, actually, there just might be if that chocolate tart happened to also have a salted caramel filling!  Yes, you read that right.  I could literally feel my thighs expanding just looking at this gorgeous Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tart from Gillian at So So Simple Food. 

Is it a muffin? Is it a doughnut? No it's a muffin which masquerades as a doughnut and is filled with jam no less!!  I just couldn't resist sharing these Jam Doughnut Muffins.  Seriously, once these muffins have been bathed in melted butter and then rolled in cinnamon sugar, they really do taste like doughnuts. 

Looking for the perfect little something to go with a cuppa on a wintery afternoon?  Our last entry for the month, this warming Hazelnut Ginger Loaf from Julie at Domestic Executive, could be just this thing. With ground hazelnuts replacing flour and sweet dates replacing molasses, you know this is going to be great on so many levels. 

And now I can't wait to see what you all cook up next month. Amanda at Move Love Eat will be hosting, and I know you'll all share lots of sweetness with her.