Dinner for the Weekend of 16 September 2012

Last weekend, I cooked perhaps one of the simplest dinner offerings when friends came over...

 Ripe heirloom tomatoes finely sliced, served with a drizzle of olive oil, fleur de sel and Comte cheese. Simple and delicious. Best of all, no cooking involved - just some slicing...

 A large open ravioli, simply blanche some watercress shoots, poach an egg and fry some bacon as the "filler" at the bottom of the dish. I flavoured the beurre noisette with dried indian chillis (beurre noisette is caramelised butter - simply heat the butter until it browns) as topping, with shavings of Parmiggiano Regiano cheese.

Carrot cake served with rose water-scented chantilly on a bed of golden raisin and carrot paste.

Recipe for the carrot cake:

800 g grated carrot

1 cup almond powder

1 cup crushed walnut

1 cup plain flour

5 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

200g melted butter

1 tbsp orange flower water

1 tsp baking powder.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius, butter and line a baking tin.

Beat sugar with the eggs, fold in the butter. Mix in the baking powder to the flour, add this mixture into the batter with the almond powder, carrot and walnut. Add the orange flower water. Pour the mixture into the baking tin and bake for about 40 minutes.

for the raisin puree:

200 g Golden raisins, soaked in white wine or cognac or water (to your preference).

1 carrot, steamed and mashed.

Puree these ingredients in a mixer.