strawberry + balsamic
reduction
PREPARATION: 20 minutes
YIELD: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
fresh strawberries (enough to fill 4 of your favourite wine/parfait glasses)
1 cup Panago Cucina Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp. liquid honey
METHOD: Over medium heat, mix vinegar + honey – reduce by half until thick + shiny.
Remove strawberry tops + slice berries in half. Dust berries with fine powdered sugar until lightly coated + place into glasses. Lightly drizzle with warm balsamic honey reduction + garnish with fresh mint leaves. Try with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a rich, creamy twist.
strawberry + balsamic
reduction with orange zest
PREPARATION: 20 minutes
YIELD: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
(refer to STRAWBERRY + BALSAMIC REDUCTION recipe)
zest of 1 orange
METHOD: Our Orange Zest variation is simple – when warming the Panago Cucina Balsamic Vinegar, add the zest – then infuse by cooking for 30 minutes + strain. O’ran’ga glad you did the zest? (Groan + enjoy.)
non-cheater’s chocolate
chilli cake – “scratch”
PREPARATION: 1 hour 30 minutes
YIELD: 1 cake
INGREDIENTS:
337 g Panago Cucina Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Panago Cucina Three-Chilli seasoning
800 g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
20 eggs, separated
200 g granulated sugar
powdered sugar (as needed for dusting)
fresh red chillies (as needed for garnish)
non-cheater’s chocolate
chilli cake – “scratch”
STEP ONE
For the “non-cheaters” version on our Chocolate Chilli Cake, preheat oven to 400° F.
Warm olive oil slightly in a pan over low heat. Remove olive oil from heat. Then add chillies to warmed olive oil and allow to infuse for at least 20 minutes.
Strain chillies from olive oil. (You can leave the chillies in the oil if you are a fan of hot food, though they might over-power the chocolate.) Ideally, we want a product with just a hint of background heat to enhance the taste of the chocolate.
non-cheater’s chocolate
chilli cake – “scratch”
STEP TWO
Combine chilli infused olive oil with chocolate in a bowl, set over a pot of boiling water (bain marie). Melt chocolate and mix well with olive oil. Whisk egg yolks into chocolate olive oil mixture. Remove from heat.
non-cheater’s chocolate
chilli cake – “scratch”
STEP THREE
Whip egg whites until they become shiny + begin to stiffen.
Using a table top mixer or whisk by hand – slowly add sugar to egg whites + whip until they become very stiff + maintain their shape.
Fold the whipped egg whites into the melted chocolate mixture.
non-cheater’s chocolate
chilli cake – “scratch”
STEP FOUR
Pour batter into cake pan lined with parchment paper that has been brushed with oil (or melted butter) to ensure it doesn’t stick. Allow to rest for five minutes to eliminate excessive bubbles in the batter.
Bake at 400° F for 10 minutes. Lower temperature to 350° F, and bake until done (+/- 40 minutes). A toothpick testing the cake will not be clean – it should still be slightly wet – even though cake will be done.
Flip cake out of pan onto cooling rack and allow to cool completely before icing or serving. Cake can be dusted with icing sugar, and garnished with a few fresh red chilli peppers. Enjoy.
the get-to-it quick cheater’s chocolate chilli cake (using cake mix)
There are ways to “cheat” this recipe, so you can get to the cake sooner. Go out + purchase yourself 2 boxes of dark chocolate instant cake mix + 1 pack of milk chocolate icing. Make the peppery THREE-CHILLI OIL + use instead of the vegetable oil the box asks for – make sure you strain the oil before adding it to the mixture. (If the box calls for butter, simply substitute 3/4 cup of the chilli oil for every cup of butter.) Follow the remainder of the recipe as outlined on the box.
Finish by dusting with icing sugar + garnish with a few fresh red chilli peppers. Okay, “cheater”... oops, we mean efficient time manager – let them eat cake... ASAP.
lemon mint granita
PREPARATION: 20 minutes
YIELD: 2 cups
INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup superfine sugar
1 – 2/3 cups lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
grated zest of 1/2 a lemon
2-4 mint leaves
pinch of Panago Cucina Mediterranean Sea Salt
METHOD: Heat sugar with 1/3 cup of the lemon juice in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved. Grind or finely chop mint leaves and add along with a pinch of salt to remaining lemon juice + lemon zest + stir well. Pour into a metal freezer tray. Juice should be no deeper than 1-1/4 inches so the Granita quickly freezes + breaks up easily. Freeze for 4-6 hours + drag a fork over slush mixture every 1/2 hour to aid in crystal formation. Remove from freezer + break up crystals. Serve chilled.