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Millas – Butternut Squash Cake

This recipe comes from the Perigord. The original recipe is made with pumpkin but I have chosen to use butternut squash for its buttery consistency.

This cake is very fragrant and has a very warm autumnal shade of colour.

Preparation time 20 min

Cooking time 40 min

Will serve 6 people.

Ingredients:

500 g of butternut squash
200 g of fine cornmeal
50 g of sugar
75 g of Sultanas (soaked for 1 hour)
2 tbsp of olive oil
5 eggs
2 tbsp of dark Rum
1½ tsp of baking powder
½ l of milk
1 vanilla pod
½ tbsp soda

1. Steam the pumpkin till it falls apart.

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

3. In the meantime infuse the vanilla pod in the warm milk and let it cool down.

4. Mash the pumpkin; there shouldn’t be any bits left. Use a blender if you have one.

5. Mix the dry ingredients together.

6. In a bowl, mix the mashed squash with the dry ingredients, adding some milk from time to time to ease the mixing process. Add the oil, the beaten eggs, the Rum, and the rest of the milk until you obtain a mixture that has a slightly runny consistency. Finally drain the soaked raisins, chop them and add them to the mixture.

7. Pour the mixture in a 24 cm/9,5” greased spring form tin and put in the oven for 40 min.

8. Sprinkle the “Millas” with sugar or Cacao powder before serving.

BON APPETIT!!

Iles Flottantes

Preparation time 30 min

Cooking time 10 min

Will serve 4 people

Ingredients:

The custard

(If you use the custard as a sauce for another dessert, you can flavour it with fresh mint instead of vanilla by letting a handful of mint leaves infused in the milk for a few minutes before proceeding with the recipe.)

50cl of milk
75gr of sugar
3 large egg yolks
1/2 vanilla beans

Meringues

50cl of milk
4 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
30gr of sugar for the caramel + 1tbs for the white

1. Start with the meringues.

2. Pour the milk in heavy small saucepan. Scrape the seeds from vanilla bean halves; add the bean and bring to simmer over medium-high heat.

3. Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites in a large bowl until foamy.

4. Add salt and beat until the whites hold soft peaks. Add the sugar, a bit at a time, beating until whites are stiff and glossy.

5. Scoop some meringue (about twice the size of an egg) onto a spoon. Drop it into the milk. Quickly shape 2 or 3 more meringues, dropping each into milk. Poach the meringues for 2 minutes in the simmering milk (not boiling!).

6. Turn the meringues over in the milk. Simmer 1 minute longer (the meringues will puff up while poaching). When the whites have firmed up, using a slotted spoon, transfer the meringues to a colander and repeat process, shaping and then poaching enough meringues.

7. Transfer meringues to waxed-paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.

8. Then proceed to the custard.

9. Discard the vanilla bean.

10. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until thickPour in the warm milk and mix the mixture with a wooden spoon till well mixed.

11. Pour the mixture back in the pan over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon (do not boil!).

12. Spoon the custard into ramekins. Cover and chill until cold, at least 3 hours.

13. Arrange a meringue on each ramekin. Make the caramel by heating up on a medium high-heat the sugar with a tiny bit of water; it is ready when golden. Pour onto the meringues.