Peanut butter cake

This is a peanut butter cake I made by frosting a yellow cake with peanut butter cream cheese. I've written about the yellow cake, adapted from a wonderful recipe I found in Dr William Davis's 'Wheat Belly Cookbook'. 

Peanut butter cake

Coconut fenugreek curry with lamb meatballs

Inspired by a cooking presentation that a friend took me to a few weeks ago, I made this lamb meatball curry from scratch a few days later. 

Coconut fenugreek curry with lamb meatballs

Napa cabbage au gratin

Years ago, I asked Husband-then-Boyfriend to pick up a head of cabbage on the way home from work. I thought this would be fairly straightforward for an Irish lad. He came home with cabbage alright, but rather than the green or white variety that's commonly found in Ireland, he presented me with a head of napa cabbage. When I asked him how come he picked this 'exotic' variety, he said, rather logically, that he assumed I'd want it as I was Asian ...

So years later, whenever I see napa cabbage in the shops, I'm reminded of the incident and would enjoy an inner chuckle.

A few weeks ago, I picked up a beautiful head of napa cabbage and smokey cubed pancetta. For dinner, I made a dish that my mum used to make when I was a kid -- napa cabbage au gratin, complete with homemade, wheat-free Bechamel.

Napa cabbage au gratin

Nectarine salsa

For a light accompaniment to my pan-fried sea bass fillets and barbecued garlic chicken, I made a nectarine salsa with whatever was already available in my not-so-full fridge. So technically this is not a salsa in the strictest sense, but nonetheless refreshing and complemented the mains well.

Nectarine salsa

Caprese salad

I started growing basil out of a tin a few months ago. By the end of July, three stalks had sprouted and reached 20+ centimetres. A couple of stalks had also started to bloom. So last weekend, I pinched off the blooms, harvested the leaves, and pruned back the stalks. 

The leaves I harvested was more than enough for me to make two generous plates of caprese salad.

Caprese salad, with homegrown basil

Tarte au citron (Lemon tart)

I hosted a coffee morning a couple of days ago and made a lemon tart as part of the food offerings. 

Basic grain-free sweet tart crust (2)

This is a revision of basic grain-free sweet tart crust (1).

Rhubarb custard tart

It's right in the middle of the rhubarb season here in Ireland. But rather suspiciously, the rhubarbs I see in supermarkets have more green bits than pink/red along the stalks. Still, I picked up a bunch to make this custard tart.

Rhubarb custard tart

Basic grain-free sweet tart crust (1)

This is a sweet tart crust that can be pre-baked and finished later with your choice of fillings.

Sweet tart crust