thelovebite.com

topless aphrodite (the tart!)

At a comlete loss as to what to call this cheeky little canape, I went through all the possible titles; is it a crispbread? (sounds too dietary), is it a cracker? (that implies that it needs a topping), is it a flatbread? (it's too flaky)...

So I decided that it was a topless tart.

Greek in flavour and appearance. And quite lovely.

So who else could I name it after, except the Greek goddess of Love? Aphrodite; mighty and topless...

Pre-heat the oven to 425f.

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with non-stick spray or brush it with a little butter.

Melt about 2 oz of butter in a ramekin.

Pit and chop about 1/4 cup Kalamata olives.

Chop  / crumble 1/4 cup of feta cheese.

Chop about 1 tblspn fresh oregano and pull the leaves off 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Grate the zest of 1 lemon.

Lay out 6 slices of thawed filo pastry.

Place the first sheet of filo onto the foil-lined baking sheet and brush it with butter, grind a little fresh pepper over this sheet of filo.

Place another sheet of filo on top of the first sheet and butter it. Sprinkle the chopped olives over this sheet.

Place a 3rd sheet of filo on top of the olive-sprinkled sheet and brush it with butter. Scatter the feta crumbs over this sheet. 

Place a 4th sheet of filo on top of the feta sprinkled sheet, brush it with butter. Sprinkle the chopped herbs and lemon zest over the top sheet of filo.

Place a 5th slice on top of the herb covered sheet and brush it with butter, sprinkle this one with a little sea salt. 

Place the last sheet of filo on top of the stack. Brush it liberally with butter.

Take a sharp knife and carefully score the top of the tart in a diagonal pattern. Then slice the other way so that you have only cut through the top 1-2 layers of filo and the pattern divides the tart into 2" diamonds. Scoring the pastry before you bake it makes it a lot less messy when it comes time to serve as cooked filo is so brittle that it breaks and splinters everywhere.

Bake the tart for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Fresh and hot from the oven, slice into diamonds and serve with hot olives, tapenade, tzatziki or anything else you can think of!

imagine a lap dancing chocolate cake. that's roxnrelentingly chocolatey. dense. moist. climactic. oh, and did I mention that she'd flourless?

hmm!

mmm!

here's how she does it:

pre-heat oven to 425f / 210c

place the butter, sugar and broken chocolate in a saucepan and melt it all over a medium - low heat.

when melted, remove from heat.

separate the eggs and beat the egg whites with super clean electric beaters in a clean bowl until peaks hold their shape.

whisk the egg yolks, one at a time, into the chocolate mix. this will become glossy. add the almond meal and baking powder and beat until smooth (not long, I do this with the whisk).

fold the chocolate batter gently through the egg whites. pour the batter into a 9 inch springform pan (greased and floured).

place in oven, reduce temp to 400f / 200c and bake for 20 mins. cake is done when it feels crisp to the touch in the middle, but still has a little give to it.

serve immediately with whipped cream for a molten treasure, or allow to cool and serve with chocolate ganache and chocolate meringues

chocolate ganache

place chocolate into a microwave -proof bowl and heat in 25 second bursts until it is melted. pour in the cream and mix to a smooth, glossy sensation.

release springform pan, remove ring, but leave cake on the base of the pan and place it on a serving platter.

pour ganache onto the top of the cake, smooth it as close to the edge of the cake as you dare and then place the meringues around the perimeter of the cake

if this cake was wearing a garter belt, your guests would be tucking crisp bills inside it!