[WF] Banana & Chocolate Chunk Loaf

I really, really loaf this little banana and chocolate cake.

It's designed for lazy afternoons sat in the garden in a dressing gown and slippers, sipping hot coffee and reading a book.

Essentially, it's Sunday, baked.

I stole the original recipe from Nigella about a million years ago and have tweaked it over time to make it wheat free friendly and dare I say it, even more delicious.

NB. I may or may not have increased the chocolate quantity by around 25%, but I won't tell if you don't. Sorry Nige, I genuinely don't know what happened.

Anyway, for one 2lb loaf cake you're going to need:

110g butter, softened

125g caster sugar

125g gluten free self raising flour

1tsp baking powder

1tbsp cocoa powder

3 brown, spotted bananas, roughly mashed

100g good quality dark chocolate 

2 eggs

One extra banana for decoration

Start by pre-heating the oven to 180C and line your loaf tin.

In a big bowl, mash your bananas, cream the butter and crack in the eggs. When it's looking good and horrific, sift in the baking powder, flour, cocoa and caster sugar, stirring as you go.

Lastly, chop your chocolate into fat chunks and throw it in the bowl.

Mission accomplished.

Pour the cake mixture into the loaf tin and give it gentle tap to even out the surface. Leave it in the oven for around 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer popped into the middle comes out clean.

You might also know it's done from the outrageous smells wafting through the house.

Remove from the oven and leave it to cool before wriggling it out of the tin and serving up. I top mine with slices of fresh banana and a dusting of icing sugar.

Have a great Sunday, everybody!

Very Gouda Bacon & Maple Stuffed Croissants

When The Boy touched down from a week away in Marbella this morning, the last thing I wanted to do was spend the day in the kitchen.

I wanted breakfast to be special, quick and more importantly, bacon flavoured. 

After a rummage around the fridge I had just the ticket. I pinky promise you'll only make these once before they become your luxury breakfast go-to.

Each batch makes six good croissants. My recipe stuffs them with bacon, cheese and maple syrup, but you can substitute this for whatever you like. Cheese and ham? Marmite? A dollop of jam and fresh raspberries? Whatever you darn well crois-want.

You're going to need:

1 tube of ready Jus-Rol ready made croissant dough 

1 pack of streaky bacon, the best quality you can afford

A few glugs of maple syrup 

3 slices of good melting cheese (gouda is my weapon of cheese-oice)

Start off by crisping off your bacon under a hot grill for 8-10 minutes. 

Whilst that's on, grab your can of dough and pop that baby open.

Note to self: this is probably one of the most satisfying experiences a girl can enjoy without taking her clothes off. You are very, very welcome.

Carefully roll out your dough into one long strip and snip along the dotted lines.

You should be left with six deliciously perfect triangles.

 When your bacon's done, remove it from the oven and keep somewhere warm.



Now for the fun part.

One by one, roll up your dough parcels to form crescent shapes. Don't panic - it's much more simple than it looks. Let me walk you through it.

Step 1 -  Grab your dough triangle and pop a bacon rasher on top.

Step 2 - Lay over half a slice of cheese and trim to fit.

Step 3 (and by far my favourite) - Drizzle over a glug of maple syrup.

Step 4 - Roll up your croissant from the base of the triangle to the tip, squashing your fillings down as you go. It doesn't have to look like a masterpiece so don't worry. Everything will puff up in the oven, just make sure it's wrapped up as snug as a bug.

You should be left with a crescent shaped hunk of dough a little bit like this:

Repeat with the rest of your croissants and pop them in the oven for 10 minutes until golden brown and flaky.

What you choose to do with them at this point is totally up to you. 

Personally, I like to sit down in front of the television and play how-many-croissants-can-Charlotte-fit-in-her-mouth, but that's just little lady-like old me.

Chinese Crispy Duck 'n' Hoisin Pancakes

The chefs at my local take-out have got some serious explaining to do.

You see, I've ordered the crispy duck pancakes for as long as I can remember. 

I think of them as the ultimate comfort food decadence; a sweet & sour, crunchy but soft present, gift wrapped in silver foil and delivered to my front doorstep.

I always thought that those chefs slaved over my crispy duck for hours.

I've recently realised just how wrong I was.

My take on the dish is ten times more delicious than any peking duck I've ever ordered in & thanks to a few nifty short cuts, it can be on the dinner table in just 45 minutes. Minimal prep, minimal fuss, maximum deliciousness. To make enough for four people as a starter or a large main dish for two, you'll need to get yourself:

One large duck

A few packs of chinese pancakes, approx 20

6 chunky spring onions

1 cucumber 

1 jar of hoisin sauce

5 tbsp Chinese five spice

Preheat your oven to 200 and go catch your duck. Spread it out onto a large oven dish skin side up and generously sprinkle over your spice mix. Give it a rub, making sure the skin is generously coated, and pop it in the oven for 40 minutes.

Simple as that, duck done.

Whilst the bird's crisping up, slice your cucumber and spring onions into long, thin matchsticks. I like to remove the fleshy part of the cucumber to keep my wraps from going soggy. I do this by chopping it lengthways & scooping it out with a tea spoon.

Arrange your veg on a plate and leave it to chill in the fridge.

Depending on your knife skills, your duck should be just about done. Take it out of the oven, spoon over the fizzling juices and crank the temperature up to full whack.

Pop it back inside for another five to ten minutes or until charred and crispy all over.

Lay the table, pour the wine and fill a small bowl with a glug or two of your hoisin sauce. Grab your veggies from the fridge and take your duck back out of the oven.

Heat your pancakes in the microwave for 30 seconds until piping hot, and whilst your dinner guests salivate uncontrollably, shred the duck using two forks. I like to leave a few good chunks untouched just to prove that it really is homemade.

Hand out the pancakes, slap on your hoisin, sprinkle the greens & load up with duck.

Comforting, ridiculously easy and knocked up in no time at all. This has become an all time favourite Friday night supper in my household, a quacker of a recipe, if you will.



I'll leave you to fight amongst yourselves for those shards of crispy skin, but before I go, why should you never share a bathroom with a duck? Because it might be 'peking'!