Chocolate Dipped Apricots

- 20 dried apricots
- 100 g dark chocolate
Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler (bain-marie) (or in a heat-resistant bowl – vas
rezistent la caldura - set over a pan of simmering water). Remove from heat. Drop the
apricots in the chocolate and stir (amestecati) until well coated (se omogenizeaza). Use
a fork to lift the apricots from the bowl, and deposit them carefully on a feuille guitare
(foaie de gatit), a sheet of parchment paper or a silicon baking mat (pergament sau
foaie de silicon). Leave out to dry, preferably somewhere cool and safely hidden from
children, chocoholics, or any combination of the two.
This is a good way to use up the melted chocolate leftover from other chocolate
confections. You could also dip just one half of the apricots for a pretty semi-dipped
effect.
(In such a simple recipe, the quality of your ingredients is key. Try to use the best apricots
and the best chocolate you can reasonably afford- pe care vi le permiteti.)

Chocolate and Cacao Nib Cookies

120 g (4 oz- ounce) good quality bittersweet chocolate (ciocolata amaruie)

110 g (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 eggs, lightly beaten
100 g (1/2 C) brown sugar
120 g (1 C) all-purpose flour
120 g (3/4 C) unsweetened cocoa powder (cacao neindulcita)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel (substitute 1/4 teaspoon regular salt)
4 tablespoons (1/4 C) cacao nibs

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Makes about 60 bite-size cookies.
Melt together 90 g (3 oz.) of the chocolate and all of the butter in a small saucepan over
low heat. Transfer into a large mixing-bowl and let cool for ten minutes. In the meantime,
combine the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder (praf de copt) in another mixing-
bowl, and set aside. Finely chop (taiati in bucati) the reserved chocolate, and set aside.
Whisk the eggs (bateti ouale impreuna cu) into the cooled melted chocolate. Add in the
sugar and mix again. Sift in the flour mixture, and stir with a wooden spoon until well
combined. The batter will be thick (aluatul trebuie sa fie pufos). Fold in the chopped
chocolate, cacao nibs and fleur de sel.
Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop out rounded teaspoons of batter (scoateti forme rotunde din aluat), shape
them into balls with the tips of your fingers, and line them up on the cookie sheet, leaving
a one-inch space between them. Put the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for ten minutes (if
the sheet and batter are cold, the cookies are less likely to spread). Put the cookie sheet
into the oven to bake for eight to ten minutes, until the tops feel just dry to the touch.
Don’t overbake,(coaceti foarte mult) or they won’t be as moist inside. (fragede)

Blueberry (coacaze) Coffee Cake

- 40 g brown sugar
- 200 g flour
- a bag of baking powder (1 1/2 tsp.)
- 115 g butter, at room temperature
- 200 g white sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup (250 ml) fromage blanc or plain yogurt or sour cream (frisca)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 cups fresh blueberries
Preheat your oven to 180°C (360°F). Grease a 9 inch cake pan, preferably non-stick
with a removable bottom. (a se unge tava…pt a nu se prinde de fundul acesteia)
Sift together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
In a food processor, (robot de bucatarie) mix together the white sugar and butter until
fluffy (pufos). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each. Add the yogurts and the
vanilla extract, mix again. Add the flour mixture, mix again.
Pour half of the cake batter in the cake pan. Pour half the blueberries over the surface.
Cover with the rest of the batter, top with the remaining blueberries, and sprinkle evenly
(presara uniform) with the brown sugar.

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Bake for an hour, until the top is golden and a knife blade inserted in the centre comes
out clean. Let cool in the pan for ten minutes, then turn out on a rack (planseta) to cool
completely. It's even better the next day.

Coconut and White Chocolate Cake

- 225 g unsweetened flaked coconut (3 cups)

- 140 g white chocolate
- 200 g flour
- a bag of baking powder (1 1/2 tsp.)
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda (bicarbonate de sodium)
- 115 g butter, at room temperature
- 200 g sugar (I used half white, half dark muscovado)
- 3 eggs
- 2 plain (simplu) yogurts (125 ml each, I use the Dannon Veloutés)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp. rum (optional)
Preheat your oven to 180°C (360°F). Grease a 10 inch cake pan, preferably non-stick
with a removable bottom.
Spread the coconut out on a cookie sheet, and insert it in the warm oven. Let it toast for
about 5 minutes, tossing half way through, until fragrant (aromat) and lightly golden
(usor auriu). Remove from the oven (leave the oven on) and let cool.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
In a food processor, mix together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a
time, mixing between each. Add the yogurts, the vanilla extract and the rum, mix again.
Add the flour mixture, mix again. Fold in two thirds of the coconut flakes with a spatula.
Pour the cake batter in the cake pan, and bake for fifty minutes to an hour, until the top is
golden and a knife blade inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for
ten minutes, then turn out on a rack.
When the cake has cooled down somewhat, break the chocolate in small pieces and melt
it in a double boiler or the microwave. Use a small spoon to frost the surface of the cake
with the melted chocolate. Sprinkle the rest of the coconut
on the white chocolate. Let cool completely before serving.

The Essential California Sandwich

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- 2 slices of multigrain bread (paine cu seminte)
- 30 g (1 oz) buffalo mozzarella (branza de vaca)
- half of a small avocado
- a handful of mixed sprouts (varza de Bruxelles)
- salt, pepper, piment d'Espelette – boia/ ardei kapia (or red pepper flakes- ardei
rosu)
(Serves one. Selfish, I know.)
Slice the avocado and the mozzarella thinly. Arrange the mozzarella one of the bread
slices, avocado on the other. Sprinkle both with salt, pepper and piment d'Espelette.
Arrange the sprouts on top of the avocado, and close the sandwich by carefully flipping
the mozzarella-lined bread slice over the sprouts.
Press with your hand so everything adheres together. It's best to give the flavours a little
time to meld, so wrap (infasurati) the sandwich in plastic wrap (folie de plastic) and
store in the fridge for a few hours if you can. Take out of the fridge about 30 minutes
before eating, to bring back to room temperature.

The Pasta Salad That Rhymed With O

- 150 g multi-coloured fusilli pasta

- 120 g chorizo
- 4 tomatoes confides (8 halves)
- 5 leaves of fresh flat-leaf parsley (Frunze de patrunjel)
- 5 leaves of fresh basil (frunze de busuioc)
- 2 Tbsp. pistachios, unsalted (fistic)
- salt, pepper, olive oil
(Serves 2.)
Cook the fusilli al dente, according to package instructions. Drain (scurge), then dump
in cold water to stop the cooking and cool them down.
Chop the chorizo and tomatoes. Rinse (se spala), pat dry (se scurg bine) and chop the
fresh herbs (ierburile). Toast the pistachios in a dry skillet until fragrant.
In a medium salad bowl, combine the pasta, chorizo, tomatoes, and fresh herbs. Sprinkle
with freshly ground pepper. Toss to coat. Taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper
and olive oil if needed (I didn't add any oil, as my oven-roasted tomatoes already
contained some).
As with all pasta salads, this tastes best if it has time to sit a little. Serve cold or at room
temperature, sprinkling with the pistachios just before serving (you could also add the
pistachios with the rest of the ingredients, they'll just be less crispy).

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 Stuffed Eggplant Mini-Rolls (vinete umplute)

- 18 slices of grilled eggplant: I used two bags of the

delicious frozen eggplant slices from Picard, but if you
don't have that kind of product on hand, slice and grill three
eggplants
- two large Carrés Frais. Carrés frais are squares of fresh
cheese, lightly salted. Substitute cream cheese or fresh goat
cheese.
- A small jar (un borcan mic de) of black tapenade (olive paste)
- a handful of pinenuts
(Serves 6.)
Lightly oil a large gratin dish. If you use frozen eggplant slices, thaw (decongela) them.
Toast the pinenuts in a dry skillet. Put the cheese in a small bowl, and fluff it with a fork.
Take each eggplant slice in turn, spoon a little cheese on the largest end, add a little
tapenade, sprinkle a few pinenuts, and roll up the slice. Use a toothpick (scobitoare) to
hold it into place, and put the roll in the gratin dish.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and put the dish in for about ten minutes. They should
be warm, but not hot.
I served each of us three rolls, arranged in a triangle, with three olives (brought back
from Italy by Laurence and Jean-Christophe) in the middle, and slices of baguette. The
different tastes complement each other very well, making this a light and fresh opener...