Kyk, cake!

Since the arrival of my son and heir, aka Wriggly McSqueal, The Milk Bandit, The Limpet, Wurmpie, DJ Hiccup, Die Klein Kak, time to attend to personal matters has evaporated in a haze of 2AM nappy changes and Daddy Epaulettes (regurgitated milk stains on the shoulders of all my shirts). If you'll excuse the mangled metaphor. Anyhoo, we still needs victualling and there have been a procession of (much welcome) well wishers to visit His Lordship and his gibbering parental units. I made this cake for an afternoon tea last week.

Orange, almond and rosemary polenta cake

In a large bowl, stir 200g sugar and ¾ cup olive oil (veg oil will do just as well, you etiolated, hairless non-Mediterranean you). Add 3 beaten eggs and 150g each of polenta and powdered almonds. Add 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt. Mix well. Now add the zest and juice of 1 orange, 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary and 150g slivered almonds, or toasted and roughly chopped hazelnuts (rub most of the skins off, please).

Spoon the mixture into a non-stick loaf tin, its base lined with a piece of baking paper.

Bake for 30 minutes at 180°C and a further 20-30 minutes at 160°C, testing with a skewer after 45 minutes until said skewer can be introduced into the orange depths and comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make a little syrup to drizzle over the hot cake. In a small saucepan, heat the juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange and 2 tbl honey and reduce for 5 minutes until it becomes a thin syrup.

When you remove the cake from the oven, prick some holes in the top with the skewer (think of something hateful while you do this, it helps to lessen the angst generated by butchering your creation). Pour the syrup slowly over the cake, aiming for those holes.

Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the tin. It will keep well for at least a week in the fridge, and will get better after a day.

I served this with some home-made lemon curd and Greek yoghurt.

Apricots

I like apples. Apples rarely disappoint. Apples are the Ivan Lendl of the fruit world. Sure, there are some more exciting flavours out there, but are there any that are so consistent? Sure, they can get a bit mealy (they like to be kept in the fridge), and like any tennis players, respond badly to bruising. Most apples are within touching distance of the best apples I've ever eaten (a particularly succulent, crisp and perfumed batch of Spartans which heralded autumn some years back).

Not all fruit are as dependable. There is a massive difference between an early ripening stone fruit, and a full blown mid-summer job, almost ready to explode it is so lusciously ripe. Apricots especially. They can be polite and unassertive, or moderately spectacular. I like dried apricots because they concentrate the sweet sour tang that defines the best of this fruit.

In South Africa, an unusual preserve called mebos is made from ripe, but firm, apricots which are brined, stoned, pressed flat, salted, and dried in the sun for several days. This produces a complex tangy, sticky puck of apricot, which is popular in the Cape as a lunch box staple. I was lucky enough to take delivery of an aid parcel from some friends in London (thanks R&R!), full of South African treats for the homesick, wan soutie, including a much coveted pack of mebos. I have adapted the following recipe from ice cream supremo David Lebovitz's book, The Perfect Scoop.

Mebos and Pistachio Ice Cream

Quarter 120g dried apricots and chop 2 mebos finely. Put the pieces into a small saucepan with 180ml white wine, dry or sweet as the mood takes you. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, cover and stand for 1 hour to allow the fruit to soak up all the juice. Coarsely chop 70g unsalted pistachio nuts.

Pour the apricot/mebos/wine mush into a blender with 130g sugar, 500ml single cream and a few drops of lemon juice. Blend until smooth, and chill thoroughly in the fridge before freezing the mixture in an ice cream maker. During the last few minutes of churning, add the pistachio nuts.