Bad Boys, Bad Boys...Whatcha gonna do?

Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?

3 heads, being treated to some serious TLC

Crust o' aubergines

Getting ready for a big night out

Heaven

This is no time to mince words.  I’ve fallen. Hard. Fast. I’ve anticipated, looked longingly, had heart palpitations and even salivated (no one said I was pretty about it).  I’ve devoured and been left wanting more.

‘Bad boys’ aren’t good for me.  I’ve always known that. You may try to change them, but really what’s the point? It is in fact, part of their overall appeal, no? And let’s be honest, would we really want it any other way? Naughty qualities are fun and can’t be avoided for long. Would I go back and do it all over again, and again… you betcha.

Caramelised Garlic Tart (with more dairy than the Blizzard Fan Club)

Right, so I did attempt a few tweaks (don't judge, I can't help it, I like to reform) as the recipe called for a month’s intake of saturated fat and dairy. As a woman who has a healthy love affair with olive oil and soy products I knew that I was asking for trouble.  But boy, it the best kind of trouble ever.

The caramelised garlic tart came straight from my foodie hero, Yotam Ottolenghi’s new veggie cookbook, Plenty. The actual recipe can be found here:

http://britishfood.about.com/od/adrecipes/r/caramelisedgarlictart.htm 

So my small tweaks and attempts to tone this bad boy down?  I replaced the all-butter pastry crust with thick slices of grilled aubergine.  Means that it won’t freeze well, but I’ve rallied the troops so not really an issue there.  Also, managed a reduced fat crème fraiche without much disarray.  Otherwise recipe as stated.

So bad. So naughty. Doesn't seem right not to share.

Brazilian Carnival Beach Party

Doce de Leite (caramel) Cheesecake Bars

Gooey Residual Deliciousness

Keeping with the beach-tastic Club Tropicana theme from last month, June’s Guilty Pleasures was a feather and sequin adorned Brazilian Rio Carnival Beach Party. 

Back in 2005 when I visiting Rio I remember first falling in love with maracuja (passion fruit) before it became a popular staple in trendy restaurants and ‘body butter’ flavour.  I haven’t checked lately, but I’m guessing there might even be a fruit roll-up flavour that incorporates it. 

So I hunted and found a passion fruit cupcake recipe that I was very excited to make. Only to wake up on the day and realise it was going to be about 90 degrees out.  Hot weather and whipped cream frosting is clearly a recipe for disaster and schlepping them across town would have resulted in passion fruit road kill. While perhaps arguably less tasty, I thought I’d attempt something slightly more durable. 

Also super popular in Brazil is Doce de Leite (Dolce de Leche to you Spanish speakers).  Cheating a little and just using plain old caramel instead, I thought I could gussy up the bars with the sea salt and label them Doce de Leite cheesecake bars.  To be honest, it’s usually about 3 am in the Guilty Pleasures night when they get eaten with wanton abandon so I’m pretty sure my knock-off Doce de Leite slipped by even the most advanced dessert eaters.

Not nearly as 'durable' as I'd hope (not sure what I was thinking replacing the passion fruit cupcakes with a dessert that needs to be refrigerated) - they still tasted great as a late-night dancing treat.  Whilst a lot of the caramel topping had oozed over their tops and onto the bottom of the containers there was no shortage of people scooping up the glorified salted caramel bits.  My GP friends have no shame (part of my love for them and their appeal to me).

The following recipe was followed pretty closely:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Dulce-de-Leche-Cheesecake-Bars-359393 

• If you can't find the Doce de Leite, just plain caramel will do...although in addition to the heat it might have also been why when left out the caramel topping got a wee bit too soft. 

Note: I solved this problem by placing the remaining bars in the freezer.  They are without a doubt - best eaten frozen.