Izy Hossack - Top With Cinnamon

Flexitarian & Baking Recipes from Londoner, Izy Hossack

Coffee & Praline Ice Cream Pops

It’s THAT    TIME   OF   YEAR   AGAIN….

….iiiiit’s POPSICLE WEEEEK!

I’ve been in Portland for the past week and thought I hadn’t transferred my image files from my external hard drive to my laptop. So for a while there I thought I was gonna have to miss out on my popsicle week post. BUT it turns out I DID have the files so all was ok.

So, as I’m on my holibobs (now in New Mexico visiting my aunt & uncle), I’m just going to leave this post short and sweet.

All you need to know is: coffee ice cream (I made my own but if you buy it in, that’s cool too), freeze it into moulds, dip in crushed caramelised hazelnuts (a.k.a. praline, if we’re bein fancy) and a hefty layer of bittersweet chocolate. Doesn’t get better than that!

Enjoy 🙂

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Coffee & Praline Ice Cream Pops

Ingredients

For the coffee ice cream:

  • 1 cup (250ml) heavy cream (double cream)
  • 2 cups (500ml) milk
  • 1/3 cup (80g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp instant coffee
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tbsp cornflour (corn starch)

To make the pops:

  • 8 small silicone ice cream moulds (see notes)
  • 1 batch hazelnut praline (see recipe below)
  • 200 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), melted
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. Heat the cream, milk, sugar and instant coffee in a medium pot over a medium heat. Stir until the coffee has all dissolved and the mixture is gently steaming (try to not let it come to a boil).

  2. In a medium bowl, mix the egg yolks and cornflour together. Once the cream mixture is steaming, very gradually pour this into the bowl of egg yolk mixture whilst whisking it in. Pour this back into the pot and place back on the heat on low. Keep stirring until the mixture has thickened slightly.

  3. Refrigerate the mixture to cool it down - it is best if you leave the mixture in the fridge for at least 4 hours once cooled (this is called 'ageing') as it helps form a more stable ice cream later on. 

  4. Churn the ice cream in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. 

  5. Place the silicone moulds onto a baking sheet or two. Once churned, take the soft ice cream and use it to fill the silicone ice cream moulds, smoothing the backs with an offset palette knife. Poke the ice cream sticks into the moulds and transfer to the freezer to set - about 2-4 hours.

  6. Mix the melted dark chocolate and vegetable oil together in a medium bowl.

  7. Let the moulds sit out for a few minutes before de-moulding the ice cream pops. Pour the praline onto a plate or shallow bowl. Firmly dip and press the ice cream pops into the praline before transferring to a lined baking tray. 

  8. Freeze again for a few minutes to solidify before dipping into the melted chocolate, using a spoon to help you coat the whole pop. Leave to set on a lined baking tray in the freezer. Keep in the freezer until you're ready to eat! 

Recipe Notes

  • for the silicone moulds I use these ones by silikomart which you can buy online by doing a quick google search! (they also come with popsicle sticks included)
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Hazelnut Praline

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (70g) hazelnuts
  • 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180oC (350oF). Place the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking tray and into the oven to toast for 8-10 minutes until they start to smell nutty. 

  2. Remove from the oven, tip into a clean kitchen towel and rub between the towel to remove the majority of the outer skin. Pick out the hazelnuts and transfer to a small bowl. 

  3. Line the baking tray you were using with a non-stick baking mat (e.g. a silpat mat) or a piece of baking paper.

  4. Heat the sugar in a silver saucepan (you want a silver one so you can see the colour of the sugar change) over a medium-low heat. Once it starts to melt, DON'T stir, just tilt and swirl the pan over the heat until it turns a light golden colour. Once this happens leave it for a little while longer to darken slightly more then stir in the nuts and quickly pour out onto the lined tray. 

  5. Leave to cool completely before breaking up into rough chunks - you can either pulse it in a food processor or just chop by hand until it has the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. 

Vegan Molten Chocolate Cakes for 2

Is there one dessert that you will always order if it’s on a menu? For me, it’s always molten chocolate cakes (especially if there’s a scoop of vanilla ice cream involved). After having them once in a restaurant when I was younger, I became hell bent on finding a recipe to make them at home. After trying quite a few out I settled on my favourite – Delia Smith’s recipe. It makes 8 puds so I’d usually quarter it to bake two for me and a friend as a quick dessert.

I hadn’t made them in a while until someone sent me a message on instagram asking if I had a veganised version. I told them I didn’t but that I’d get to work trying it out. With the recent discovery of aquafaba (chickpea water) which can mimic egg whites extremely well, I thought they might be useful! After 4 different versions I finally managed to make my ideal recipe. This makes 2 smallish cakes (when they were larger I’d end up feeling a bit sick after eating them as they’re so rich. That said, if you know you’ll want big’uns you can always double the recipe!) which are perfect for dessert for Valentine’s day… or just bake one for yourself and put the other in the fridge for up to 5 days so you can bake it up when you want it.

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Vegan Chocolate Molten Cakes (for 2)

serves 2

Ingredients

  • 45 g (3 tbsp) aquafaba (the liquid from a can of cooked chickpeas)
  • a pinch salt
  • 20 g (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) granulated sugar
  • 50 g (1.7 oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
  • 15 g (1 tbsp) oil (I use refined olive oil)
  • 1 tbsp non-dairy milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 10 g (1 tbsp) plain white flour
  • 20 g (2 tbsp + 1 tsp) ground almonds

Instructions

  1. If baking now - preheat the oven to 180oC (350oF). You'll need 2 small ramekins for this recipe. 

  2. Place the aquafaba in a large bowl. Whisk with an electric whisk until it starts to froth up. Add the salt and keep beating for 1 minute. Slowly stream in the sugar a little at a time as you continue to whisk - keep it going until you get stiff peaks in the mixture (this will take a bit longer than whisking egg whites usually does - just keep going and it'll get super fluffy and stiff). 

  3. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate on a low heat in the microwave, taking it out to stir every 20 seconds to prevent it burning. Mix in the oil, vanilla and milk. Pour the chocolate mixture around the inside edge of the bowl of whisked aquafaba.

  4. Sift the flour, baking powder and ground almonds into the bowl of whisked aquafaba. If you have some pieces of ground almond which didn't get through the sieve you can pour those into the bowl too. 

  5. Fold everything together gently, taking care to deflate the aquafaba as little as possible. Once no white streaks remain, divide the mixture between 2 small ramekins

  6. If baking now - place the ramekins on a baking tray and into the oven. Bake for 8-12 minutes until the edges are set but the centre is still gooey. Eat immediately (with non-dairy ice cream!) 

  7. If not baking now - place into the fridge for up to 5 days. (When you do bake as usual - you'll need 10-12 mins).


Mushroom & Sage Butter Gnocchi (Ad)

I’m always looking for quick meals to cook up – either for an afternoon when I have enough time to pop back from uni to have lunch or on a busy evening. This is a 15-minute meal you can throw together so easily it’s almost unbelievable! That crispy sage really takes it to the next level imo.

I made the recipe as I’ve been working with Cyber Aware to bring attention to the importance of updating your software and apps. I know how annoying it can be to not be able to use your phone or laptop but if you resist that urge to press the ‘update later’ button you can spend that tech-free 15 minutes making this recipe as your tech updates! Below, I’ve got the recipe written out or a video embedded so you can follow whichever you want.

 

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Mushroom & Sage Butter Gnocchi

Ingredients

  • 200 g potato gnocchi
  • 2 tbsp refined olive oil
  • a handful sage leaves
  • 200 g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • parmesan cheese shaved
  • salt and black pepper

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the potato gnocchi and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain the gnocchi and leave them in the colander. Return the pot to the heat. 

  2. With the pot on a medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Once hot, add the sage leaves and cook until dark and crisp (about 1 minute) then remove with metal tongs to a plate lined with paper towel. 

  3. Add the sliced mushrooms to the hot oil and cook for 3 minutes. Add the crushed garlic and continue to cook until shrunken and dark brown. Remove from the heat.

  4. Place a frying pan over a high heat and add the cooked mushrooms to it along with the cooked gnocchi and the unsalted butter. Fry until the butter has melted and the gnocchi have warmed through. 

  5. Divide between 2 bowls and then top with the crispy sage leaves, parmesan shavings, and some salt & pepper. Serve hot. 

Bakewell (Cherry & Almond) Jam

When I was at secondary school, I took Food Technology as one of my GCSEs. There were only 5 of us in the class (everyone obviously hated cooking hahah) but we got recruited to help make jam to sell at the school’s Christmas Bazaar. I remember having to stir up huge vats of the stuff and we made some delicious jars of classic preserves – lemon curd, mango chutney, strawberry jam…

One which struck me by surprise was an apricot jam we made using dried apricots with flaked almonds stirred in right at the end. I’d never seen that before but it stuck with me.

So that’s partially where the inspiration for this jam came from – a little twist on the classic cherry jam! In the UK we have a delicious pastry called Bakewell tart which, if you haven’t heard of it before, is a shortcrust pastry case with a layer of cherry jam topped with frangipane (an almondy, buttery cake). It is delicious as that pairing of almond with stone fruits works so amazingly together so I thought ‘why not make a Bakewell-flavoured jam!?’. And man, it is SO GOOD on toast with a bit of almond butter underneath too.

My dad and I always use Tate & Lyle’s Jam Sugar for jamming because it contains added pectin so it’s perfect for low-pectin fruits (e.g. loganberries which my dad grows on his allotment!) to help the jam gel and set. #FoodScienceFact – pectin is actually a form of dietary fibre and is mainly found in something called the ‘middle lamella’ which is a kind of jellyish bit situated between plant cells to stick them together – it’s really high in the white pith of citrus fruits! Also of course you need the sugar to preserve the jam (another #FoodScienceFact – sugar helps with preservation by lowering something called the ‘water activity’ which is essentially the amount of water which is available to microorganisms to use for energy. Salt also does this which is why high salt/high sugar foods keep well).

This year Tate & Lyle are launching their ‘Great British Jam Awards’ to inspire the UK to get their jam on – open from June 14th – July 6th (winners announced on July 12th). So if you’re in the UK make sure you give jam making a go this summer so you can enter their contest and win some great prizes!

For more information check out WeLoveBaking on Facebook, full terms and conditions here

 

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Bakewell (Cherry & Almond) Jam

Servings 4 jars

Ingredients

  • 1.2 kg fresh cherries (or 1 kg frozen, pitted cherries)
  • 1 kg Tate & Lyle Jam sugar
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 80 g flaked almonds
  • 2 tsp almond extract

Instructions

  1. Remove any stems from your cherries. To pit the cherries, place them over the open mouth of a clean, empty glass bottle (e.g. a beer bottle) facing upwards. Use a chopstick to poke through the cherry so that the pit pops out straight into the bottle. Repeat with the rest of the cherries - you should end up with roughly 1kg of cherries. 

  2. Place the pitted cherries into a large pot with the sugar and lemon juice. Place over a low heat and stir occasionally until it starts to bubble. As you start to see juice coming out of the cherries, turn the heat up. Keep stirring occasionally until the jam just starts to simmer then turn the heat down to low and leave to simmer. Let it simmer for 20-30 minutes until it has thickened and will coat a wooden spoon with a jammy layer. 

  3. You can test if the jam is done by placing a small plate into your freezer for 5 minutes so it gets nice and cold. Scoop a spoonful of jam onto the plate. Let it sit there for a minute to cool then push with a finger - if the jam wrinkles and leaves a clear line it's done, if it is still liquidy it needs to be cooked for longer.

  4. Remove from the heat and stir in the almonds and almond extract. Divide between sterilised glass jars and leave to cool. Store at cool place for up to 3 months.

*Thanks to Tate & Lyle for sponsoring this post, and you guys for supporting my blog! All opinions are my own 🙂

The Savvy Cook – my second cookbook!

(UK cover on the left, US cover on the right)

I’m done with exams, back in London and I’m finally going to talk about my new book, The Savvy Cook, today!!
If you haven’t pre-ordered already you can do so here:

Amazon UK   (out June 29th)
Amazon US   (out June 20th)
Dymocks (AUS) (out July 23rd)
Hachette (AUS) (July 23rd)
The Book Depository (Worldwide)

And once you pre-order you can claim your copy of a FREE 10-recipe ebook download by emailing your proof of purchase to thesavvycookbook@gmail.com

A quick note about events first:

  • London, June 28th – I’ve got a little pop-up dinner (with recipes from the book) happening with all profits going to The Shoreditch Trust charity. You can see more info and buy tickets here
  • New York, June 22nd – there’s a FREE signing happening at Verde along with the lovely Hetty as she is launching her new book too! There will be complimentary vegetarian snacks and a cash bar. Find the details here
  • more things are going on over the summer in the UK so keep an eye on my events tab just underneath my logo on topwithcinnamon.com

Okay so here are the ‘headlines’ about it:

  • over 150 vegetarian recipes (many of which are vegan and/or gluten free or have adaptations to make them vegan/gluten-free)
  • Most of the recipes feed 1-2 people so they’re ideal if you’re cooking for yourself or only a couple of people. They can of course also be scaled up for when you need to feed more!
  • The recipes are easy, interesting and won’t break the bank
  • Very flexible recipes with loads of tips & ingredient swaps to help you adapt the recipe to suit your taste/what you have in the fridge
  • The recipe chapters are: Breakfast + Snacks, Lighter Bites, Bigger Meals, Clear the Fridge, Cheeky Treats, DIY
  • NO DIET FAD CRAP – there’s no weird superfoods in here, no coconut oil and I don’t go on about ‘detoxing’ or avoiding ‘refined sugar’. This is sensibly-healthy food and to me, that means LOTS of vegetables, whole grains, legumes & fruit but ALSO cakes + cookies – because hello you need to nourish your soul as well as your body.

One of the coolest things about the book is the ‘leftovers’ slant to all the recipes:

  • At the bottom of each recipe is a box telling you what ingredients you might have leftover after making that recipe – say for example half a lemon, a jar of tahini or cooked chickpeas.
  • The box tells you the page reference for the back of the book where there’s a HUGE 6-page table called ‘Makeovers with Leftovers’
  • In this table you can look to see what other recipes in the book you can make with that leftover ingredient – so you can find a use for half a lemon, all that tahini or the open can of chickpeas!

This is something I’m super excited about because I’ve found that when cooking for 1 or 2 people, I always end up with open bags of spinach, half blocks of feta, half a broccoli etc.. left over. I shove it in the fridge and forget about it and a week later it’s mouldy and I’ve had to throw it away! This leftovers table feature should help you tackle that food-waste by showing what recipes to make next so you can meal plan.

It’s ALSO great for when you’ve bought a niche ingredient like tahini or miso for a recipe in the book and you have no clue what else to do with it! Instead of making the same recipe again, this shows you what else to do with it without having to trawl through the whole book.

Another thing to point out is the ‘Clear the Fridge chapter!

  • This chapter has 4 different recipe templates for Pizzas, Tacos, Stir-Fries and Frittatas.
  • There’s a basic skeleton of a recipe with suggestions of ingredients you can use for each aspect of a recipe
  • It’s the perfect way to use up all the random bits of vegetables or whatever that you have left in the fridge at the end of the week!
  • There’s also 3 example recipes for each template to show you possible flavour combos

I think that’s it!! If you have any questions, let me know 🙂

Double Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Hello, friends! FIRSTLY – my second cookbook, The Savvy Cook, is available for pre-order! It’ll be coming out in the UK (29th June), US (20th June) and Australia & New Zealand (25th July) and you can pre-order via these links:

Amazon UK
Amazon US
The Book Depository (Worldwide)

If you pre-order the book now, there’s also a fun bonus: email your receipt to thesavvycookbook@gmail.com and I’ll send you a free bonus recipe booklet with 10 vegetarian mains/sides + 2 dessert recipes! (The bonus will only be available to those who pre-order)

I’ll be doing a post dedicated to The Savvy Cook soon so you can get more info! But just a quick outline – it’s all vegetarian recipes with lots of vegan/gluten-free variations throughout. The recipes are easy to make, everyday-style recipes (over 120 of them!!!) and there’s a mixture of savoury & sweet recipes throughout.

I’m also going to be coming to New York for the US launch so watch out for event announcements on here or my social media (same goes for London!). Plus if anyone has ideas for where I should eat/what I should do in NYC (book-wise + also visiting-wise) let me knooow please!!

Thanks, everyone 🙂

Now onto today’s recipe:

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Sourdough Wholemeal Bagels


 Sourdough Wholemeal Bagels

One of the nicest things about being home in London, as opposed to my student house in Leeds, is that my parents turn the heating on. Those familiar to uni life will be familiar with the phrase ‘Can we just turn the heating on for an hour?’, said in a desperate tone at 6pm whilst you’re wearing leggings, fluffy socks, a thermal top, a jumper and a fleece and sitting under a blanket.

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Chocolate Chip Wholemeal Challah Bread {Vegan}

chocolate-chip-challah-bread-vegan-4

I’ve been a bit bread-obsessed lately – well, I always am, just more so at the moment. I find myself opting for lightly-sweetened bready goods over dessert come winter. Popping a slice of challah into the toaster and catching it a few minutes later at that caramelised but aaaaaalmost burnt stage, and slathering it in peanut butter is my post-uni snack of choice.

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