Simple Strands

This pasta dish is ridiculously easy, quick and delicious! I usually have all the ingredients in my kitchen somewhere so its completely hassle-free. This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients

• 500g long pasta (I like to use spaghetti or fettuccine)
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• shaved parmesan cheese, garnish
• additional parsley leaves, garnish

Method

1. Cook and drain the pasta, and place in a large bowl.
2. In a small frying pan, heat the olive oil, add the garlic and pine nuts and cook until fragrant.
3. Add the olive oil mixture to the pasta bowl along with the chopped parsley and lemon juice.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss, ensuring the pasta is evenly coated.
5. Divide among plates and serve garnished with whole parsley leaves and shaved parmesan.

Fit for a Princess.

I was browsing through the photos from my trip to Beijing back in 2009 and came across this which I just had to share with you. It was an incredibly hot, sticky day in China and we had absolutely no idea where we were. We stumbled across this little bakery which made the most gorgeous little fruit tarts and pastries. After much deliberation I chose this profiterole swan (and if my memory serves me correctly) it was only 5 Yuan, which is around $1. It was so light and delicate, filled with fluffy, white cream and complete with an wispy eye painted in chocolate and a tiny beak and...head thing made of pink icing.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

These delightfully moist, sweet, super easy and exceptionally delicious cookies are from one of my family's favourite William-Sonoma 'Kids Baking' books which I've had since I was a little one! They make about 24 and are perfect for any chocolate lover, especially when they're fresh and warm out of the oven!

Ingredients

• 60g icing sugar
• 230g plain flour
• 40g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 115g butter, at room temperature
• 250g sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 
2. Grease 2 baking sheets with butter.
3. Put the icing sugar into a medium bowl and set aside.
4. In another medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt with a wooden spoon.
5. In a large bowl, using the electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar for about 3 minutes, until creamy.Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
6. Add 1 egg and beat on medium speed until blended. Add the other egg and vanilla and beat until blended.
7. Turn off the mixer and add the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until just blended.
8. Roll tablespoons full of dough into balls, roll and cover in icing sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets. Space the balls about 5cm apart.
9. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until cracking and puffed.
10. Set the tray onto a cooling rack for 15 minutes.
11. Move the cookies from the tray to the rack and let cool completely. 

Whipped Delights

Being the painfully nostalgic person that I am, I can't help but crave summer in the midst of a cold, wintry night. For as long as I can remember, ice cream has been to say the least, an obsession of mine. I believe it all  started when I was given a "Little Golden Book" called the Tutti Frutti Ice Cream Shop or something along those lines when I was a little girl. It was a book which taught numbers in the form of an alligator in the rainforest who coped with demanding animals ordering their ice creams. It was my absolute favourite book; I was almost mesmerised by the exotic flavours and colours which seemed to come alive on the pages (and not to mention helping me count from 1-10). And from then on, I've been an ice cream addict. And right now I'd just love it if it was warm enough to enjoy a frozen treat but unfortunately its not, so I'll settle for looking at pretty pictures.
ps. sorry for all the scrolling that had to be done tehe

An Introduction.

Welcome to 'Cayenne & Coconut' a food blog run by a 17 year old teenager looking to immerse herself in the wonderful world of cooking, cuisine and culinary art. This place was created to set myself off on a journey in finding food inspiration, presenting my own recipes, favourite recipes and everything else food related. I want to escape, travel and taste the world with my inherent desire to discover and learn about culture and food as a way of life.

"Cooking is like love; it should be entered into with abandon or not at all." - Julia Child

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