Cool, coffee and crunch
Alexa’s almond bread
Make this the day before it is needed.
Ingredients
■ Butter for greasing
■ 3 egg whites
■ 1⁄ cup caster sugar
2
■ 1 cup flour
■ 250g whole almonds
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Butter a 13cm x 23cm x 7cmdeep loaf tin and line the bottom with baking paper.
Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, add the sugar gradually and beat until dissolved then fold in the sifted flour and the almonds.
Spread the mixture in the loaf tin and bake for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. The top should look dry and firm.
Cool slightly then remove from the tin and cool on a rack. When the loaf is quite cold, wrap it closely in tinfoil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day preheat the oven to 150C. Unwrap the loaf, cut into very thin slices and put them side by side on oven trays lined with baking paper.
Bake for about 30 minutes until they are crisp and dry. Store in an airtight container.
This dish is easy to cook as well as delicious to eat and won’t keep you away from guests.
Banana semifreddo Ingredients
■ 4 eggs
■ 150g caster sugar, plus 2 tablespoons extra
■ 3 bananas, mashed
■ Juice of 1 lemon
■ 2 tablespoons bourbon or whisky
■ 350ml cream, whipped
Method
Beat the eggs and the 150g caster sugar until thick, pale and creamy.
In another bowl beat the bananas, lemon juice, the 2 tablespoons of sugar and the bourbon or whisky until smooth. Add the banana mixture and the whipped cream to the egg mixture and fold everything together. Pour into a shallow dish, cover and place in the freezer for 5 hours or until frozen.
Espresso granita Ingredients
■ 250ml strong espresso coffee ■ 6 tablespoons caster sugar
■ 300ml cream, whipped
Method
Place the coffee in a shallow dish, add the sugar and stir to dissolve.
Cool then freeze. Remove from the freezer and drag a spoon over the surface of the frozen coffee to make shaved coffee ice. Return to the freezer until hard.
To serve
Serve a scoop of semifreddo in a glass or small bowl with a spoonful of granita on top. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and serve some slices of almond bread on the side.
Serves 6