Olive oil cornmeal cake with blood orange and honey

A bit more olive oil can also be drizzled over the top - definitely won't hurt!

We recently returned from our honeymoon in Peru, where we picked up some palta (avocado) honey at the peak of summer to the other side of the equator where it is currently a different kind of seasonal peak - the height of the winter doldrums. Fortunately, grey winter days are not without their culinary delights, one of them being amazing citrus. Given our recent honey purchase, the cold weather begging me to "get my baking on", and beautiful blood oranges that fold so lovely into an olive oil cake, this combination was calling my name. The palta honey has very unique dark, earthy quality to it, but any honey that you enjoy will do for drizzling.

The recipe is adapted from a Smitten Kitchen recipe in a few ways including to incorporate cornmeal and deconstruct the compote - blood orange slices are so gorgeous it's a shame to chop them up for this application and we wanted the honey to shine on it's own. Makes one 9x5-inch loaf pan or four, 5x2.5-inch loaf pans. I happen to have four of these small loaf pans and am always looking for excuses to use them because they are pretty darn cute and more surface area = more crispy bits = delicious.

• Butter for greasing pan

• 5 blood oranges

• 1 cup (200 grams or 7 ounces) sugar

• About 1/2 cup (118 ml) plain yogurt

• 3 large eggs

• 2/3 cup (156 ml) extra virgin olive oil

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 6 tablespoons cup medium grind cornmeal

• 1-1/2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Honey, for drizzling

• Crème fraîche for serving (optional, but perfect - just do it)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan or four 5x2.5-inch loaf pans. Grate zest from 2 oranges and place in a bowl with sugar. Using your fingers, rub ingredients together until orange zest is evenly distributed in sugar.

Supreme an orange - aka "segment citrus like a boss" (I created that instructional post and just found out through this recipe that this technique is called "supreming"!). Break up segments with your fingers into about 1/4-inch sized chunks.

Halve 2 oranges and squeeze juice into a measuring cup; you’ll will have about 1/4 cup. Add buttermilk or yogurt to juice until you have 2/3 cup liquid altogether. Pour mixture into bowl with sugar and whisk well. Whisk in eggs and olive oil.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently stir dry ingredients into wet ones. Fold in pieces of orange segments. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake cake for 50 to 55 minutes (9x5-inch loaf pan) or 25-30 minutes (5x2.5-inch loaf pans), or until it is golden and a knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in loaf pan(s). While cake is cooling, supreme 2 more oranges and keep refrigerated until served.

Slice cake and serve with crème fraîche, blood orange slices, and a drizzle of honey. You can also drizzle some more olive oil over the top if you're feeling wild. Keeps for 3-4 days.

olive oil chocolate mousse

The first time I made this dairy-free chocolate mousse recipe adapted from What Einstein Told His Cook I had my doubts. Chocolate mousse without heavy whipping cream? Why bother. However, the final product did not disappoint - the whipped egg white proteins provided a delicate fluffy web that encased the rich egg yolk, chocolate, and olive oil. My twist was the addition of ground cardamom pods to put a Middle Eastern spin on a classically French dessert to help meld with the olive oil flavors and provide a bit more complexity and brightness. I also added a dollop of whipped cream (blerg, there goes the "dairy free" part, but you don't have to use it), a sprig of chocolate mint, grated dark chocolate, and a bit of coarse sea salt. The result was amazing - really, one of those desserts that people keep talking about. I will definitely be making this again. Serves 4 (servings aren't large, but are generous given how rich the dessert is).

• 4 oz very good dark chocolate (the darker the better), finely chopped

• 7-9 cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground with mortar and pestle or finely chopped (optional)

• 2 eggs, divided

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 2 tablespoons very strong coffee at room temperature

• 1 tablespoon Cointreau (optional)

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• About 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

• Whipped cream, fresh mint or chocolate mint, and grated chocolate, for garnish (optional)

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring occasionally. Mix in cardamom and set aside to cool while preparing the egg mixture.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and powdered sugar until pale yellow and fluffy (about 1 minute). Whisk in the coffee and Cointreau (optional) to combine then stir in the melted chocolate. Add olive oil and mix well.

In another medium bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric beater until stiff peaks have formed (stage III). Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture with a whisk until all patches of white disappear then fold in the remaining egg whites using a rubber spatula just until combined. Do not overmix.

Transfer mousse to individual serving cups and refrigerate until well-chilled, at least 1 hour or overnight. Serve with whipped cream and optional fresh mint leaves and grated chocolate.

Almond Olive Oil Cake with Blood Orange

I am a sucker for olive oil in desserts. There's something about the nutty/spiciness that imparts a savory quality I think balances really well with sweet foods. Why not have your cake and eat your healthy fats too with this moist and nutty dessert? Serves 8-12.

• 1 cup almond meal or almond flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• Grated zest of 1/2 a blood orange
• 2 tablespoons blood orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan or springform pan.

Whisk together almond meal, flour, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk eggs with sugar. Add olive oil and continue to mix until mixture has thickened, about 1 minute. Incorporate vanilla and almond extracts, zest, and orange juice and whisk to combine.

Add dry ingredients to mixture and whisk to combine.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cake is cooked thoroughly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Remove cake from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before removing from pan. Serve cake on its own; topped with blood orange and creme fraiche or whipped cream; or with coffee or tea.