Cream saves the day

You've probably noticed that a significant number of the recipes that I make include cream as an ingredient. There's no mistaking that I adore cream - more than any other person I've ever met. An iced-chocolate isn't quite the same without lashes of creamy goodness on the top, scones must be with jam and cream, and yes, I'll have cream as well as ice-cream with my pancakes.

This hasn't worked out so well with my boyfriend, who's recently come to realise that he's lactose intolerant. It hasn't stopped him from guzzling bowls of ice-cream and regretting it later, but it does make me feel a bit guilty when I can't help but crave Carbonara for dinner. These two recipes have been quite the indulgence for one day.

• Hot Spinach Dip (from www.exclusivelyfood.com.au) and Nigella Lawson's Hot Toffee Sauce (from Nigella Feasts)

The dip involves placing baby spinach leaves, softened cream cheese, chopped spring onion (I used a quarter of a red onion), garlic, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, pepper, mayonnaise and cheddar cheese into the food processor - it was a bit of a cramming-moment but I did manage to fit everything in.


It does look quite lumpy and thick once blended:

However after a short bout in the oven, until the cheese bubbles, it's meltingly good-looking!

This dip didn't look too appetising to my boyfriend at first (geez, anything remotely vegetable-looking and my boyfriend starts to worry) but it doesn't taste like vegetables at all. Each bite of the dip with bread gives your taste buds an enormous flavour kick. Very more-ish and a perfect dip to make for parties.

As I was watching the movie Revolutionary Road tonight (quite a depressing movie), I needed some food comfort which came in the form of lots of ice-cream doused with a hot toffee sauce. This is dangerously easy and fast to make. Dark brown sugar, golden syrup and butter are brought to a ferocious bubble for a couple of minutes, then stir in some cream.


The best part of this sauce is munching on the little chunks of toffee that have hardened when they freeze against the ice-cream. The smell of making this wafting through your kitchen is mouth-watering. What an awesome cooking day - two definitely repeatable recipes. Maybe cream has the ability to make anything taste amazing?