CookEat Recipe
Small Semolina and Pine-Nut Cakes
Tender individual semolina cakes with finely ground pine nuts and lemon, baked in buttered breadcrumb-lined moulds and finished with icing sugar.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 180 g fine semolina; 100 g caster sugar; 50 g pine nuts; 30 g butter: 20 g for the mixture and 10 g for the moulds; 800 ml whole milk; 4 eggs, separated; A pinch of salt; Finely grated zest of ½ lemon; 20 g fine breadcrumbs for the moulds; 20 g icing sugar for finishing.
Step 2
Grind or pound the pine nuts finely with the caster sugar. Bring the milk to a simmer in a heavy saucepan. Sprinkle in the semolina while stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
Step 3
As the semolina begins to thicken, stir in the pine-nut and sugar mixture, then 20 g butter, the salt and lemon zest. Cook over gentle heat, stirring, for about 8–12 minutes or until the semolina is fully tender and the mixture thick. Transfer to a shallow bowl and cool promptly, stirring occasionally over cold water if useful; it must be cold before adding eggs.
Step 4
Heat the oven to 170°C. Butter 18–20 small brioche moulds, about 75–90 ml capacity, with the reserved 10 g butter and dust with the breadcrumbs, shaking out excess. Mix the four yolks into the cold semolina. Whisk the four whites to firm peaks and fold in gently, following the related rice-cake moulding method.
Step 5
Divide among the prepared moulds, leaving a little room for expansion. Bake for about 25–35 minutes until lightly golden, set through and at least 74°C in a representative centre. Let settle for 5–10 minutes, then loosen and unmould carefully. Dust lightly with icing sugar before serving. Refrigerate any cooled leftovers promptly at 4°C or colder and eat within 2–3 days.
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