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.
Step 3
Bring the milk to a simmer in a heavy saucepan. Sprinkle in the semolina while stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
Step 4
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.
Step 5
Transfer to a shallow bowl and cool promptly, stirring occasionally over cold water if useful; it must be cold before adding eggs.
Step 6
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.
Step 7
Whisk the four whites to firm peaks and fold in gently, following the related rice-cake moulding method.
Step 8
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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