Nigella Lawson's Clementine Cake

This is a specTACular cake! Moist, packed with fragrance and flavor. Plus, ultra-easy to make, and even better the day after you bake it. It is a humble-looking cake, and not good for fancy dinners, but excellent for the end to a small intimate dinner party or instead of a coffee cake for a brunch or tea. The original recipe half-heartedly suggests a glaze, but I think it would be a mistake - the cake stands on its own. Maybe a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top, or a dollop of mascarpone....

4-5 clementines (approximately 1 pound total weight)
6 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 1/3 cup finely ground almonds*
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Butter a 8-inch springform pan. Preheat oven to 375.

Place whole, unpeeled clementines into a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and let cook 2 hours. Drain, let cool, then cut each Clementine in half, remove seeds, and place in food processor- skins and all. Chop the Clementines finely in the processor.

In a bowl, beat the eggs. Add the sugar, almonds, and baking powder to the eggs, mixing well. Add the chopped Clementines by hand and mix to combine.

Pour batter into pan. Bake in a 375 F oven for 40 minutes, then cover loosely with foil and cook about another 10 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack overnight.

*Note: You can buy very good ground almonds these days (Bob's Red Mill is one brand), but it's easy to grind them yourself -- buy slivered almonds and run them through your coffee mill.

Fresh Cranberry Relish

This makes about a quart of sauce. I've also substituted several peeled clementines in place of a juice orange -- I love the flavor of their juice. Satsumas would also be great if you can get them.

1 pound cranberries
2 juice oranges, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks (Don't use navel -- too much skin)
1/2 cup sugar
1 shot (1.5 oz) Grand Marnier
1/8 tsp ground allspice

Wash all the fruit thoroughly, and remove stems, etc. Put cranberries and oranges in bowl of food processor and pulse until thoroughly chopped. Move chopped mixture to a bowl and mix in all other ingredients. Let sit 15 minutes to macerate a little. Add more sugar or Grand Marnier to taste. Refrigerate until served.

Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing

Adapted from Orangette, who adapted it from Casa Moro
Yield: 4 servings

For salad:
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoons ground allspice (I skip this)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

For tahini dressing:
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced with a pinch of salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a large bowl, combine the butternut squash, garlic, allspice, olive oil, and a few pinches of salt. Toss the squash pieces until evenly coated. Roast them on a baking sheet for 25 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and cool.
Meanwhile, make the tahini dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini, and whisk to blend. Add the water and olive oil, whisk well, and taste for seasoning. The sauce should have plenty of nutty tahini flavor, but also a little kick of lemon. You will probably need to add more water to thin it out.

To assemble the salad, combine the squash, chickpeas, onion, and cilantro or parsley in a mixing bowl. Either add the tahini dressing to taste, and toss carefully, or you could serve the salad with the dressing on the side. Serve immediately.

Do ahead: Molly says this salad, lightly dressed, keeps beautifully in the fridge, that you should hold a little of the dressing on the side and that it can be reheated in the microwave. I, for one, have never had any leftovers.