What is a salad? For me, it should be either a side salad along with a main course, or it could be a small salad as a starter.

We were in Texas not so long again and our friend ordered a Cob Salad. I hadn’t a clue as to what he had ordered. IT came as a lump of lettuce ( Bigger than Baby Gem but along those lines) smothered in blue cheese dressing. Now I really like salads and I like blue cheese dressing but I have to admit that I thought this a bit weird.

Now the trend has spread across the Atlantic ( as these things seem to do), and I saw in the Middle classes favourite shop, magazine exactly that ( well almost) complete with a recipe and pictures! In fact it was a full page spread , with a picture of Baby Gem lettuces with a bit of dressing poured over them! Seriously, do we need a recipe for that? Apparently so. I’m not sure it would get top marks on Master Chef!

I have a new no flour cake recipe, it is to my mind, only OK but worth a try. Maybe better served with vanilla Ice Cream.

It is called Tarta de Santiago . Originating from Galicia in North-Western Spain during the time of medieval pilgrimage, this tart is traditionally decorated with the St James Cross.

You will need:-

1. Oven to 160( fan), 22cm springform tin
2. 300 grams, 10 oz, 1 1/2Cups caster sugar
3. 6 medium eggs
4. 300grams, 10 oz, 2 1/2 cups ground almonds. ( grams and oz do not compare with US cups, hence if you look the quantities for sugar and almonds are different in cup measurements. Do not mix and match, keep to grams, ounces or cups)
5. Zest from 3 large lemons
6. Icing sugar for dusting
7. Butter or spray grease for the pan ( I use spray the one I have at home is available from Amazon, but in the UK, Lakeland now stocks something similar)

Grease the pan before you start. Whisk together the eggs and sugar until pale and thick. I have an attachment on my food processor but whisking either by hand ( a longer process) or by hand held electric whisk, also work. Carefully fold in the almonds and the lemon zest and pour the mixture into the Tin and bake in the middle shelf for +/- 50 minutes. A skewer when inserted into the middle should come out clean. Leave in the pan to cool.

This cake is fairly delicate so care should be taken when taking it out of the tin.

Dust with icing sugar.