Hi guys!
When summer is here, I always like to make the most of it and bake as many cakes, muffins, pies and tartes with fresh fruit as possible. I had some leftover apples and blueberries the other day and decided to make a cake with it. The recipe is from Donna Hay's "fast, fresh, simple". The recipe is super-easy but still elegant, so you can make it for friends or bring it to a dinner party.
Here's the recipe:
225g (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
165g (3/4 cup) superfine sugar
125g (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
125 ml (1/2 cup) milk
1 apple
100g (3 3/4oz) fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1) Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, butter, vanilla, eggs and milk with a hand blender or kitchen machine until they form a smooth dough.
2) Fill the dough in a greased and flour-dusted springform tin (22cm; 8.5 inches). Cut the apple into thin slices. Layer the fruit on top and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Yield: 12 pieces
Active preparation time: 15 minutes
Total preparation time: 1 hour
Here's how mine turned out:
The cake is wonderfully moist and the fruit adds a nice touch. If you want to, you can caramelize the sugar on top using a broiler. I especially like the combination the fruit and the sweet cake base make. The fruit is nice and caramelized, but maintains a little acidity, while the cake is rather sweet. Plus the fruit just makes a simple cake just look so much better.
Have fun trying and make the most of summer's various culinary offers!
Hi guys!
As summer is in full swing, lots of berries are getting to their best now. I am a huge breakfast lover, so I enjoy making marmalades and jams myself during summer. It's actually one of the easiest things to do, but I haven't cooked jam until recently. Their is no fixed recipe, it's pretty much fruit, sugar and gallant.
Here's my recipe:
2 kg (4.5 pounds) strawberries, chopped
1 kg (4 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 teaspoons vanilla paste or vanilla extract or 3 vanilla beans
2 pouches Gelfix
You can also use special preserving sugar. That way, I use a special type of preserving sugar that ensures I can use 1/3 sugar and 2/3 fruit. In this recipe, you would use 1 kg of preserving sugar.
1) Chop up the strawberries. They should be squares of 0.5cm (1/5 inch) width.
2) Combine the strawberries with the sugar and Gelfix if you're using it in a large saucepan. Turn the heat to high and bring to a rapid boil.
3) Add the lemon juice and vanilla paste. Cook for 3 minutes.
4) Take a teaspoon full of the mixture and put it on a small plate. It should jell quickly. Fill the cooked jam in jars. Make sure the glasses are completely full to keep any air out. Close the jars up.
Here's how mine looks:
The lemon juice in the mixture ensures the strawberries don't turn brown gradually. It also adds depth to the flavor and balances the sugar. Depending on how ripe and sweet your strawberries are you can use more lemon juice, but not less. You can also leave the vanilla if you don't like it.
Now you can get started with whatever combinations you like or that sound interesting. Last year, we spiced cherry jam with a little cinnamon and mixed raspberries and blackberries. There's endless possibilities!
Have fun trying and make the most of summer!
Hi guys!
It's Monday once again, so today's recipe is going to be meat free. Vegan actually... And as summer is in full swing and it's nice and warm out, I've decided to go with a classic recipe from Spain... Gazpacho. This tomato-based soup is served cold and incredibly refreshing. And it's easy to make. The recipe is from Gwyneth Paltrow's "Notes from my kitchen table".
Here's the recipe:
8 ripe vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled and cored
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped plus more diced for serving
1 red roasted pepper (I used grilled peppers, like the ones served as an antipasto, from the store)
1/2 red onion, peeled and diced plus more for serving
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
50g 1cm bread cubes, cut from day-old sourdough, rustic bread, ciabatta or the like
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lime, halved
croutons, for serving
1. Heat water over high heat until it's boiling. Carve an x in the bottoms of the tomatoes and put them in the water for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Immediately put them in ice water. The skin will slip off easily. Core the tomatoes and roughly chop them.
2. Peel, seed and roughly chop the cucumber. Peel and dice the onion and the garlic.
3. Put the cucumber, tomatoes, garlic, onion and pepper in a blender and blend a little. Add the bread cubes, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Whizz away until it's as smooth as you like.
4. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Season to taste with more salt and the juice of the lime - you want enough acid to make it taste bright and fresh, but not limey. Serve with croutons, diced onion and cucumber.
Serves: 4
Active preparation time: 20 minutes
Total preparation time: 20 minutes plus at least 1 hour cooling
© Copyright: Gwyneth Paltrow: "Notes from my kitchen table", p. 62
Here's how mine turned out:
It takes a little work to chop the vegetables and peel the tomatoes, but you'll get it done pretty fast and it's worth the work. I chose to serve my gazpacho with just a little diced cucumber, as I don't like the taste of raw onions. I also left it quite thick, but you could certainly blend it more until it is very smooth if you like it better that way. The gazpacho is really refreshing because of the cucumber while the roasted pepper adds depth of flavor and the tomatoes make you feel like the sun is shining outside. The lime juice brightens things up as well.
Have fun trying and treat yourself to a little refreshment!
Hi guys!
Another must-do for my blog is a decent chocolate muffin. I've been dreaming to make this for quite a while and finally had some spare time to whip them up. The recipe I've chosen is from Donna Hay's "simple essentials - chocolate" book that is heaven for any chocolate-addict like me. Recipes for brownies, muffins, chocolate mousse, chocolate soufflé and many more...
Here's the recipe:
300g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
50g (little less than 1/3 cup) cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
220g (1 cup) superfine sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
160ml (2/3 cup) vegetable oil
125ml (1/2 cup) milk
150g (4 3/4 oz) milk chocolate, chopped.
1) Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Chop the milk chocolate. Sift the flour and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Mix it with baking powder and sugar.
2) In a separate bowl, stir the eggs, vanilla extract, vegetable oil and milk together. Add the egg-mixture to the flour and mix until combined. You can use a kitchen machine, hand blender or simple egg beater. Fold in the chopped chocolate.
3) Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Fill the cases with the dough. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
Yield: 12
Active preparation time: 10 minutes
Total preparation time: 40 minutes
© Copyright: Donna Hay, "simple essentials-chocolate", p. 40
Here's how mine turned out:
If you want your muffins to be slightly fudgy in the middle, bake them until a skewer comes out almost clean. I baked mine for 25 minutes, so they are baked through. You can chop the chocolate into pieces of any size you want. I went for squares of about 1/2 cm (0.2 inch). It's also good to invest in a good milk chocolate. You can taste the difference!
If you like, you could add dried cherries, fresh orange zest or chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts) to spice things up.
Have fun trying and give in to those chocolate cravings!
Hi guys!
It's Monday again so time for more healthy recipes. I have been looking a dozens of blogs so far always looking for grab new recipe ideas in general as well as vegetarian and vegan recipes especially. This is how I stumbled across 101 cookbooks. This blog is written by Heidi Swanson. She writes cookbooks and travels the globe constantly feeding her blog 101 cookbooks with new recipes that she tries to keep as healthy and natural as possible. I love that she has created separated folders for vegetarian, vegan or gluten free recipes. You'll be able to find what you are craving very fast.
Here's the link: http://www.101cookbooks.com/index.html
I have especially been looking up the vegetarian and vegan sections of the blog and got tons of ideas I want to try. Today's recipe is Otsu. I didn't know anything similar before but I loved the ingredients Heidi uses so I went for it.
Here's the link: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000110.html
Here's how mine turned out:
Serves: 6
Active preparation time: 35 minutes
Total preparation time: 45 minutes
The recipe takes a little time and I split it in half, because I didn't want to eat it for the rest of the week. It still serves three easily. You can buy Soba noodles in Asian supermarkets or well-assorted grocery stores. The dressing is the star of the recipe. It ensures the soba noodles and tofu get interesting. Make sure to use good quality, organic, lemons and fresh ginger. It really makes a difference.
I love the different textures and various flavors the recipe offers. Spicy and sweet, crisp and soft combined in one dish. The dressing has quite a spicy touch from the ginger and cayenne pepper. The soy sauce adds a hint of sweetness. The cucumber adds crunch and the soba noodles are nice and soft. This recipe definitely surprised me and I am surely going to make it a lot from now on.
Have fun trying!
Hi guys!
As I said in earlier blogs, I want to introduce you to some of my all-time favorites besides recipes I am trying every day. Spaghetti or Pasta Carbonara is one of those recipes. My mum has been making it ever since I can remember and I have been loving it for the same time. At university, my friends and I have been discussing this recipe, because in Switzerland they use a lot of cream in the sauce so I consider their "Carbonara" sauce more of a cream-sauce with added ham. One of my best friends is Italian so I asked her and she told me my mum's version was the original, the "right" way to do it. The original Italian Carbonara sauce is egg yolks mixed with a little cream, freshly ground black pepper and parmesan. You combine it with cooked pasta and cubed bacon.
Here's the recipe:
320g pasta
4 egg yolks
200ml (1 cup 80% filled) single pouring cream
freshly ground black pepper
60g parmesan, grated
400g bacon
1) Heat a large pot of salted water over high heat. Cut the bacon into small cubes, about 1/4inch wide. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and cook the bacon in it, stirring every now and then until the fat comes out and the bacon turns crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
2) Cook the pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Grate the parmesan.
3) Combine the egg yolks with the cream and add the grated parmesan. Stir to combine. Season with black pepper.
4) Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Let it sit for about a minute until it has cooled a little. Stir in the sauce and add the bacon. Serve with extra parmesan and more freshly ground black pepper if you like.
Serves: 4
Active preparation time: 10 minutes
Total preparation time: 15 minutes
Here's how mine turned out:
Tips and tricks:
Pasta carbonara is a really easy dish once you know how to do it. It can be a little difficult at first though, because you might end up with pasta with scrambled egg. It is crucial that your pasta cools about a minute before you add the sauce. If you would stir the sauce through boiling hot pasta right away, the egg yolk in the sauce clots and you'll have scrambled eggs instead of a creamy sauce coating the pasta. But this is really as far as the magic goes.
I love this recipe because it is so simple and comforting. It takes the time the pasta cooks to prepare and assemble the sauce. The sauce is wonderfully creamy and coating the pasta - there shouldn't be any excess while the pepper livens things up and the bacon adds crunchiness and a nice salty flavor.
Have fun trying!
Hi guys!
I love to use the extra time I have on weekends to cook something that needs a little more dedication, a little more time. My dad just loves home-made pasta, so I am happy to make his wish come true. I have decided to share a recipe my mum loves to make frequently in summer. I don't know how or when she came up with the idea, but it works great and is a favorite with the whole family. This recipe throws together a few summery ingredients that add great flavor on a few levels.
First sun-dried tomatoes, one of my favorite ingredients of all time actually. I love their texture and the concentrated flavor of tomatoes picked at their best.
Secondly, I add pine nuts. Pine nuts and tomatoes make a pretty basic combination for me. I like mine toasted to really set their flavor free and complement the tomatoes.
My third ingredient is prosciutto di parma or parma ham. It is dry-cured ham that is typically served thinly sliced and uncooked. I cut my slices into thin strips and cooked them in a non-stick pan until they become crisp.
Here's the recipe:
Home-made pasta for as many people as you want to serve
100g sun-dried tomatoes
80g pine nuts
150g prosciutto di parma
parmesan, to serve
rocket, to serve
1) Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into medium-sized pieces. Toast the pine nuts in a non-stick pan without oil. Be careful not to let them turn black.
2) Cut each slice of parma ham into thin strips. Cook in a non-stick pan until crisp.
3) Combine the tomatoes, pine nuts and ham with the cooked pasta and serve with freshly grated parmesan and, if you like to, some roughly torn rocket leaves.
Here's how it looks served plain...
... or with rocket:
I love this recipe; it shouts summer to me. The tomatoes, pine nuts and prosciutto work wonderfully together and the fresh pasta adds its distinct flavor to this dish. Perfect for a summer dinner outside!
Have fun trying!
