blissful baking

ohmagod. i am back in the kitchen. at last! and this time it's for good. i have left my daily job behind (at least for a while...), the one that keeps me cooking all day long but never leaves time to bake or cook my own thing. and then there is this tiny little project of a baking book.

so i had to return; make my comeback. - peeps, i am back!

my dish of the big return had to be an applecake. i had applecake on my mind half of my life. i even moved to amsterdam for a year just to eat applecake every day (nuts, innit?). i have tried many and discovered really, really nice ones. julia child's french appletart - ohmagod, gives you shaky knees and all. dutch apple tart? - tried so very many and finally found one that tasted exactly like the one i ate at villa zeezicht in amsterdam every day.

but there was one applecake on my mind, i never figured out how to make. my mum used to bake it for a while, but of course there was no recipe to be found. she just did it - just shot it from her hips. total intuitive baking - straight from the heart.

it was all juicy inside... the apples embedded in a soft sponge cake with a light and airy coating.

damn, i was on a mission.

and i won!

RECIPE

i nicked it from the lovely deb over at smitten kitchen. she nicked it from someone else, her mother. how wonderful is that? her mother had the recipe mine never wrote down?

so go ahead, nick it, too. and make it your own. it's right here.

PS: i reduced the amout of sugar, because it is really, really alot of sugar she coats the apples in (jewish people just know how to work with sugar, i cant blame them). but it makes the applefilling quite sirupy, so you can use less. also i mixed some quark (or ricotta) with an egg and some vanilla sugar and poured it over the cake to make a nice airy top.

be merry ya'all

my dear cakelovers. happy holidays to you all. i am cooking up storms for you to share right here. very soon. promise! lotsa love *m

fall in a glass

uh, where has october gone? - probably just escaped while we were all busy catching the last warm sunrays, carrying home the last big bunches of flowers from the market, doing our almost nostalgic "good bye summer jumps" into the river and watching the leaves turn golden.
but: as much as i love those days spent in a bikini and flipflops, i dont really mind the arrival of fall. the air is crisp, you are all wrapped up in a nice cashmere sweater - it's the return of hats and gloves and there is always an excuse for a hot chocolate.
let alone the big pot of pumpkin soup on the stove and a constant aroma of cinnamon and chocolate in the air. aint that bad, is it?

fall has one of my biggest addictions in store: mushrooms. give me a bucket of chanterelles and i am all yours. i turn into a greedy greedy person when it comes to chanterelles. because-i-just-want-them-all-to-myself. still i will be sharing this tiny little secret recipe with you. it's perfect for all of us nerds who like to chop things into small little bits and pieces and all in all is just a delicious tartar of mushrooms you can serve with some toasted bread or serve it with a dollop of creme fraiche with a soup. but of course it goes really well with game meat or any dish made with potatoes.


RECIPE

400g fresh mushrooms (such as chanterelles, cheps, brown mushrooms,...)
2 small, sour apples, finely cubed
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 shallot, finely diced
1 tablespoon sage, finely diced
salt, freshly ground pepper
3 fresh egg yolks
1/2 lemon, juice
1 tablespoon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 dash of worcestershiresauce
1 dash of tabasco

clean mushrooms with a brush, then slice. heat oil in a pan, then fry the musrooms on high heat, making sure to stirr frequently. put in bowl and let cool - when cool, cube mushrooms very finely, mix with apple cubes. season with salt, pepper, sage and add finely cubed shallot.
in another bowl, mix egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, worcestershiresauce and tabasco and whisk. then add to the mushroom mixture & mix well.

IMPORTANT: eat on same day as made, since it contains fresh egg yolks.

comfort in a brownie

you dont need anything else when you are serving a brownie.
a brownie has got it all, its small but full of flavour.
its sweet and the only thing that could make it any sweeter would be a kiss shared in between.

a brownie is for everything.
a box of brownies is the bestest peacemaker on the planet.
i have never seen people eating a brownie & starting a war.
you just have to laugh, cuz it's such a fun and happy little cake.
a brownie is a declaration of love.
because if you serve someone a really, really good brownie then you have to bake it with all your heart and soul -
put all your love into it and kiss it goodbye when you put it into the oven.
and you really only wanna share it with people you love.
you get all greedy because you dont want to share it with people who dont appreciate you or your little lovecake.
a brownie is comfort. because it smells like sugar and chocolate and cinnamon and makes you forget whatever it is your heart might be suffering from.

this brownie is a tribute, an adieu - a goodbye from my oven to a loved one.
i will look towards heaven & think of you when it melts in my mouth.
really. sometimes a brownie is such a good thing, it makes you cry.
and comforts you. just like that.


RECIPE

using a brownie tin of about 21 x 21 cm

250g butter
250g dark chocolate
6 eggs
380g sugar
2 packets of vanilla sugar (or 2 tbspoons of vanilla extract)
150g flour, siftet
generous pinch of salt
1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon

125g ricotta cheese
125g cream cheese
2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
1 egg
5 teaspoons of heavy cream
1 tablespoon flour

2-3 small prunes, in slices


preheat the oven to 180 c°, line tin with baking paper.
mix the ingredients for the cheesecake mix together, starting with ricotta, cream cheese, then add sugar, egg, cream & flour. mix until very smooth & set aside.

melt butter & chocolate in a bowl over simmering water and let cool.
in another bowl, mix sugar with eggs & vanilla and beat until it starts to froth - don't overmix, ok? then pour in cooled chocolate & butter, fold in flour & salt & cinnamon.

pour into baking tin, add cheesecake mix with a spoon & make any design you want (swirl a fork through the batter etc), but dont overdo it. then add prune slices on top and press lightly into the batter.

bake for 35-20 minutes until top is a little crispy but the inside still a little moist. no worries, it will get firmer when cooling down.

cool in the tin, then cut into slices, then squares.

Let's marniate!

can we talk about mozzarella for a minute? - as much as i love heaps of it on a pizza, cuz it makes it go all goey - or even better comes oozing out of a calzone - you dont hear me shout hooray when i am confronted with a plain simple ball of mozzarella. not too much taste, right?
dont get me wrong here: nothing beats the creaminess of a buffalo mozzarella but whenever i eat it i cant help but dip it into some pesto or cover it with loads of salt & pepper because i feel like mozzarella just has to come with something or it's a total loser on a plate.


but then i just cant help but live off salad capreze during the summer, because it's such an easy recipe and i also think a sunkissed tomato doesnt really need much more than a sprinkle of salt & pepper. but still: in goes mozzarella.
so while being in a small "mozzarella crisis" the other day i raided my herb garden, mixed it all up with some lemonjuice and olive oil and chucked in some mozzarella. the secret ingredient wasnt the basil though. just a little bit of peppermint in combination with the lemon rind makes this a very fresh & summery affair. or finally a mozzarella with taste.


RECIPE

2 oval shaped mozzarella balls
3-4 sprigs of oregano
2-3 sprigs of basil
2 sprigs of rosemary
1-2 sprigs mint
some red pepper
some chili flakes
a little bit of salt
zest of one unwaxed lemon
juice of a lemon
about 300ml of olive oil

slice mozzarella, chop all herbs, cut lemon zest in fine strips. add lemon juice & olive oil to a large preserving glass, mix. then add herbs, chili, red pepper & just a dash of salt. stir well & add sliced mozzarella. mix well & make sure the cheese is coated well. let marinate for at least an hour or overnight in the fridge.

keeps in the fridge for about a week. use for salads, pasta dishes or pizza.


about time i join the gang again. this is my entry for this weeks WHB, hosted by dhanggit's kitchen this week. head over to her blog for the roundup & more recipes using veggies, greens & herbs.

it's PIMM's o'clock, baby

i tend to eat in phases. i have had the weeks of brownies, lasagne, fruit tarts, meringue rolls, days filled with one pastadish after the other - oh and let's not forget my focus on mascarpone-recipes that lasted for months. i blame my job and my greedy nature for this.

that also means: whatever i have to cook for my job i dont want to eat in my private life. currently that is heaps of meat, everything with full fat cheese and double cream or fruit that's been drowned in kirsch. i.dont.want.to.eat.any.of.that. - really, get out of my face fullfat cream!
after a day in the kitchen slathering meat with marinade, arranging a broccoli for a picture just the way you'd want to lick the picture asap and building towers of cupcakes all i want to do is just walk away from it and have - let's say - toast with butter. a pack of cookies (3 packs in 4 days, i call this quite a performance). everything that doesnt require heating up a pan or oven. tear open a package - that's a deal. count me in.
but then where is the fun in that? also i'd like to think you'd have to have at least 5 seconds of fun preparing your food (pack of cookies open in only 2 secs) and there is that thought of things like vitamins. proteins. fibres.

i entered a new phase this summer when i visited my beloved friend T in london. on that very summery sunday afternoon i entered the PIMM's phase in his backyard and i have this feeling it might turn from phase to beloved habit, cuz really: PIMM's is just about the best thing since sliced bread.

i like to think PIMM's is the oscar de la renta among drinks. PIMM's is chic. it's a proper ladies drink that even guys like.

and just like oscar's dresses PIMM's comes with a whole lotta accessories, too. there is a PIMM's sunchair, a PIMM's pitcher - oh hallelujah! - there is even a goddamned PIMM's picnic blanket that i ordered in 1,2,3 and i can-not-wait to finally organize a proper PIMM's picnic. you know, all dressed up & some sandwiches in a basket.

to find out more (and order your own picnic blanket) head over to the PIMM's webpage. in the meantime, here is my current diet

RECIPE

icecubes
PIMM's
homemade lemonade (see recipe below)
orange slices
fresh strawberries or raspberries
sticks of cucumber
fresh peppermint

fill glass halfway up with ice. add orange slice, cucumber, raspberries and some peppermint. fill with two part lemonade and one part PIMM's (you lushs may tweak proportions...). the more PIMM's you add. the more bitter it will taste. i like my PIMM's ladylike with just a dash of that magic stuff.

RECIPE HOMEMADE LEMONADE

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
juice of 6 lemons
2-3 cups of water
icecubes

heat sugar and 1 cup of water in a small pan until sugar has dissolved, let cool.
then mix with lemonjuice, rest of water and fill into jug with icecubes.

you were always on my mind marie rose

i always carry trucks of stuff around with me. its either a bag full of books, the 5 pairs of shoes, the usual bikini & towel for the midnight swimm - it's milk and bread and butter and a pack of sugar.
but the most important thing i carry around with me is my "to-do-list". the list doesnt contain anything of the importance of "calling mum to say i am sorry", "report back to boss", "polish bike" or all the other naff stuff one should write onto a list (and really do in life).
nah. my list contains dishes i want to.... - no! - dishes i have to cook.
you'd find a new version of a brownie (cuz really at then end of the day it's all about the brownie) or that meatdish i had at the restaurant that makes me go think: "hell yeah, i can do this myself!" on that list.
with the constant cooking - and most importantly because i am greedy by nature - for my job i can tick off most of the dishes on that list in 1,2,3.
for some reason the "marie rose sandwich" mark never got ticked off. for like months.
i admit, it had alot to do with the fact that there is such a thing called bikini i'd like to fit it withouth scaring everyone around me (also i dont only swimm around midnight...).
marie rose comes with loads of ketchup. and that wonderful thing called mayonnaise. doesnt really match with the word "bikini". for sure.
oh but maybe it was all just destiny - i'd like to think - that i saved this wonderful, easypeasy little dish for today. coming back home from a day straightoutta hell ("calling mum to say i am sorry" still needs to be ticked off) i was in for some good soulfood. just gimme that goddamn bottle of ketchup and mayonnaise and life will be sweet and juicy again.


and when i was just tucking into my marie rose sandwich, with the sauce all over my fingers and running down my chin (cuz that's how it goes, doesnt it?) this elvis song came back to my mind:

*i just never took the time -*
*you are always on my mind.*

thank god for elvis.
and marie rose.
i am sorry it took me so long...


This is an adapton of the original recipe. you'd usually serve it with lettuche and leave out the peppers & cucumber. since i am trying to become a leftover-queen i mixed those veggies into this sandwich. it makes it super-juicy & fresh & also adds some colour!

RECIPE
3-4 hand full of cooked shrip (take the tiny ones)
crunchy bread

for the sauce:
mayonnaise
creme fraiche or plain yoghurt
a tiny dash of tabasco
some worcestershire sauce
loads of ketchup
lemon juice
salt & pepper

some red pepper, finely cubed
fresh cucumber, finely cubed

mix all ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. make sure it's all gonna turn out pink & quite ketchupy. lemon juice will make it taste more fresh - add more mayonnaise & the stuff will turn out rich and fabulous. - wash & dry the shrip & add to the sauce. halve the bread, add rose marie-mix, then scatter with pepper & cucumber, then top with remaining bread.
serve with napkins!

naughty drink

when it comes to naughty drinks i am real rookie. i know what a gin tonic is, order a shandy every now and then and i do know how to spell the word *c-h-a-m-p-a-g-n-e* but when it comes to the hard stuff: just dont ask me nuthin' about it.
so when a dear friend gave me a holler to ask if i could mix up some summery naughty drinks for her upcoming wedding i thought "no biggie" and promised to come up with some recipes.

- little did i know...-

i started mixing with what i still had in my fridge which was some berries and fruitjuices and peppermint and lemon balm. two hours, a wasted bottle of vodka, no clue what to do with tequila and some generous sips later i wasnt just a teeny weeny bit tipsy but actually liked what i accidentally mixed together.

so really, this recipe is an accident. i do have a couple of friends who can prove by now it's not gonna hurt though...



RECIPE

makes enough for 12 modest drinkers - or 3-4 total lushs.

250g sugar
3dl water
juice of 5-6 lemons
500g cherries, blueberries or raspberries
2 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar (just mix sugar with cinnamon)
1/2 liter vodka
1-2 bottles sparkling mineral water
fresh peppermint
lotsa ice

mix the cherries (or berries) with the cinnamon-sugar and let marinate for about an hour or so. heat (plain) sugar with water in a pan and remove from heat as soon as you reach the boiling point (give it a good stir to make sure the sugar has dissolved). let cool.
mix cherries (or berries) with the sugar sirup, lemon juice in a big bowl, add vodka.
fill glasses with ice, add berry-mixture (only halfway up, thanks!), spring of peppermint, then fill up with mineral water.