ricotta tart with vermicelli pasta

not that i could afford it - my bikini still looks tiny on my buttocks. and if there wont happen a miracle in the next few weeks my appearanche at the beach wont be very glamorous. but then, who can resist a sweet little tart? and i always tell myself that when i only eat a small piece, the calories dont really count. because not eating tart isnt really an option in my kitchen. i discovered a recipe for a nepolitan ricotta tart in the latest book PASTA PASSION by italian food writer ursula ferrigno. her ricotta tart is enriched with some vermicelli pasta, those tiny little angel-hair like noodles. i fiddled around with her recipe a little bit, since i havent got orange flower water and was too lazy to grate 115g orange peel. so instead of orange, i simply mixed some chocolate chips into the filling.
when she writes that the pastry is "a very short pastry, so it may tear readily" she put it quite mild. the pastry is a pain in the back, let me tell you this straigh away but it is very easy to patch into the tart tin. when the tart comes out of the oven it makes such a wonderful presentation - rich but sweet - really a wonderful little thing.
so here is my ricotta tart with vermicelli pasta, my entry for this weeks presto pasta night, hosted - as always - by the lovely ruth from once upon a feast.



RECIPE

for the pastry:
225g butter
175g sugar
4 egg yolks
450g flour

for the filling:
about 450g ricotta cheese
115g sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
grated zest of two and juice of one lemon
1 egg, separated
500ml milk
175g vermicelli pasta
large pinch of salt
icing sugar for dusing
50g chocolate chips


to make the pastry: put the butter and sugar in a bowl and cream together. add the egg yolks and then gradually add the flour, mixing well to make a soft dough. wrap in greaseproof paper and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
to make the filling, put the ricotta, sugar (reserve 2 tablespoons), cinnamon, lemon zest and juice and the egg yolk in a bowl, then beat together.
in a small saucepan bring the milk to a boil, add the vermicelli, 2 tablespoons of sugar, zest of one lemon and a pinch of salt and simmer gently until the vermicelli has absorbed neraly all of the milk. make sure the pasta doesnt stick and burn at the bottom of the pan.

while it's still warm, blend the pasta carefully into the ricotta mixture. let cool a bit. whisk the egg white until it holds its shape, gently fold into the mixture. add chocolate chips.

heat the oven to 190 c°.
on a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry and use two-thirds to line a 28cm loose-bottomed tart tin. the pastry is a pain in the back and breaks very easily but can be easily patched into the tin.
add the ricotta filling, then cut the remaining pastry into 5mm strips and arrange a lattice pattern over the top of the tart.
bake in the oven for about 50 minutes until golden. let cool a bit and dust with icing sugar before serving.

FOOD TRAVELS AMSTERDAM

i have a thing for amsterdam. i could write you a whole list why i fell in love with this city the first time i visited about 10 years ago (the list would include HEMA, bijenkorf, fries, canals...). i even decided to take a year off from work and move to amsterdam. the thought of going to the flowermarket & eat a piece of applecake at villa zeezicht every day was just too tempting. so i packed my bags and moved to the jordaan area of amsterdam for a while.

with the applecake you got one of the most important amsterdam foods you have to try. there is many who serve it - but the one at villa zeezicht (for adress, see below) and at the bakkerswinkel is hard to beat. make sure you order a decent scoop of whipped cream with it - the sour apples and the sweet cream are a perfect match!

below you will find just some of the "must-see-must-do" adresses for a trip to amsterdam. and since you cant eat all day i included some shopping, too. which i guess you dont mind...

delicious! goats cheese salad at 't tuinfeest

warm summer nights are best enjoyed in a cute little restaurant like 't tuinfeest (geldersekade 109) in the newmarket area. they make a wonderful warm goats cheese salad, serve a delicious steak and a cheese fondue, too if you are in the mood. it's a wonderful spot to see the world go by and the sun dissapear behind the breathtaking skyline of the buzy red-light district.
and the best thing about this restaurant is, that it's just around the corner from the italian ijssalon tofani (kloveniersburgwal 16)! this family run business has been serving its homemade icecreams for ages and it's just such a wonderful old-fashioned place to be. they sell their icecream by the scoop - if you are as crazy as we are, you order the big bowl with a capacity of 20 scoops. dont miss it - and if you are lucky my friend bob will be there, too and strike a pose for you (you might have to buy him some icecream in return...)

lovely bob - striking a pose with icecream

the area of the newmarket & zeedijk is also home to one of the best thai-places in the city: snackbar bird (zeedijk 77). it's a tiny little restaurant and you will have to squeeze yourself in with loads of other (mostly fun people) but it's definitely worth it. they make amazing fishcakes and their red curry with tofu and bamboo sprouts is hard to beat. another plus: it's dead cheap!

i would start a fight for this: roastbeefsandwich @ puccini

a nice walk along the canals away is a place you MUST NOT miss when in amsterdam. it's the cafe that serves the best roastbeefsandwich in the whole wide world: cafe puccini staalstraat 12. their roastbeef sandwich is made with herb mayonnaise, fresh salad, egg and tomato and is so good, i usually have seconds. if you are not into roastbeefsandwiches: they have other sandwiches such as salmon (yum!) or salads like goats cheese (heaven!) or their signature-dish: the puccini salad with roasted pine nuts, loads of herbs and smoked turkey (impossible to resist!). it's always busy - but try to get the red sofa in the back - you get the best views from there!
and just in case you haven't ordered one of their sinful chocolate tarts for dessert, just two doors down from cafe puccini is chocholate heaven puccini bonboni (staalstraat 17). fresh, handmade pralines in a plethora of shapes and styles -- pure, milk, white - are laid out on a long, open table. you better go there with a low sugar level as you will buy loads of these lemongrass / cranberry / cinnamon / ... chocolates. they also sell the darkest cocoa powder on the planet, so make sure you buy a pack. it will be like gold for your homebaked brownies.

chocaholic anyone? - cinnamon chocolates at puccini

if you are into noodles, dont miss wagamama at max euweplein 10. they are such friendly people who serve good food (the cha han with miso soup is hard to beat!). they close at 10, so dont go too late.
if you feel like indonesian food, head over to the flowermarket, where you will find indonesian restaurant sanapurna. they serve wonderful rice with meat and yummy sauces and everything (quite spicy, too!)
one thing you will find everywhere are fries. but there is only one place where you will get the best fries in the whole city of amsterdam. the "vlaamse frittenhuis" i am talking about is located in a tiny street (voetboogstraat - a side street of kalverstraat) and you will see people queue from far. but it's worth the wait. the fries are crunchy and the mayonnaise on top just heaven!

make sure your fries are covered with mayonnaise

villa zeezicht (toorensteg 4) is the place to go for a warm piece of applecake fresh out of the oven! it's one of the best in town - you might want to order a second slice... oh it's just so good! the cafe is very romantic and has an old fashioned feel - whenever the sun is out you can sit on the bridge over the canal and enjoy your zeezicht-salad and salmon sandwich. dont miss!

cozy & romantic - outside "villa zeezicht"

de bakkerswinkel (warmoesstraat 69) is the cutest cafe ever. a former roasting house - now the probably busiest cafe in town. they serve a good breakfast with homemade jam, a decent afternoon tea with scones and clotted cream, salads and tiny but good sandwiches. the thing i love most about the bakkerswinkel is just next to the door - their buffet of homemade cakes and jam! dont miss their applecake - it comes straight out of the oven. closed on mondays and -hell!-busy on weekends. try to make it there on a weekday.

scones and clotted cream at bakkerswinkel

if you are looking for decent icecream and a little something sweet during your shopping trip along the 9 straatjes, head over to pastry shop lanskroon (corner of singel and roskampstraat, close to the spui). they make this awesome raspberrytart that i am sure you would want some, too.

pastries and homemade icecream at lanskroon

time for shopping - it's best to start your day at around 10ish at my girls BLOND's shop at singel 369. they paint the most beautiful designs on teapots, cups, plates and bowls. lotsa cute designs, polkadots, pinks and greens. robbie williams has got one of their teapots, kylie and jamie oliver, too. (right, tina turner is the one i forgot to mention). janneke and femque are two lovely girls that started their business a while back in a tiny little shop without central heating. i love thinking back, how we met: it was winter and we were all freezing and wearing moon-boots! their new shop is at the beautiful canal single (they will move in late summer of 2007, so check back with their website to find out where they are at). send them my love when you visit - you will see they are loooovely!

lovely janneke from BLOND at work - isnt she adorable?

well - sometimes jannekes and femques shop BLOND is almost sold out. sometimes a little swiss lady comes along and buys and packs up all their lovely paintings and bowls and plates. (that would be me). fortunately they also sell their adorable stuff at deparmentstore BIJENKORF (dam square) and at V&D (kalventooren shopping centre). you will find oven gloves, little plates to die for, a tapas set, cakestands and cute little cakeforks in their kitchen deparment. pack an extra bag. you will buy loads...

from teapots to teacups - BLOND's designs

there is really one thing you must not miss when in amsterdam - it's HEMA. if you havent seen HEMA, then it's as if you have been to paris but havent seen the eiffel tower. HEMA is a must. HEMA has got all the stuff you want and need. beautiful kitchen towells, well designed garden furniture and loads of bric a brac for the house and garden. there is two HEMAS in the city centre. the one at kalvertooren shopping centre (just around the corner from the flower market) is my HEMA. shopping heaven. dont miss!

fields of flowers @ flowermarket

speaking of the flowermarket: it's the place to meet hordes of tourists, so you wanna go pretty early in the morning or later in the day at around 5 - 5.30ish. great place to buy an amarillys-bulp you can grow back home - and maybe you are like me and wont be able to resist those big bunches of lillies and roses for just 15 euros.


the 9 small street (9 straatjes) are located between singel and prinsengracht and are just lovely to walk around as you will discover all kinds of antique & second hand shops, little cafes and all kinds of cute boutiques. it will take you about an afternoon to visit all the streets - a day if you intend on ordering coffee & cake in the various cafes you will discover on your way.

bike @ singel canal

another street i enjoy walking along is the haarlemerstraat. it's very close to the main station and the perfect starting point if you plan to explore the jordaan (former jewish part of the city). the haarlemerstraat is home to loads of little bric a brac stores such as het grote avontuur(haarlemerstraat 25). they have got the most beautiful chinese fabrics and little bits and pieces with polkadots and cute stripes and stars on it. if you have a thing for cute cups, too then this is where you will feel like home.

also not to miss is the raadhuisstraat, which starts at dam square and leads into the rozengracht. it's home to 3 of my favourite places. kitsch kitchen (rozengracht 8-12)is heaven for girls like me. loads of stuff made of plastic (but cute) - some cute china decorations & plates and cups and pots and really a place to discover loads of cute things.


a little further down the street you will find a wonderful turkish bakery & snack shop - mercan pastanesi at rozengracht 148. they make this wicked turkish pizza - i cant walk past without ordering one.


a little snack will do you good, since you are about to enter design temple NOLITA (rozengracht 196). they sell loads of wonderful dutch and swedish design for the kitchen / garden / living room and have the cutest things for dogs, too. if you have a thing for tord boontje you will find his tablestory collection and some of his lamps there. and if you love lamps - this shop will make you ship big, big boxes of lampshades back home. they come in all kinds of coulours and the most beautiful designs. i did it - i am sure you can, too!
another shop that's very good for cute things & glitzy stuff you might not need but cant live without is CHRISTIAN DOM (spuistraat 281). this shop is often mistaken as a disco - because you will hear kylies voice from far... oh those ladies will make your shopping trip a glamorous adventure.

creamy farfalle with smoked salmon

cravings for creamy pasta is something i have 24/7. as much as i like a decent sugo - for me, it's got to be rich and creamy. also - because a creamy sauce for a pasta dish is mostly done in a dash and doesnt need much to simply taste wonderful. maybe a pinch of salt, some freshly ground pepper - a dash of fresh herb. done!
the same applies for this humble little dish - my creamy farfalle with smoked salmon, a recipe i happily share with my gals over at ruth's presto pasta night.
its so quick to make, i almost feel like a cheater, when i call it cooking. you will only need little ingredients but at the end you will have a delicious creamy pasta dish that - at least i - could eat every single day of the year.

RECIPE

about 300g farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small red onion, finely sliced
some heavy or light cream
a hand full of fresh basil or dill, coarsely chopped
about 200g smoked salmon, cut in fine cubes

cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. add onion and immediately drain pasta, then return to the pot. add some cream (be generous but you dont want your farfalle to swim in the cream...), basil and salmon to the pot, stir so the thin sauce coats the pasta well. season lightly with freshly ground pepper and a pinch of salt. serve asap.

butternut squash soup with coconut milk

i know, not really the season for pumpkin. but whenever i walk past my favourite indian shop, i just CANT resist buying one of these. the butternut squash is my number one pumkin - it makes the most beautiful soups, gratins, adds a wonderful colour and structure to mashed potatoes and is just heaven on earth, when you roast it with some mushrooms, thyme and red chilli in the oven. it's so soft and buttery - i just cant get enough of it. while all other kinds of pumpkins (like the muscat) are widely available in switzerland, the butternut somehow is still very hard to find. i started to grow my own (in a pot on a balcony, wish me luck... i guess i need a miracle to make this really happen...). once i even carried one all the way from london to switzerland. and that was just ANOTHER day where the swiss staff had some weird wrinkles on their forehead, when they looked at my carry-on luggage.


butternut squash is not just creamy and has this wonderful colour, but is also a source of fiber, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium and potassium. so all in all a gorgeous little veggie that's healthy, too.
it makes this wonderful creamy soup - a generous amout of ginger makes this soup also quite refreshing. if you cant find butternut squash, simply use carrots, parsnips or potatoes.


RECIPE

1 onion, finely diced
about 4-5cm long piece of ginger, peeled and cut in fine strips
1 butternut squash (about 1 kilo), peeled and cut in large cubes
1 liter vegetable stock
1/2 liter of coconut milk
salt and freshly ground pepper

pumpkin seeds and homemade pita chips, for serving

heat some olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and ginger and braise until soft. add butternut squash and roast for about 2-3 minutes. then add the stock and bring to a boil. reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until butternut squash is soft.
if you have loads of stock left, take some out of the pan, using a large soup ladle. you just want your veggies to be covered in liquid. then add some of the coconut milk and mix with a handheld mixer until you get a very smooth soup. add more coconut milk if desired. then season with some salt and freshly ground pepper.

sprinkle with some pumpin seeds, then serve with some flatbread pita chips.


fancy more recipes using all kings of herbs and veggies: then head over to this week's WHB. astrid from paulchens food blog is this weeks host.

centrepiece of the month june

for junes centre piece of the month - as always hosted by the lovely janelle from talk of tomatoes - i did something very easy and quick that still makes an impression on the table. a big glass bowl that i use to make a trifle is used as a vase for refreshing-green ivy and vibrant orchids.


the ivy is from the garden - and these orchids can be found in large bunches in asian- or chinese stores for about 5 swiss francs (3 US dollars). make sure you dont put too much water in the bowl, as you dont want your flowers to drown. just enough so you can dip the flower's and ivy's stem into the water.


of course you could use any kind of bowl or large vase for this centre piece. if you cant find orchids, simply use roses in full bloom, clematis work well or large heads of flowering lillies make a great appearance, too.

the sweetest thing - arragoste

the domestic goddess (nah, not nigella, the other one) aked us this month to post about our sweetest thing. desserts we cant imagine living without, the stuff that smells like home and all the beautiful sweet desserts we crave when sugar levels are low or a broken heart needs to be fixed.
this sweet little arragoste is my number one craving - my sweetest thing, my number one thought whenever i try to watch my nutrition and weight. it's the first thing i buy when i am back from a long trip (dontcha feel very hangover after a long flight, too? - here is how i fix it!) and my number one dessert when friends and loved ones come over for a cup of coffee.



this rich little thing is made of filopastry and pate à choux, that's filled with a heavenly soft vanilla pastry creme, that's pimped up with some whipped cream. i am not telling you this, because i have baked these for an endless time in my kitchen... - unfortunately i havent been able to find a decent recipe to make my sweetest thing myself.
anne from a food lovers journey made something very similar not a long time ago. she called them mini seashell pastries and they look just wonderful and are filled with ricotta.



now here is the thing: if you happen to be italian. and if you have forgiven me for replacing the bechamel sauce with mascarpone in the lasagne, for putting all kinds of un-italian spices into my tomato sugo (and for not cooking it as long as i am supposed to do...), then please hear my cry for help....


... is there a nonna in your family, one that has a recipe for these sweet arragoste? - a nonna that would share it, too? tell her i can eat 2 big plates full of spaghetti in no time, that i make my own ricotta and mascarpone and always finish my plate, no matter how much food is on there.
i know it's a recipe thats from the south of sicily, as my italian pastry-god who sells these is from there. i promise not to ruin the recipe (i dont want you to become disinherited and not be fed by your family anymore), to hold it dear and close to my heart. it really would be - a dream come true!

puntalette salad with water melon & goats cheese

i am a small person, so i like all things tiny. such tiny things as puntalette. mostly used in soups, i use it as a tiny pasta for this weeks presto pasta night in my refreshing summer salad: my puntalette salad with water melon and goats cheese.
i'd like to give you deccent recipes, but find it very hard to give exact measurements for this recipe. really, just throw in as much of the ingredients as you like. but since the puncalette are so tiny, make sure you dice and cube everything in tiny, cute little pieces. you dont want them to compete with the pasta, do you? - now go and enjoy summer!



RECIPE

puntalette, cooked al dente & cooled
cucumber, peeled & cut in tiny cubes
water melon, cut in tiny cubes
dried tomatoes, finely diced
spring onions, finely diced
olives, finely diced
basil, finely diced
some fresh goats cheese, torn in small pieces


sauce:
250ml olive oil
125ml red wine vineggar
1 tablespoon runny honey
juice of half a lemon

mix all ingredients for the sauce and pour a couple of tablespoons over the salad. rest of sauce keeps in the fridge for about a week.

herbed flatbread chips

for me, a trip to the states always brings a new addiction into my life. it started with the marc jacobs addiction (which i - for financial reasons - had to quit very, very soon). then there was the williams sonoma addiction (that i hold very, very dear and i still carry about a gallon of their lime dishsoap back home. once, they even asked me if i was transporting dead bodies, my bags were so heavy). i could continue this list and words like bloomingdales jeans department, sixty tompson hotel, kates paperie, dean and deluca and grandaisy bakery would only be some of the words this list would include. last time i went, i discovered pita chips. probably no big deal if you live in the states. here - we dont even know how to S-P-E-L-L pita chips. there was this special offer at whole foods (another word on that list) and i couldnt resist. started eating them, started to have serious cravings and by the time i left new york i ate pita chips for breakfast. and here i sit in switzerland - with no whole foods, let alone pita chips but still some serious cravings for it. so i had to come up with an idea. if there was no pita chips in switzerland, i had to bring the pita chips to switzerland. so i came up with this recipe. i am using turkish flatbreads instead of pita breads. those flatbreads are simply bigger in size which means there are more chips coming out of the oven.


RECIPE

4 turkish flatbreads
about 120g butter, room temperature
2-3 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese
freshly picked thyme and rosemary
salt and freshly ground pepper
a pinch of cayenne pepper
more freshly grated parmesan cheese, for sprinkling

heat the oven to 180°c.

mix the butter with the herbs and spices and generously rub it on one side of each of the flatbreads, then generously sprinkle with some more grated parmesan cheese. cut them into (i like) rather big triangle (they dont have to be perfect), place them on a lined baking sheet and bake in the middle of the oven for about 5 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 3 minutes so they all get a nice brown colour. - baking times may vary, depending how fiery your oven is.
let cool on a cooling rack (attention! hot butter - they are flipping hot when they come out of the oven).

serve with as a snack with a glass of beer or with a soup or salad.


my herbed flatbread chips are my entry for this weeks WHB, hosted by rachel this week. head over to her site rachel's bite to go through all the yummy herb-entries from this week.

browniebabe of the month roundup #2

browniebabe is getting crazier and crazier with each round - look at the long list of delicious little brownies we got this time - AGAIN! thank you all for joining - dont lick the screen too often while you go through all these wonderful recipes and see if you became browniebabe of the month! and if not, dont worry - new round of browniebabe coming very soon!

***

helen from tartelette has been busy baking brownies since our last round up and told me they turned out very good. this encouraged her to bake these little beauties: white chocolate brownies. look at this! thanks for joining - and please keep on baking, you do such a great job!


deborah from taste and tell baked herself into a disaster when she baked her basic and speedy brownie. but at the end it all came out well - with these little cuties here:

victoria from oooh!cake made a wonderful thing. she mixed some passionfruit pulp into a brownie and just thinking about it - i can tell this is makes a great combination with the chocolate. also - made me think i should use more of this fun and colourful cake-decoration for my brownies. nice job, thanks for joining!


amrita is le petite boulanger and baked an apricot pistacio brownie for us. what a great combination. her site is very funky - it comes with music. so it's a bakeshop and a disco all in one blog. BTW - i looove the ribbon!

mallow at sweet and savoury made a chewy brownie for us and while she still questioned wheiter it was the perfect one, i think we all agree, that it's darn good looking and the finely chopped pecan nuts make a great topping, too.

kristen from something sweet has been a busy brownie-baker this month. she made TWO (can i be your guest one day? - there seems to be a brownie in your house all the time, how fab is that?) she made a sweet and golden ginger brownie (that's healthy, too!)

the next brownie kirsten from something sweet baked involved a shopping-trip to whole foods, which really is something i would love to do for every cookie and brownie and meal i cook. unfortunately they havent mooved here, but look at these beautiful blackberries she found there and here is what she baked with them. YUM!


canadian baker, too joined us this month with a fudgy black forest brownie. she followed a recipe by baking queen linda collister. really a guarantee for a good brownie!



smitta is back this month with a very handsome little number: the george clooney brownies (girls, dont faint - there is still loads of brownies to look at - so dont!). the brownie is charming and handsome. just like the man himself. try not to lick the screen, girls.


julie from the persnickety palate is a first timer at a foodblog-event. but look what a great job she did with her brownies for bing season. it's a rich and creamy black forest brownie. one that would actually make me walk all the way to the black forest. which would take me about a week or so. good job julie and come back, soon!

amy from nook and pantry managed to make me like green tea in a cake (dont you think it usually smells a bit... let's say... fishy?). her green tea white chocolate brownies dont just look wonderful but tasted heavenly when i baked them the very day i saw the recipe on her blog. thanks amy for baking this - i love green tea, now!


sarina is from trinidad and seems to seduce her readers at trinigourmet with some hot & sweet stuff: stuff like this super fudgy chocolate cake brownie. OH-MY! this looks goooood. thanks sarina, also for suggesting to serve this one with some ice cream. this sounds like music to me!


girls, here is the first boy to join our browniebabe-clan: it's jeremy from the roasting rambler. and he didnt roast but bake wonderful little pick me up brownies. looking at these i have to assume, the pick up worked...


our next entry is from kevin from closet cooking. it's a mayan orange brownie and this recipe got the funniest comments: "I ate dem. Dey were good." is the first. "I don't know who that other guy is, but I also ate them. Though I agree; they were pretty good." was the other one. what more can i say: "ai laik dem, they luk fery guud."

jenn is leftover-queen and look at the yummy stuff she does with her left-overs: caramel fjord brownies. i have to assume jenn's pantry is stuffed with real good food (i wish i EVER had a caramel left-over...). and her tastebuds must have had a day in heaven the day she baked these.

kate from a way to eat is a first-timer at browniebabes and she came up with a very delish little brownie: sweet and tart brownies that bite (nah, i dont think they will bite you. you will be quicker once you bake these...). they got the most beautiful aromas: cinnamon, vanilla and some dried cherries that are spiced up by a pinch of chili. kate - please come back and join us again. you did such a good job with these:

cara from cara's cravings baked a brownie with peanutbutter and delivered a warning with it, too: "you must first of all not be afraid of very rich desserts in order to enjoy this. fudgy, peanutty, fruity, sink-your-teeth-in and wash-it-down-with-a-glass-of-milk goodness!" - still not scared. will take the sugar. thanks for joining!


these chipster topped brownies come from the lovely katie from other's peoples food. she turned to dorie greenspans book baking from my home to yours. really a guarantee for a darn good brownie. thanks kate! and please try all the other brownie-recipes in the book, too and let us know how it went!


cooking is medicine, that's claire's blog and a very true saying. especially if the medicine involves her gold nuggets of gold she baked for us. it's got some butterfinger candy in it. really the gold of candy. look how shiny this one looks!


jessica is baking in texas at small time cooks and it didnt really come as a surprise that she baked some tex mex brownies for us. it's got my secret wonder-weapon in it: pure mexican vanilla - the diamond among the vanillas. and it makes these brownies an absolute delicacy.


laura from eat drink live sends us straight to brownie heaven with her espresso brownie mousse cake. oh look how rich this one is - and it proves that a brownie can be a very elegant little dish. i'd eat a slice of this one anytime.

the next brownie - i have to admit - almost made the winner. i thought it was such a wonderful combination and a great, great recipe that it made me think if this one would be worth the browniebabe-title this month... it would have, wouldnt there be another one... which you will see at the end...it comes from dayna from vegan visitor and it's actually TWO brownies you can bake. one is a vegan fudge brownie:

and here is what you can do with it:

danya - what a great job you did here. this is a queen-brownie and how about you just keep on baking and i bet that apron will be yours very, very soon!

next brownie comes from steph who bakes in sydney australia at a whisk and a spoon. she is a girl with a big heart for flashy things such as fancy shoes and handbags and caviar. girl - welcome to my world. her brownie - of course! - isnt just a brownie. it's a browie sundae and it looks very flashy and fancy, i'd say.


ulrike from küchenlatein tried her hand at strawberry brownies. a cute little number and perfect for the strawberry season that has just kicked off.


our first browniebabe ever - lisa from la mia cucina - joins us again. this time wearing her spanking new browniebabe apron and baking ANOTHER prize-worthy brownie. look at this - lisa, you should open a browniebusiness. these chocholate crunch brownies are good stuff!

cupcake punk jes joins us again with an animal-friendly brownie. i bet it's hard to come up with vegan recipes for brownies. but jes did an amazing job again with her vegan chocholate pear towers. this is exquisite and proves vegan sweets can be fun, too!


another cupcake lover is stephanie from cupcake, my love. she joins our humble little event with a flutternutter brownie and everyone who has a soft spot for elvis (he was my first love - when i was 4 years old) and marshmallow creme, has to check out her post. definitely heartbreakhotel-worthy.

cindy from a few of my favourite things made a blondie for us - which would make her a blondiebabe. look at ther fudgy, amazing little cake with almonds, white and black chocolate.


cookiebaker lynn made an enourmous batch of brownies with her outrageous brownies. lynn - good job girl. one can never have too many brownies. and i'd say this is the perfect recipe if you are hosting a barbeque party so you have enough brownies for all guests. and you might even have left-overs for a midnight snack.


we will be flying on another sugar-high with chris's campfire brownie at melecotte. it includes all the good things - crackers, marshmallows and some fudge. really, what more can a browniebabe ask for?


big mama serves us a mean brownie: it's a recipe from nigella lawson and it's fudgy and moist and has a nice little crust. big mama seems to be a real browniebabe since she writes in her post, "that she can eat half a pan of brownies in only one night". i would, too if i had her mean brownies in my kitchen.


emily at appetitive behaviour came up with a wonderful cheesecake brownie. and if this wasnt enough, she also put oreos in it. so that's a cookie and a cheesecake in a brownie and all in all just a wonderful combination.


cookbookqueen from scottland joins us with her cute little fudge button brownies. another recipe from baking queen dorie greenspan and a great idea to bake round brownies with a glaze for a change.


lisa from lisa's kitchen made a wonderful batch of peantubutter brownies. these brownies are soft and chewy and literally melt in your mouth - she writes. worth a try!

couture cupcakes joins us again with some delicous dark apricot dream brownies. she told us she was working on a white chocolate version of this and i cant wait to see us. minko, send us a pic!

oh and here comes another one from her. it's a fancy champagne brownie. after all, it's about couture darlings, couture, she writes. i couldnt agree more looking at this one:


now get ready for coco&me. she is in the browniebusiness and sells her brownies in london. and now she even shares her recipe for some killer-brownies with us. they got all the good stuff in it. cocoa, pistacio nuts, hazelnuts, pecans,.... with the recipe (which i will try asap!) comes a little story about brownies and how they were invented. head over to her blog to find out more.


arfi from new zealand joins us with a wonderful seasonal brownie. it's a soulfood brownie thats very rich and chocolatey and it's even got chocolate running out of it, once you slice it. thanks arfi, your brownie looks to die for. here is a pic how they look before they went into the oven. fiels of chocolate and raspberries. YUM!


michelle at foodie... cookie came up with a wonderful brownie: it's a chocolate mint brownie and i bet it's very refreshing and sweet at the same time.

freya at zombiesnack did a delicious pecan and date blondies. but the other name of this brownie is "third time lucky blondies". she shares her baking experience with baking books, written by fancy chefs and - sometimes - bland brownies. - if you ignore the sugar and butter, this one might even count as a healthy blondie. dates are healthy. pecans, too (and the chocolate is good for the soul...).

marye from apron strinkgs & simmering things is baking in texas and made a fabulous chiplote dark chocolate brownie. she did something i want to do more often in the future. she baked the brownies in a round pan, which makes it look like a decent tarte.

these honey nut brownies are dutch and come from ardens blog uit de keuken van arden. i have to love this brownie. i love holland sooo much (HEMA and BLOND is not the only reason but plays a big role in my love for the country) and honey in a brownie is just divine.


brilynn from jumbo empanandas came up with the funniest name for a brownie: rhubarb urfa biber brownies. check out her blog to find out what urfa biber is - i bet it's delicious. and the brownie with the sweet but slightly sour aroma of rhubarb perfect for a hot summer day.



here is a brownie by one of my favourite bloggers in the whole wide word: jenjen from milk and cookies made some simple but divine brownies for us who look wonderful moist and fudgey. them aussies just know how to make things look gorgeous in pictures... i think it's adorable.

nandita from saffron trail came up with "easily the easiest brownies to make". they are simple but with the addition of walnuts and orange definitely special. nandita is new to brownie baking but by the looks of it, she might turn into a real browniebabe very, very soon!


danielle from habeas brulee turned her brownie into the fanciest thing EVER. she made amaretto brownies with saffron creme anglaise and bee pollen spice mix. phew - what a name. and what a brownie. thanks for baking!

maye from totally more-ish joined us also this month. she made a korova brownie, that includes these world pece brownies. unfortunately she couldnt send us a picture of the brownie (her camera hated her that day. so why dont we post the picture of these adorable cookies by milk and cookies. your imagination will do the rest.


the next brownie is something for vegans and hyper-allergenic people. grignote et barbotine published this brownie that's made with tofu instead of eggs - check out her french blog.


from healthy to naughty. the peanut butter connoisseur baked a mean peanut butter cinnamon brownie. what a combination - whoof! i love how creamy and soft and wonderful the topping looks. worth a sweet sin, isnt it?



for this months winner, i'd like to quote the famous dorie greenspan. here is what she writes about our winner brownie...erm it's actually a blondie:

The cake layer is slender, delightfully dense and both sweet and tart; the meringue is soft and golden. You can tell them brownies, but serve them with a swirl of raspberry coulis and they'll be worthy of a black-tie gala.

meeta from what's for lunch honey is our winner this month and there are several reasons why she got the title this month.
1. she made a wonderful blondie.
2. the recipe included meringue and it made me wonder why i didnt think about including meringue into a brownie before? it's simply divine.
3. she topped it all with a delicious raspberry coulis which is such a wonderful sweet and refreshing dessert sauce that goes wonderful with chocolate.

i hope you all agree and love, love, love this little blond cake as much as i do. meeta - well done and well deserved. this one is not only worth a black-tie gala but also worth the prize of browniebabe of the month.


please let me know if one of the links to your posts, dont work or if you cant find your entry for this months browniebabe, i will update it asap! thanks to all of you for being such wonderful brownie-bakers once again and please come and join the fun again next month when we will look for a brandnew brownie that will win the title. - more info right here very soon!

thank you, thank you for joining once again and lotsa love!
*myriam