Once upon a Cakestand

torta di pane

2011-09-29T19:57:00.000+02:00

some treats you have to long for. - this cake is such a thing. sandro steingruber, the talented chef from restaurant EPOCA at waldhaus flims mountain restort & spa, came up with this amazing recipe for a torta di pane (bread-cake). he doesnt only find the aroma of this blend of chocolate and almonds irresistible, but also likes the fact, that you can make something so divine from yestedays bread. also: you have to wait two full days, before you can savor this wonderful cake. two days longing for a cake seems like a torture. not with this one - you'll be giddy happy to cut the first slice!

this is another recipe from our book schweizer spitzenköche für afrika - come and bake with us, for a good cause.

RECIPE

500ml milk

50g butter

1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out

300g white bread from yesterday

100g dark choclate, roughly chopped

100g candied fruit, chopped

100g sultanas

150g almonds, ground

some drops of almond extract

4 eggs (about 220g)

120g sugar

2 g cinnamon (about 1 teaspoon)

10g breadcrumbs

100g pine nuts

20g butter, soft in flakes

heat the oven to 180 °C.

first combine milk, 50g butter and vanillaseeds and bring to a boil. cut the bread in cubes, then cover with the hot milk. let sit for about 30 minutes. then pure roughly.

mix with chocolate, candied fruit, sultanas, almonds & some almond extract. mix very well.

whip eggs, sugar and cinnamon until light and foamy. then carefully combine with the bread mixture.

butter a springform pan (about 26cm round), then dust with the breadcrumbs. fill in the mixture, sprinkle with the pine nuts and butterflakes. bake in the oven for 70 to 80 minutes.

then have patience and let cake stand for at least 2 days before serving.

dust with some icing sugar before serving. enjoy!

coriander cakes in a glass

2011-09-24T02:24:00.001+02:00

by the time you read this, the book is out. has been flying off the shelves (thankyouall!) and our dear and creative top chefs have cooked an amazing 18 course menu that dear guests have generously paid for. (here is a little movie to see it all) the corner stone for our school in africa is set - but we need to continue our mission. the more books we sell, the more children get an education.

if you are not in a german speaking part of the world, you might still contribute: bake our cakes (more to follow!), organize a bakesale and consider the charity menschen für menschen, who we trust a 100%. it would be wonderful to see you all help build our school with us.

lets keep on baking for a good cause on once upon a cakestand! this week we'll enjoy tanja grandits wonderful chocolate cakes in a glass. tanja grandits is not only an incredibly talented chef but also the founder of "schweizer spitzenköche für afrika". the recipe she created for the book shows how versatile her kitchen is: its filled with spices! she uses her recipes like a colour chart & mixes and matches them with a lot of courage. and as if with magic - the combinations always work.

these little cakes in a glass are wonderful for the first days of fall. when you need something that warms your heart. add a pinch of cinnamon. an there you have bliss in a glass.

RECIPE

100g dark chocolate

100g butter

100g sugar

3 eggs

50g flour

1 teaspoon coriander, ground

butter, for the glasses

heat the oven to 170 °C.

melt the chocolate together with the butter over medium heat in a pan. stir until smooth.

mix sugar and eggs in a bowl, add flour and coriander. stir in chocolate mixture and smooth the mixture.

put the dough into 4-6 buttered glass jars (about 7 to 8 dl capacity) and bake in the oven at 170 °C for about 20 minutes. then dust with some icing sugar and serve.

TIPP: you can add different spices to this cake: cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and even chili works in this cake. also you can use a larger glass, but make sure you add more time to the baking time.

linzertart for a good cause

2011-09-15T12:44:00.001+02:00

september marks the end of a very special project that i have been working on for the last few months and that is close to my heart. "schweizer spitzenköche für afrika" - "swiss top chefs of switzerland for africa" is what happens, when the best chefs of my country meet to cook for a better world.

we are doing this at a big gala next weekend at my dear friends tanja grandits restaurant stucki in basel, where the chefs will create an amazing menu. the guests are lined up, they paid for their chairs - partners and suppliers have generously sponsored everything: from the glass of mineral water to chocolate couverture.

that's where we'll also proudly present our little baby. the cookbook: schweizer spitzenköche für afrika. its a book filled with wonderful recipes from the chefs childhood. easy recipes they have discovered while travelling the world, dishes they cook for their loved ones. the book is filled with warmth and love and therefore a book everyone loves picking up & cooking from it.

all the proceeds from the booksales and the charity gala will go to aethiophia. we'll build a school there for the foundation "menschen für menschen" (people for people), that was founded by the actor karlheinz böhm. a school you might ask? - dont they just need food? yes - a healthy life and development starts with education. everyone that can write, calculate and read becomes a smart and proud individual that can provide for himself.

this linzertart by heiko nieder, from the restaurant at the dolder grand hotel in zurich is a little teaser from the book. its a heartwarming and very delicious treat. we will be doing a bakesale with it later in the year. how about you start baking for a our good cause, too? - i'd love to see this project become an international affair. i'd love to see your recipes, the picutres and hear from your experiences. i am sure it will be a good one!

happy baking!

this is Heiko Nieders favourite tart. thing is, he doesnt like linzertart at all. unless his lovely wife bakes it for him. the sunflower seeds give this tart a wonderful & unexpected crunch.

RECIPE

for the dough:

200g flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

125g sugar

1 vanillapod, seeds scraped out

2 eggs

125 butter

125g almond flour (a rougher ground one would be fine, too)

80g sunflower seeds, roasted & coarsely chopped

1 lemon, grated zest

salt

a pinch of ground cloves, cinnamon, ground tonkabean

for the filling:

about 200g homemade mulberry jam

a hand full of almond slivers

1 eggyolk

a dash of milk

for a 22cm round tart tin

heat the oven to 175 °C, butter the tart tin and dust it lightly with flour.

mix all the ingredients for the dough in the kitchen aid until a dough forms. form into a round circle, put in clingfilm and let rest for about half an hour.

leave about 1/3 of the dough for the edges, roll out the rest of the dough into a circle and line the prepared tin with it. now take the reserved dough and decorate the edges with it (you can also roll it out and cut out some decorative sujets. if you want to you can prick the edges with a fork, which makes a simple decoration, too.

now generously cover the bottom with the mulberry jam and sprinkle the almond slivers over it.

mix eggyolk, salt and a dash of milk and glaze the dough.

now bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

creme fraiche cheesecake with fig-plum compote

2011-08-29T23:10:00.000+02:00

hello you all - we are a tad busy over here at once upon a cakestand. when really one should pause for a minute and think of plums! the season just started and brings the first quiet thoughs of fall to the farmersmarket. - we call them "zwetschge" over here in switzerland. the funny thing about this word is, that it's also a word to call someone a silly cow.
but i love myself some zwetschge. they go well with all the wonderfully warm flavours of cinnamon - star anise or port wine. a touch of fall is in the air, the heart a tad nostalgic but happy straightaway when the wonderful plum is turned into a creme fraiche cheesecake.

i went for the healthy option - reduced the amout of fat by not using cream cheese. the result is a wonderfully soft cheesecake with a crusty bottom of whole grain biscuits & some dried figs, topped with a warm fig-plum compote. this deep aroma creates a deliciuos contrast to the deliciously creamy creme fraiche layer.
here is balm for the soul in a cake - and white & purble cake that conjures up a heavenly mood on your plate.

RECIPE CREME FRAICHE CHEESECAKE

for a 20cm round tart tin

100g butter
190g biscuits
2 dried figs (about 40g)
1,5 tbsp sugar

filling:
1 lemon, zest & juice
200g cream cheese
200g creme fraiche
100g sugar

300g fig-plum compote (see recipe below)

butter the tart tin & line with baking paper.
melt the butter. put the biscuits & dried figs in a blender and pulse until it becomes crumbly and like sand. add the melted butter, mix well and but as a base into the prepared tin. put in the freezer for 10 minutes to set.

for the filling mix lemonzest- & juice, cream cheese and sugar. then fold in the creme fraiche.
spread a layer of fig-plum compote over the frozen base, then top with the creme fraiche mixture. put in the fridge for at least 3 hours to set.

make sure to serve it when its well chilled and still cold. the cheesecake is very soft and wonderful but to make it look good on a plate, make sure its well chilled.

RECIPE FIG-PLUM COMPOTE

300g red wine
100g port wine
100g creme de cassis
100g sugar
115g beet, in big slices
750g fresh plums
250g dried figs
100g honey
a stick of cinnamon

to make the compote put red wine, port wine, creme de cassis, sugar and red beet into a pan and boil, then reduce heat and let bubble until its nicely reduced. add dried figs and let cool. roast the fresh plums with the honey in the oven at 190 °C for 30 minutes, then add to the compote. put compote in a glass roasting dish and roast in the oven at 85 °C for 20 minutes. then let cool, mix in a blender (remove cinnamon stick before that), then let rest in a preserving glass for 2-3 days in the fridge.
keeps for about 2-3 weeks in the fridge.

simple apricot tarts

2011-08-14T12:10:00.000+02:00

summer marks the arrival of apricots! that sweet orange little fruit - a handfull of sweetness! its season only last for a few warm weeks of july or august when the fruit can be devoured at its bestest - sweetest aroma. the flavour is part honey, part almond. its flesh has notes of peach, brown sugar and orange blossom that brings an opportunity for pleasure one shouldnt miss!

oh so often that epitome of summer can be hard and sour in flavour. although apricots do soften and become juicier once picked and stored in a paper bag but they will not develop a sweet, ripe flavour.

but even those specimens that appear beyond redemption can be saved, as the apricot is even lovelier cooked than raw. the oven seems to do the job the sun should, the heat ripening and sweetening the flesh in the time it takes to soften it. you can roast them with lime or lemon juice, spices such as cinnamon, ginger or cardamom, plus a good sprinkling of sugar, or you can cook them in sugar and wine or fruit juice, the liquid coming just halfway up the sides of the fruit. to this you can add elderflower cordial, lavender, vanilla or honey.

or you can simply turn them into a simple apricot tart.

RECIPE
adapted from diana henry

18 - 20 apricots
150g granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
640g puff pastry, rolled out
2 tbsp caster sugar
3-4 tbsp apricot jam

whipped cream or creme fraiche, for serving

halve and stone the apricots. put the granulated sugar in a pan big enough to hold the apricots in a single layer, such as a sauté pan, add 350ml water and bring to the boil, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. add the vanilla. turn down to a very gentle simmer. put the apricots into the liquid and poach gently until they are only just tender. how long this takes depends on their individual ripeness. i stand with a slotted spoon and pull each one out as soon as it is ready. lay the apricots in a broad, flat bowl so they don't have to sit on top of each other.

Roll out the pastry and cut out 6 to 8 circles, about 11cm in diameter. lay them on baking-sheets and, using a knife, mark a border 1cm from the edge, being careful not to cut right through. put 3-4 apricot halves on each pastry circle, leaving the border uncovered. sprinkle on the caster sugar and bake for 12 minutes in an oven preheated to 220°C. give it some under heat to make sure the bottom is crisp and nicely baked.

put the jam in a pan with 1 tbsp water and heat until it has melted. brush over the surface of each tart (avoid using the chunks in the jam) then leave to set a little. serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or creme fraiche.

tart malakoff

2011-08-10T22:29:00.001+02:00

slowly slowly we are entering cake-kingdom. those cakes and tarts that make you gasp. not only because they look so wonderful but also because they make you slightly nervous before you even grab your spatula.

tart malakoff is such a patisserie. a sweet affair - full of light & luscious cream that embeds a generous packet of ladyfingers. the roasted almonds slices not only make it visually interesting but also give it a nice texture when those toasted almond slices crackle in your mouth while you swoon over that generous amout of whipped full fat cream.

it will only take a second until you forget how to spell the work B-I-K-I-N-I.

tart malakoff is a stunning tart that gives you a lot of freedom, while you bake it. some variations help you to evade a lack of ingredient or the extra use of seasonal fruit.

tart malakoff is sometimes made with a base of a pate sucree and a soft sponge. if you are in a hurry, simply use a soft sponge as your base.
as creamy as it is - the tart wins not only in flavour but also in texture when you add seasonal fruit such as apricots, plums, berries - really whatever you have and goes well with cream. simply add it to the ladyfingers while you build the tart.
while the use of a light bavarian cream (vanillacream) is an absolute must in my opinion - the lazy bakers among you might just use whipped cream and add some vanilla seeds (and maybe a dash of sugar to sweeten the cream a bit). a nice shortcut - that still makes a great tart.

RECIPE:

for a 26 cm round tart tin

100g store bought pate sucrée (26cm round)
50g apricot jam
1 sponge cake (26 cm round), see recipe below
ca. 1 dl rum
30g icing sugar
375 ml milk
2 egg yolks
70g sugar
2 vanilla pods, seeds scraped out
1 pinch of salt
4 sheets of gelatine
550g cream
200g lady fingers
ca. 100g almonds, sliced & toasted

to garnish:
some chocolate ganache, melted
4 ladyfingers

for the sponge cake:
2 eggs
60g sugar
40g flour
20g cornstarch
30g butter, melted

start by baking the 26 cm round pate sucrée at about 200 °C for about 5 to 10 minutes until golden. then let cool on a rack.

then make the sponge cake. butter & line caketin and reduce the oven-temp to 180 °C.
beat eggs and sugar in the bowl of your kitchen aid over a bain marie until foamy. then put it back to your kitchen aid, attach the whisk and whip it until cold. sift flour and cornstarch and carefully mix it under the soft egg-sugar mixture. add melted butter & mix carefully but not too long. then bake in the middle of the oven for about 25 minutes until a metal skewer comes out clean. let cool on a wirerack.

spread apricot jam over the cooled pate sucrée, then top it with the cooled layer of sponge cake. put a cake ring around the two layers and adjust so that it fits the cakebase.
mix rum, 2 tablespoons of water and icing sugar, soak the cakebase slightly with the mixture. put rest of rum mixutre to the side.

heat milk in a pan, add eggyolks, sugar, vanilla and salt very well. add milk and heat over a bain marie until the cream starts to thicken (if this takes too long or too much nerves, do it in a pan but careful with the heat or the cream might burn). take off heat imedeately, once the cream starts to thicken.
soak the gelatine in cold water, then squeeze all the water out and add to the cream. mix well and let cool over an ice bath until the cream starts to get firm. add some rum if desired.

whip 500g of cream and add to the now cooled vanilla-cream (you might not need all of the vanilla cream. start using half of it). take 1/3 of the cream and over the tart-base. even out with a spatula. soak ladyfingers in the rum-mixutre, then lay over the cream, then add another layer of cream , another layer of soaked ladyfingers etc. also add fruit if using. finish with a layer of cream and even the surface with a spatula (here is a fabulous video how to smoothly glaze or cream a cake) - let tart rest for a day in the fridge.

before serving, remove the tart ring. whip the remaining 50g of cream, spread around the cake, then decorate the toasted almond slices.
use the rest of the cream to decorate cake with little stars. half 4 ladyfingers and dip into the melted ganache. let cool quickly on a wire rack. then decorate cake.

eat on the same day.

strawberry mascarpone tart

2011-07-31T16:01:00.000+02:00

the strawberry is very often the fruit that causes heart-ache. promising in colour but a dissapointment in flavour. it has become the mainstream berry, often shipped all around the world to charm our senses. but then - nothing but a watery aroma!
and what a crime to see that strawberries are offered in the middle of winter, to accompany that glass of champagne on new years eve. when the strawberry plant itself is still in deep hibernation, gathering all its power for the summer ahead.

but then strawberries are very often linked to sweet memories of childhood. you dwell on thoughts of afternoons picking strawberries on a field or - if you are blessed like me - your familys garden, where you almost bursted with excitement, trying to find the ripest, juciest strawberries. a real strawberry has a firm flesh and is full of juice. you wont find the deep flavour of a blackcurrant or the sweetness of a ripe raspberry. the strawberry is a light but summery aroma.

but its delicacy requires a gentle handling, the fruit is easily damaged and turns into a mushy-thing. - so you better handle it with great care and nestle it on a soft bed of wodden hay.
"you need to make much of a truly excellent strawberry when you find it" nigel slater writes about the scarlet-red ferrari of a fruit. he is right, if you eat domnestic strawberries at the peak of the season you might actually get that wonderful fruity-honey-sweet scent of the fruit.
but: a good strawberry doesnt need much to shine on a cakestand. maybe a dash of vanilla. a pinch of sugar or a splash of the tender flavour of rose- or orange blossom water would enhanche the summery-light-sweet flavour of the fruit.

carefully hulled we put them on a soft bed of mascarpone cream. enjoy your strawberries - while they last!

RECIPE
adapted from LADUREE, Sucré

for a 24cm round tart pan

sweet almond pastry:
120g butter, very cold
70g icing sugar
25g ground almonds
1 pinch of fleur de sel
1 pinch of vanilla powder (or vanilla seeds)
1 egg
200g cake flour

some chocolate ganache, for sealing the tart

mascarpone cream:
2 gelatin sheets
60ml heavy cream
125g granulated sugar
500g mascarpone
400g strawberries, halved
rose water, vanilla seeds or orange blossom water, opitional

glaze:
some raspberry jelly

First make the pastry by sifting the icing sugar. cut butter in small cubes and place in the stand mixer with paddle attachement. work in butter to homogenize, then add following ingredients, one by one, making sure to fully incorporate each into mixture before next addition: icing sugar, almonds, fleur de sel, vanilla, egg and flour. combine until dough comes together. form into a ball and wrap in clingfilm. refridgeate at least for 2 hours or up to one day ahead. it will make it easier to roll out.

butter the tart pan, roll out the dough on a floured surface to 2mm thick and press into the buttered pan. refrigeate for one hour.

preheat oven to 170 °C.
prick tart surface with a fork, so it wont puff up during baking. line tart with parchement paper and fill with baking beans. bake for about 20 minutes until lightly coloured. take out of oven, remove beans and continue baking to colour slightly. remove from shell and allow to cool.
melt ganache over a bain marrie, then glaze the tart bottom with the chocolate to prevent it from soaking in the macarpone cream.

to make the mascarpone cream put gelatin sheets in a bowl with very cold water and let sit for about 10 minutes. drain, squeezing hard to remove all excess liquid. bring cream and sugar to a boil in a pan. remove from heat, add gelatine, mix well and allow to cool completely.

cream the mascarpone in your kitchen aid with the paddle attachment. continue to mix, adding the cooled gleatine mixture little by little. flavour with vanilla, rosewater or orange blossom water if desired. fill in the baked tart shell. put in the fridge for at least 20 minutes until cream is firm.

rinse strawberries and drain on a dish towell. hull and slice half lenghtwise. finish the tart by arranging strawberries in a decorative pattern on top of the cream.

carefully warm strawberry jelly in a pan, put through a fine meshed sieve (to remove fruit bits), then glaze the tart with the jelly.

keep cool until serving.

berrytart with creme lègere

2011-07-22T23:24:00.001+02:00

hello weekend! due to the total absence of summer around here, lets drool over some sweet summer berries. they are the gold of summer. jucy, full of flavour and colour.

its what i crave, when summer is finally here, trying to use every opportunity to buy a punnet of strawberries, grab a hand full of blueberries or - and this is heaven - go pick my own raspberries.

summer berries are the aroma of home. for me, everything started with berries.

my wonderful grandmother had this big garden where she allowed us to pick fresh rasberries, look for wild strawberries and go all gaga climbing the cherry tree to harvest the first fresh cherries. the older i get and the longer i cook, i start to realize that this is the place where i learnt how to taste.

she teached me how a real rasberry tasted like. how juicy it got to be, to be the real mccoy. the soft texture that still held its form.

over 30 years later i still picture myself and grandmother picking berries, putting them into my harvesting basket. i was not only the youngest but also the smallest of the family, so she made sure to buy me a special tiny one, she would carefully tie around my little body. it feels like yesterday. i can still taste the aroma of those freshly picked berries in her garden. - sadly, grandma is gone, but the aroma of sweet berries will always remind me of her.

and in that sense i do believe that "home is where a berrytart is..."

You dont really need much more, if you have a generous colander full of freshly picked berries. Maybe a tart shell, a soft creme lègere - a dust of powdered sugar. you know, sometimes heaven is pretty easy.
grandma would agree!

RECIPE

for the sweet shortcrust pastry (from eric lanlard):
makes 250 g
115 g flour
50 g unsalted butter, cut in small cubes
25 g icing sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg, mixed
1 tablespoon milk

for the creme lègere:
500 ml full fat milk
5 egg yolks
125 g sugar
45 g flour
1 vanilla pod, seeds sraped out
about 100 - 150 g full fat cream

about 500g of mixed fresh berries
powdered sugar, for serving

make the shortcrust pastry first: sift the flour into a mixing bowl. add butter and rub in with your fingertips until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, make a well in the centre. beat egg yolk with vanilla extract, add to well and form into a soft dough. wrap into clingfilm and let rest for about an hour. then knead dough minimaly, roll out very thinly between two sheets of baking paper (its a little tricky but hang on in there!). prepare a 23 cm round loose-bottomed flan tin, by greasing it with some butter, then line with the pastry. trim excess pastry by rolling a rolling pin across the top. prick the base of the pastry with a fork.

line with greaseproof paper and fill with ceramic beans. blink bake at 200 °C for 10 minutes until pastry is golden. remove beans, and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until the base is dried out. let cool. then mix 1 egg with 1 tablespoon milk and brush tart with mixture to seal it. put aside.

to make the creme lègere mix vanilla seeds & scraped out podswith the milk and put on medium heat. whisk egg yolks and sugar in your kitchen aid until very pale and creamy. then add flour and mix. when milk is just starting to boil, pour half of it onto the egg mixture, mix - put back in the pan, mix well and bring liquid back to the boil, mixing all the time so nothing burns! cook for 1 minute from the point at where the creme first starts to boil. remove from heat and pour into a rectangular dish. cover surface immediately with baking paper and let cool.
before filling the tart, whisk cream, then fold it carefully into 300g of the cooled pastry cream. add more whipped cream if you want to have a lighter texture.

add it to the baked pastry shell, even the surface, then sprinkle generously with the berries. dust with powdered sugar before serving.

cheesecakes in a glass with mirabelle-gingercompote

2011-07-14T09:00:00.001+02:00

Juli is the month that brings you the first sweet mirabelles, as we call them. that small olive shaped mirabelle plum has such a juicy and sweet flesh, its often used for compotes, jams and jellies. For me, its summer in a fruit.

So i couldnt resist, when my fruitfarmer at the market had the first sweet mirabelles of the season at his stall this week. I had already a recipe in mind from my dear friend, the fabulous chef tanja grandits, who pairs estragon with passionfruit and puts it in a glass with ajowan crumble and a cheesecake thats light and airy. And here is the good news: and we are not even going to use cream cheese!
We aint gonna go that fancy schmancy - we'll just pair that wonderful soft cream cheese with the warm aroma of a vanilla crumle with the juicy mirablles compote that has a refreshing zing.

Spoons out - here comes a summery cheesecake in a glass!

RECIPE

for 8 glasses (each about 220 ml)

for the crumble
75g flour
30g almonds, ground
75g brown sugar
30g cold butter, in cubes
2 packets of vanilla sugar (or 2 TSP ground vanilla)

for the filling
125g curd
1 vanilla pod, seeds craped out
1/2 lemon, juice and zest
250g cream, whipped
2 eggwhites
50g sugar

for the compote
750g mirabelles (small yellow plums or apricots), halved & stone removed
150g brown sugar
2 TBSP fresh ginger, roughly cut
2-3 TBSP runny orange blossom honey
60ml / 1/4 cup water
2 TBSP butter, in cubes

heat oven to 180 °C.
mix all ingredients for the crumble, pulse in the mixer, then spread out on a baking tray (lined with silicone mat or baking paper), bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. then let cool.

for the filling mix curd with vanilla seeds, lemonjuice and -zest. fold in whipped cream carefully. Whip egg whites, adding sugar at the end until stiff and glossy. carfeully fold into the mixture, put in a large piping bag and chill in the fridge.

for the compote put mirabelles in an ovenproof glas dish. pulse sugar with fresh ginger and sprinkle gingersugar over mirabelles. then add water and runny honey (skip water if mirabelles are very juicy). put butter over the fruit and bake in the oven at 220 °C for about 15 minutes.

to arrange, divide crumble between the 8 glasses, add filling and finish with a layer of compote (make sure not to use too much juice). let chill in the fridge a little before serving.

keeps in the fridge for a day.

The I miss New York Berrycake

2011-07-07T22:28:00.002+02:00

Monday was the 4th of july. Friends where ethusiastically posting pictures of BBQs at the beachhouse, lobsterrolls at the Brooklyn Fleamarket, everybody was having cold beers and a jolly good time at the beach. Its crazy how time flies - i thought. Only a year ago i was the one baking pizza and steaks on a grill in the US, sipping a southside at the houseboat, ducks passing by, sun slowly setting down at the horizon. True Bliss!

Damn, i miss New York!

So this weeks cake had to be an american cake. Not that i searched all my american recipes for it, but while missing that NY-vibe that inspires me so often in life, i simply wondered what i would have brought to that fabulous cake buffett at the beachhouse. It would have been this red, blue, white - kind of star spangled banner cake.

Or simply the *I miss New York Berrycake* as i like to call it.

Dont be fooled by the chocolate genoise sponge - this is actually a quite light and airy cake. Of course one can vary with the amout of cream (i like to believe, the more the merrier!) - but all in all this is just berry galore on a cake.

New York i miss you - hope you are well!

RECIPE

50g butter, melted & cooled (plus some extra for greasing the pan)
200g flour
pinch of baking powder
50g cocoa powder
250g sugar
8 eggs

500ml full fat cream
1 vanillapod, seeds scraped out
a little or a lot of vanilla extract

250g fresh raspberries
200g blueberries
fresh peppermint

grease and then line two 22cm round baking tins with removable bottoms.
heat oven to 180 °c.

put eggs and sugar and whisk it in your kitchen aid on full whack for about 8 minutes until very light and airy. if you have the nerve you can do this on a bain marie over simmering water and a hand held mixer. it will take about 10 minutes to foam up and thicken. it does take a lot of patience which i dont have, but the genoise will result in a firmer sponge if you do it like this.
then sift the flour and cocoa powder onto the egg-mixture and gently fold in, making sure you bring in all the flour without deflating the mixture too much, then add the melted butter. Divide between the two prepared tins, smooth the tops and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

For the filling simply whip the cold cream with the vanilla-seeds and -extract.
Using a serrated knive cut the sponges in half horizontally. Fill with the vanilla cream and the berries, finishing with a generous level of cream and berries.

Garnish with some fresh peppermint and keep refridgeated until served.

PS: since i whipped my egg mixture a tad too long (my kitchen aid mixer bowl almost flooded) my sponges turned out extra soft and big. I therefore used 3 layers only, you should end up with 4 layers using this recipe. Feel free to only use 2 layers and freeze the rest of the genoise, it freezes very well for about 2 weeks.

Rustic Peach Tart

2011-07-02T21:13:00.010+02:00

sweet little peaches

Do you know the sweet scent of cake? That aroma that fills the house immedeately with comfort and joy?
This is what "A year in cakes" is all about. Of course its also about cakes, sweet or savoury, that will be baked throughout the year. Always inspired by the freshest produce that the garden or farmers market has to offer. Lets do new and old recipes, lets bake cakes we loved as kids and cakes we still dream of as adults. We'll not only have a cake on the table every weekend but in about a years time we'll have a diary of cakes that have accompanied us through the year. Join the movement - let's fill the year with cakes!

I would be delighted to hear your experiences with the cakes you bake - the ones you bake every weekend with me, the ones you bake with whatever you cant resist in your own garden or farmers marked.

It had to be a tart. Not because i dont like cakes with sponges or something, no: a tart tin is all i could find in the big mishmash of my newly organized, i mean unorganized office. So i packed my sweet peaches into a rustic frangipane that sits on top of a wonderfully crusty and crumbly butter puff pastry. The frangipane is not as almondy as usual - i enriched it with some ground hazelnuts with make a wonderful pairing to the sweet juices of peaches.
As much as frangipane somehow reminds me of autum and the traditional pairing with peaches, the peaches make it refreshingly summery and light. Of course the tart is still rich enough to be served as a sweet dinner but then i believe every dinner is an opportunity for cake!

This is a supereasy and quick tart to bake - bake it while your hair gets airdried by the wonderful summerwinds. Easy as pie - erm, tart!

crisp and buttery: the crust

RECIPE

for a 25 cm round or a medium square tart tin

7-8 slightly underripe peaches, stones removed and cut into quarters
125g good quality puff pastry
3 tablespoons of apricot or quinces jam

for the frangipane:
200g butter, soft
150g sugar
200g ground almonds
50g ground hazelnuts
100g flour
3 eggs

garnish:
powdered sugar
pistachios, chopped

Heat the oven to 190 °c, grease the tart tin with some melted butter.
Make the franigpane first - soften & beat the butter with the sugar for about 8 minutes on medium to high speed in your kitchen aid until its light and airy. Then add the flour, ground almonds and hazelnuts and mix until all incorporated. Then add the eggs one at the time until all combined. Set aside.

Place your ready made and rolled out puff pastry on a slightly floured surface and roll it out just a tad thiner, then line the prepared tin with the pastry, making sure to gently press the dough into the tin to line bottom and sides properly. Fold the edges over, then roll gently but firmly over the top of the tin with the rolling pin to remove left over pastry.
Spread the frangipane evenly over the tart case, set the peach quarters into the frangipane, making sure to set them evenly - that'll look oh so nice!

Bake for 15 minutes at 190 °c until the frangipane slowly starts to rise, then reduce heat to 150 °c and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes. I like to turn up the heat for another 5 to 10 minutes before the tart comes out of the oven - put it up to 190 or 200°c but watch the tart closely as it might burn! This will give it a nice crispy crust! Then take out of the oven and let cool in the tin for about 20 minutes.

Bevore serving carefully heat up the jam in a small pan and glaze the peaches. sprinkle with pistacios and generously dust with icing sugar.

Oy vey, what a year - we'll have a good one, i promise.
Have a lovely weekend, make it a sweet one!

*M

homemade mayonnaise

2010-05-17T01:15:00.001+02:00

there is a few things you just gotta have in your fridge. the usual suspects such as parmesan cheese, bacon, the obligatory bottle of champagne (you never really know what your day might bring!), the fresh butter, the knob of garlic or ginger, the yoghurt, the heavy cream and glass with pesto. and you need mayonnaise!

without mayonnaise there is no salad sauce. there is no sandwich that deserves the name. there is no happy fries cuz they wont be if you dont dip them into a mix of mayonnaise and ketchup.

so mayonnaise it is.

mayonnaise is easy & cheap to buy so there isnt really a reason to make it yourself. unless you have tasted homemade mayonnaise. well then - then you know about that heavenly soft strucuture and the actual taste of eggyolk & acid of the lemonjuice. then you just dont touch that glass of hellmans no more.

mayonnaise is so dead easy to make, you dont even have to be a good cook to make it. all you need is a good whisk and you need to follow those few tricks and you are only about 10 minutes away from a homemade mayonnaise. so here are some secrets to write home about:

always work with fresh ingredients at room temperature. a cold eggyolk wont mix well with oil at roomtemperature.
if your mayonnaise turns out too thin, whisk some more or simply add more oil
if your mayonnaise turns out too thick, whisk in some water.
if your mayonnaise "breaks" (a housewifes nightmare in the 50ties...), add a new eggyolk into a fresh bowl and slowly mix in your mayonnaise that went wrong. should rescue it!

RECIPE

basic mayonnaise

2 fresh bio-eggyolks, roomtemperature
1-2 teaspoon mild dijon mustard, roomtemperature
4-5 dl sunflower-, peanut- or rapeseedoil
2 tablespoon lemonjuice or white wine vineggar
salt & pepper, freshly ground

mixed by hand:

place a wet kitchentowell on your surface to keep the bowl in place.

put eggyolks into bowl, mix with the mustard. add the oil bit by bit, making sure you whisk constantly. make sure to add more oil when the mixture is all soft and well whisked. as soon as the mayonnaise is soft but kinda firm, add the lemonjuice or vineggar.

then add rest of the oil and whisk in well until you get the desired consistency. season with freshly ground salt & pepper.

mixed with a blender:
add eggyolks & mustard (you can use a whole egg and one eggyolk, as you like) and give it a quick mix. then slowly ass the oil in a steady stream while mixing, add lemonjuice or vineggar at the end, season with salt & pepper.

STORAGE:

fresh mayonnaise keeps for about a week in an airtight container or glass.

IDEAS FOR MIX-INS:

add fresh herbes such as freshly chopped dill, chive, parsley...
mix in tiny cubes of mangoes or pineapple (careful with the juice!)
add some hot chili for a spicy version
add some finely cut gerkins, parsley & hard boiled egg and your sauce tartare is right there in your bowl!

marshmallows bliss

2010-04-08T17:02:00.003+02:00

sometimes, people ask me the funniest things. they say:

"why would you wanna know how to make marshmallows?"

or "what is the sense in making your own mashed potato?".

or "why would you make your own mayonnaise?".

well. how can i explain - isnt it just so obvious?

if i know how to mash a potato then i can actually get up in the middle of the night and cook some. i can whip up my own mayonnaise when a cocktail sauce-emergency comes up (happens! true thing!).

and what if someone starts a war (whoever you are, please dont)? - well, in case of a war i could still serve marshmallows!

reason enough to finally tackle the recipe. i was looking for a recipe for a long time but only found some that require corn syrup which is something we swiss dont do. so i was giddy happy to find jamie oliver's recipe who uses a homemade sugar sirup you can make in a jiffy.

making marshmallows isnt something that requires a lot of talent nor time. all you need is a sturdy mixer that can whip up some serious foam. then add some funky food colouring, let rest, then cut into cubes and enjoy the fluffiest homemade marshmallows on the planet.

RECIPE

from jamie oliver

4 tablespoons cornflour

4 tablespoons icing sugar

vegetable oil

10 sheets of gelatine

500g caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 egg whites

1 tablespoon food dye

shift cornflour & icing sugar in a bowl. grease a 20 x 20 cm square cake tin with a few drops of veggie oil and dust with a little of the cornflour-sugar. soak gelatine in 125ml cold water.

put caster sugar in a medium saucepan with 250ml water. warm over low heat, sirrring until water dissolves. then place thermometer in the pan and cook until it reads 122 C°. if you have no thermometer, just boil for 10 minutes, then you are done. just make sure the syrup doesnt turn golden. remove from heat, then gently pour gelatine leaves and water into hot sugar syrup - be very careful cuz it might boil and steam!

then add vanilla.

in a large clean bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. with beater on low speed, slowly pour in the sugar syrup. after adding the syrup keep on beating for another 8 minutes or so, until mixture is really thick but still pourable! dont overbeat or you will end up with a goey, ugly mass of foam...

pour marshmallow-mix into prepared tin. to create the marbling, drizzle over the food dye and use a fork to swirl it across the surface. leave marshmallows to set in a cool place for 4-5 hours or overnight, but do not refrigeate!

to cut the marshmallows dust chopping board with cornflour-sugar mixture. using a palette or a filleteknive carefully ease the marshmallows out of the tin onto a cutting board. use cornflour sugar mix to liberally dust the top and sides of the marshmallow. rub a sharp knive with a little veggie oil and cut the block into squares. make sure each cube is well dusted.

store in airtight container (lined with parchment paper) and eat within about a week.

blissful baking

2010-03-09T14:51:00.003+01:00

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

2009-12-25T14:58:00.003+01:00

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

2009-11-05T16:27:00.004+01:00

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

2009-09-24T23:20:00.000+02:00

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!

2009-08-06T23:28:00.003+02:00

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

2009-08-02T19:15:00.000+02:00

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

2009-07-28T21:17:00.003+02:00

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

2009-07-20T17:15:00.000+02:00

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.

Chocolate Pistaccio Biscotti & an increasing waistline

2009-07-12T13:50:00.006+02:00

dont get me wrong here. i am not complaining about my job. being a food editor comes with a lot of rewards. a free cookbook on my desk every now and then, a house filled with hungry people (who all love my sparkling personality and not - Godforbid! - the champagne bottle & steak on my table) , flirting costermongers, glam days dressed in an apron and a spatula in hand - pretty much: welcome to cupcake heaven and roastbeef bliss.
but apart from being a food editor there is such a blunt thing as life. and life comes with things like a bikini to fit in. comes with dresses that cost so much that my credit card caught fire when i paid for them. life as a food editor comes with an increasing waistline. it's steak and brownies on your ribs. and woe is me when that zipper is stuck partway.
the week i was working on biscotti recipes for my radioshow i had buttons exploding on my summerdress. life as a food editor can be such a bitch!
at least at the end of the day you can bite into a decent chocolate biscotti (cover with chocolate icing, dont miss!) which can be blissfully satisfying. they are nourishing enough to serve as a proper dinner. - zipper, go explode! i am so keeping that job!

RECIPE:

310g flour
25g cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
320g chocolate chips
230g pistaccios (unsalted!), shelled
4 large eggs
310g sugar
ready made chocolate glaze

preheat the oven to 180 °c, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

pulse flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, 1/2 of chocolate chips & pistaccios in a mixer until chocolate chips have the size of small peas.

in a bowl attached to standmixer whisk eggs with sugar until you end up with a fluffy mixture, switch to paddle add flour-mixture and rest of chocolate chips, beat until just combined.

turn dough out on a lightly floured surface, divide into 3 parts, shape into a 40m long, about 7-8cm wide and 1,5 cm high log. sprinkle with a little sugar if you like.

bake for 30-40 minutes in the middle of the oven (rotating the sheets after 15 min) until the log is kinda crispy. let cool on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes.

place logs on cutting board. using a serrated knive, cut into 1-1,5cm wide slices. put slices cutting side up on baking sheet, then bake for another 12-15 minutes until biscotti are crunchy. let cool on a cooling rack.

glaze with chocolate glaze, let cool a bit. then serve with icecream or coffee.

they keep in an airtight container for about a week (yeah, like as if...)

raspberry lemonade

2009-07-04T14:12:00.004+02:00

happy times demand happy drinks. summer is here! the raspberries are simply irresistible and days are best spent outside - hang on the porch (ok, it's a balcony only but a girl can always dream...), read a book. share a laugh. have a sip. raspberry lemonade is perfect for this.

easy as pie & a big hit with my peeps! - all the naughty ones mix it with a drop or two of vodka or white tequilla. i am not the one to argue, it's just that it's only lunchtime over here...

RECIPE

about 250g fresh or defrosted raspberries
juice of 10 lemons
550g sugar
1,5 cold and/or sparkling water
fresh peppermint, to garnish
crushed ice, to serve

mix raspberries, lemonjuice & sugar in a pot and mix very well. you want to punch out all the juice ouf of those raspberries. then strain through a sieve, making sure you get the last drop of juice. then add cold (sparkling) water, mix.
put crushed ice in glasses, then fill up with sirup and garnish with peppermint.

more lemonade bliss over here at smittenkitchen. deb is doing an AWESOME watermelon lemonade.

beet crostini with smoked trout

2009-06-07T15:44:00.000+02:00

so i am not a big fan of beets. chances are you are not a fan of beets, either. beets are the geeks among the veggies: horrible taste but oh so healthy (low bloodpressure! aphrosidiac!). blimey, just the word "beetrot" makes me think of hours in front of an unfinished plate back then when i was a kid. "beet is good for you" is what mother said. and i wasnt allowed to leave the table until i had at least 2 or 3 tablespoons of her beetsalad. the salad was delicious, dont missunderstand me - she made it with a zingy vinegar and added some onions. simple but delicious, just like all the best recipes in this world.

but beets & i - we never really made the dream team.
but then. beets are pink. and what's pink will make it onto my table.
i tend to use the lazy-version of beets and buy them already cooked. so all you really have to do is chop them up or grate them - and you are all done. the only thing you have to figure out is how to hide the beet in your dish, so you wont have all your beet-haters at your table start a riot.

so this one is a perfect recipe for a quick snack when guests arrive but still fancy enough to write home about. you could even turn it into a proper meal when you use larger pieces of bread and top it with more smoked fish. doesnt cause no riot and nothing - and that's a promise!

RECIPE

1 baguette, cut in slices & toasted

2-3 large, cooked red beets
2 apples (take a sweet, red peeled apple), cored
1 generous pinch of fennel seeds
salt & pepper
2-3 smoked trout filets (or smoked salmon), cut in pieces
some fresh thyme, to garnish

180g creme fraiche
about 4-5 tablesppons of horseradish cream (or use half as much freshly grated horeradish)

using a kitchen-mixer grate the cooked beet & apple. season with fennel seeds, salt & pepper. set aside and let marinate for about an hour.

mix the creme fraiche with the horseradish, adding just about enough hoseradish so you get a nice & slightly hot taste.

arrange toasted baguette slices on a board, then top with beet-mixture and top with pieces of smoked trout, then drizzle some horseradish-creme fraiche on top. season with some pepper & garnish with fresh thyme. serve asap!

butter revelations

2009-05-10T21:20:00.005+02:00

Honestly. I never thought it was possible. ME. CUTTING.BACK. ON.BUTTER? Not using the whole stick? Standing there with soft butter & knife in hand and then thinking: nah, i guess that's enough?
I guess there is a first time for everything and here i go and present you a buttercream recipe with less than 400g of butter. i mean: 300g is ok, too - innit? it's just a divine and über-creamy buttercream i graced those simple chocolate cupcakes with. because i am all nuts and going crazy about the first arrival of domestic berries i popped some frozen raspberries into those cupcakes and they make a juicy surprise when you bite into the cupcake.

Maybe you'll even take them as my excuse for not posting in soooo long. when all of you have been such sturdy soldiers... coming back to my blog just to find out what a lazy blogger-bum i was. i promise i will be back more often in the next few weeks. cuz i missed ya all!

RECIPE
adapted from this adorable post by cannelle et vanille

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

adapted from "Magnolia Bakery Cookbook" by Jennifer Appel and Alyssa Torey

225g butter, softened
220g sugar
100g brown sugar
4 eggs
170g dark chocolate, melted
250ml milk (try not to use the full fat one cuz it's too heavy)
1 tsp vanilla
220g flour
1 tsp baking soda
about 25 frozen raspberries

In an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and the brown sugar. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the melted chocolate and mix until well incorporated. Scrape the bowl. Add the vanilla and half of the milk. Add the flour and baking soda, mix and finish with the remainder of the milk. Mix until well incorporated. Scoop into baking cups, add 1 frozen raspberries to each cupcake and bake at 175 C° for about 20 minutes. Let cool on a cooling rack.

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

150 grams of egg whites
300 grams of granulated sugar
300 grams of room temperature butter
seeds of 1 vanilla pod
cake decoration

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together egg whites and the sugar lightly. Place over a water bath until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is hot to the touch. Bring bowl to the electric mixer and whip until stiff peaks form and the bottom of the bowl feels cool.

Add butter, a tablespoon at a time while whipping. It might look like it is curdling at one point but continue to whip until it comes together. Add vanilla seeds and mix until incorporated. Transfer to icing-bag & frost cupcakes generously & sprinkle some cake deco over it.

savoury filled bread (feeds a bunch)

2009-03-08T11:45:00.001+01:00

i have a thing for comfort-food. chips. hearty stews. omelettes with ketchup. mac&cheese with bacon. just bacon. bacon with pasta. bacon in a salad with creamy sauce. bacon with a fried egg. it just feeds ya, doesnt it?
so does this savoury filled bread. it's a good thing for parties or a hearty lunch, brunch or dinner or just something really nice to serve when your best friends come over with a box of beer.

the good thing about this one is that you can fill it with pretty much everything that sits in your fridge & you desperately wanna use... leftover cheese... leftover veggies... sundried tomatoes that sat in oil for ages... ham or salami or whatever you got. fill this bread with whatever leftovers you got and it will be a hit with everyone.

RECIPE

1 ready made pizza dough (about 580g, 38x25cm)
1 zucchini, finely cut lenghtwise
3 tablespoons basil pesto
10 slices parma ham
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled
5 sundried tomatoes
250g grated cheese such as gruyere, parmesan etc...
freshly ground pepper
1 bunch of basil, chopped
olive oil, to brush

heat oven to 180 c°.
first grill the zucchini in a splash of oil in a pan & set aside to cool.
roll pizza dogh onto a flat surface and spread with the basil pesto, arrange parma ham leaving a 5cm border on each side. Arrange peeled eggs in a row in the middle, put tomatoes in the small space btw eggs, then top with grilled zucchini and top generously with the grated cheese, season with pepper & top with fresh basil. Roll dough up and form a roll. arrange roll into a circle and make sure you bring both ends together and tuck dough together nicely so the filling doesnt run out while in the oven. brush with olive oil, then bake in the middle of the oven for 35 minutes until dough is light brown & crispy.

PS: make sure you serve when still warm. you want that cheese to be all goey and running through your fingers when you eat it.

i moved!

2008-12-30T01:19:00.003+01:00

hiya all. i moved.
please update your urls and find me under onceuponacakestand.com
thanks for dropping by
*m

horseradish-dip with pumpkin & thyme

2008-12-29T23:29:00.003+01:00

so i have this new addiction. it started a while ago... one fine day when i was having a very early first glass of white wine around lunch-time-ish with a good friend in berlin. he felt like a "little snack" as he called it, then pulled out this glass out of the fridge and opened up a packet of crackers. it was this soft horseradish mousse, enriched with some pumpkin that tasted just divine on that salty little cracker. "the little snack" turned into lunch as i pretty much finished the whole glass (i am such a greedy guest, its not even funny...).
back home i had to come up with an idea. they dont do horseradish dip with pumpkin where i live. so i started to potter around in my kitchen - thinking about what to mix together to end up with that supersoft dip.
it didnt take much as you can see in the recipe below. you can substitute the pumpkin with fried mushrooms (but make sure you cut them into tiny little bits), add other or no herbs... really whatever would make you happy when sipping a glass of white wine.

RECIPE

200g cream cheese
100g horseradish mousse *
2-3 tablespoons of finely cubed pumpkin
a splash of white wine
2 tablespoons of finely plucked fresh thyme
freshly ground pepper, to taste

salted crackers, to serve

heat some olive oil in a frying pan and add the finely cubed pumpkin. cook over high heat until they start to soften a bit, then add the white wine, reduce heat & cook until pumpkin is soft. set aside and let cool a bit.
mix the cream cheese & the horseradish in a bowl, add fresh thyme, season with freshly ground pepper, then add the pumpkin & mix well.
put in a nice serving dish & serve with salted crackers.

put in a preserving glass, this keeps in the fridge for about a week.

*horseradish mousse is a very soft mousse made of horseradish & some sort of soft cheese. if you can't find it in the shops, simply substitute with freshly ground horseradish or some horseradish out of a tube or glass (you might wanna reduce the amout, though...)

white wine soup

2008-10-12T23:19:00.003+02:00

consider this post a proof, that a fancy-schmancy soup doesnt take much. not much talent. not many ingredients. really just a pot where you throw in a couple of things. stir. mix. serve.

even when doing the fancy stuff i like a homemade soup to be a little chunky and rustic. so dont overmix with your blender. if the finely cut onions remain little chunks, they'll just add a wonderful crunchy texture and are juicy and lovely when you bite into them.

RECIPE
enough for 4 people as a starter

1 tablespoon butter
1 white onion, finely chopped
3 dl white wine (use the good stuff!)
3 dl vegetable broth
3 dl cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
salt, pepper, bay leave
some finely chopped chive or parsley, to serve

melt the butter in a pan and glaze the onions until shiny and soft. add bay leave and stir. deglaze with white wine, then add veggie broth & cream. let soup come to the boil. mix cornstarch with a little white wine and add to the soup. stir until you end up with a smooth and creamy soup. mix with blender until you have the desired texture (i like it a little chunky but do as you like it best).
garnish with some finely chopped parsley or chive. serve with crusty bread. tuck in.

dutch apple pie

2008-10-07T17:15:00.005+02:00

some things take a while. and some things just take for ever. like me finding the perfect recipe for a dutch applepie. while i lived in amsterdam i made it a rule to eat a piece of applepie every day. the word "slagroom" - whipped cream - was one of the first i learnt cos that piece of applepie better came with a huge portion of whipped cream.
i moved back home... started to eat other things... live by other rules... but i never really forgot about the applepie. life was so sweet in amsterdam. pies. flowers. slagroom. bikes. more pies. and even more slagroom. but i never managed to find the perfect recipe. a recipe for the queen of applepies - the one that's served in villa zeezicht or bakkerswinkel. you know just the real mccoy.
recipes or advice was given to me from time to time. "make sure you add enough cinnamon" - or "skip the raisins, they are crap anyways". but no-one came up with the real thing.
until gaby the golden shrimp sent me her recipe. the girl used to live in amsterdam. she must know what i was talking about. and she was right. here we go: here is a decent dutch apple pie. one that would seel out at villa zeezicht in no time. one that can only be topped with a big portion of whipped cream. one that has the perfect mix of apples & raisins. one that doesnt come out of the oven as a brik, cos it has so much dough around the fruit. really just heaven on a plate. -i found it; dig in!

Dutch apple pie
For the dough:
250g flour
175g butter
pinch of salt
80g sugar
2 eggs

For the filling:
about 750g apples (Boskop, Elstar or something firmish)
100g sugar
100g raisins/sultanas
30g ground almonds
1 tablespoon cinnamon
a hand full of sliced almonds
rind of 1 lemon

Mix butter, flour, sugar, pinch of salt and 1 1/2 eggs to a firm dough. Leave to rest in the fridge 30 min. In the mean time, peel the apples, cut into chunks and mix them with the rest of the ingredients for the filling.

Roll out the dough, grease a high walled tin (10 inch/25 cm diameter) and cover it with the dough, cut off the overhanging bits and re-roll to use them later for the decoration on top. Fill the pastry with the apple mix, Add the lattice work (optional) and coat this with the leftover egg. sprinkle with the sliced almonds. Bake at 180°C for 60 min. Leave to cool slightly and serve with whipped cream.

autumn fruit salad with a beer sabayone

2008-09-28T23:16:00.004+02:00

do you know what i love most? - when i can do something really, really fancy... i mean: really fancy - you know top level and all, while i just jot it out of my hipps, as we like to say in switzerland. get all the ah's and oh's while it was really no big deal.
a beer sabayone is such a thing. done in a minute. doesnt require any - and i mean ANY- special talent.
the beer does the trick. you want your sabayone to be all fluffy and soft and airy - so you just add a dash of beer, mix it with two egg yolks and some sugar, add a dash of cinnamon because it goes so well with the yeasty-aroma of the beer. put it on the stove. whisk. whisk again. whisk some more. and you are ready to serve this wonderful little autumn dessert in no time.

the really smart ones among you might stand up here and have something to say about doing the perfect sabayone. how you use a hot water bath to make the real mccoy. how about you just follow my rule (which is not following any) and just put your metal bowl or pan directly on the stove... pulling it away from time to time so the pan doesnt get to hot. - give it a shot. it's heaven in a glass!

for the fruit-salad:

some autumn fruits such as prunes, plums,... really whatever you can get.
some vanilla sugar

destone fruit and cut in small slices, then add vanilla sugar, put in glass bowl, cover with clingfilm and let rest for at least an hour. i like to put it in the fridge because i love the contrast of cold fruit and the warm beer sabayone.
arrange in 4 glasses.

***

for the sabayone:

2 egg yolks
about 100g sugar
100ml beer
a pinch of cinnamon

put yolks & sugar in a pan or a metal-bowl. whisk until well incorporated. then add the beer & cinnamon and mix again. put directly on high heat, constantly whisking... taking the pan/bowl of the heat... then put back & whisk. you want to add loads of air into the sabayone. then take off heat and pour over the prepared glasses with fruit. serve asap.

sugar daddy's éclairs

2008-08-31T15:03:00.000+02:00

you know. i never say no when offered an éclair. i just dont. no matter what time of the day or year - i truly believe there is little out there in the world that i like more than a decent éclair. all crisp and gooey at the same time. oh my, whoever invented it - i owe him big time.
so when this month's recipe for the daring bakers was out, i was all over the place. i mean out of joy. baking éclaires, mais bien sur! there was only such a thing as a big trip abroad in the month august - meaning: little time to bake. so while i was packing up all my stuff, doing laundry, hoovering the apartment and doing last calls i did this with chocolate-smeared fingers. chocolate on my forehead, on my hipps, on that white t-shirt i wanted to pack... so basically i did it all wrong, cos i did it in such a rush it should be simply forbidden for such a nice little dessert. éclaires need time. and love. and care. especially if it's from pierre hermé, aka sugar daddy.

so sugar daddy does some fancy recipes as our queen bee tartelette proves every now and then on her fabulous blog. this months recipe wasn't too complicated if you follow it step by step. make sure you dont do this in a rush... you want those little cream puffs to rise and shine in the oven... that kinky chocolate glaze to be all smooth and shiny. takes time. i agree.
i went all chocolate with the filling and glaze - of course there is about a gazillion ways to do this: mocca, vanilla, a french pastry cream infused with rosebuds, with cinnamon - oh the list goes on and on.
just make sure you assemble it last minute - or it might go all soggy.

i'll dash if you dont mind. got about 20 éclairs in the kitchen. and an empty belly. and i jeans i need to fit in tomorrow. somehow...
before i leave, i'd like to put my hands up for this month's host meeta and tony. great job, thanks guys!

PS: i hope you dont mind if i am not posting the recipe here, as it is very long. head over to meeta or tony to get the full list or simply check out pierre hermé's book.

celebrate summer!

2008-08-10T13:51:00.000+02:00

while summer is still here... why not celebrate? those warm nights... that golden light... the days where you wake up and go to bed in a bikini? jumps into the lake... swimming in the river and then see the sun go down? - worth celebrating, isnt it?
and while everybody is busy with sunbathing / swimming / laughing / glaring at the sun / singing on a bike /... that party should be easy and quick to prepare.
how about you put on the grill, buy some very, very good sausages, bake a bread and that's pretty much it? (overachievers will make a salad, too).

cutlery and plates made out of wood or dried palm leaves are ok-presentable, cheap and save you time (no dishes to do, just chuck it!). to make it just a little more presentable, simply wrap some decorative paper around 3 empty tins, put forks, knives and spoons into each and put on table. oh, and dont forget some matching paper-napkins.

another way to serve your sausages is a simple sandwich bag (keeps all the greasy stuff inside). to glam it up a bit, simply stamp a decorative sujet onto the bag. sausage in a bag - makes everybody happy.

ok, light is an important thing cos sooner or later the sun will go down. plus: everybody looks beautiful in candlelight. an easy but fun idea is to fill buckets with water, put some small flower buds and something green like ivy or some clematis into water, then add swimming candles. will light up your party at night. just be careful the flowers dont catch fire.

so we said we are not gonna hang out in the kitchen for ever. it's not about showing off. its about having a good time. sausages are on the grill... takes no time. still we wanna serve it with something special. why not offer a selection of mustard? from sweet to spicy, from a mild basil-mustard to this very, very hot little number.

everybody loves a brownie. and a party without a brownie is not a real party. if you got the time bake a small selection: a cream cheese brownie, a ricotta browie, a blondie..... or simply use the naughtiest recipe you have.

ok. so you might invest 5 or 10 minutes in deco. simple and cheap (and cheesy as some might say) are those colourful paper-flags. good thing: mine are still hanging there and make my balcony look all summery and colourful.

now get your bikinis & grills on & celebrate!

chilled tomato soup with rose water

2008-07-30T12:51:00.003+02:00

i dont feel like cooking in summer. with cooking i mean: wear an apron. chop up a gazillion things. stir a risotto or mess around with caketins. why turn the oven on when the sun is shining in full blast? i am more like the "whizzitallupinasecond" type of cook at the moment.
but still... it should be delicious. like a chilled tomato soup. what better time to buy tomatoes than right now? they are sunnkissed, full of flavour and dont need much to enhance their flavour.
my friend tanja grandits (who cooks at this kick-ass restaurant here) had this brilliand idea to add just a teaspoon or two of rosewater to her chilled tomato soup and what can i say: it's so delicous, it makes you wanna dip your head into the soupbowl and just drink it all up! slurp! yum!

RECIPE

8 ripe tomatoes, skin off
200ml tomato juice
2 teaspoon of tomatopurée
1 tablespoon of runny honey
1 teaspoon of salt
1 garlic clove, diced
2 shallots, chopped up
1 pinch of cinnamon
some fennel seeds, freshly ground
1 pinch of cayenne
2 tablespoons of rosewater

to garnish:
some creme fraiche
fresh peppermint, oregano or basil

take 3 tomatoes, take seeds out and chop up into small little cubes. set aside.
chop up rest of tomatoes, mix with all the other ingredients and let stand in the fridge for about half an hour. then whizz it all up in your blender, pass through a sieve and chill in the fridge.
add small little tomato-cubes and serve in small soupbowls or a glass. garnish with some creme fraiche and peppermint.

a danish braid for the daring bakers

2008-06-29T10:20:00.001+02:00

ok. there is no other way to say it but: i suck at food-blogging. over the last few weeks this blog has turned into a daring-bakers blog in the sense that all you find here is my duty-job to bake something for the crazy bunch who joined this virtual group of crazy bakers. and then that's it.
you know... its not that i have fallen out of love with cooking, baking, taking pics and writing about it, god no! it's just that life has become hectic in a way that i bake in the middle of then night or dead-early in the morning and in such a rush that there is a) no light or b) no time to take a decent picture.
and when i have a minute to breathe i look at my statscounter only to find out that you still stuck to the probably world-worst foodblogger and visit my humble little blog. even when i post a picture of a flower. or the wings of an airpline (cant eat that, can you?)
let me tell you: i am sorry. i dont mean to be so busy. if i could i would blog all day long and maybe paint my fingernails while doing so. but unfortunately this doesnt pay for this or this let alone a ticket to see her. and it doesnt pay for butter, sugar, flour and berries. which would mean: no daring bakers, no baking at all.

so live is a bitch and i promise to improve on the foodblog-front in the next few weeks so you wont turn away from me and how about we finally get to the point and talk about this month's daring bakers competition. this month's recipe was a danish braid and sweet jesus: this is a recipe just the way i like it.

as always with the daring bakers the recipe is not drop-dead-easy but absolutely manageable if you know how to operate a kichen aid and open & close your oven. the only advice i have for this one is: make sure you work with a clean & cold surface or you might want to throw the buttery dough to the wall because it can get quite sticky.
i filled it with fresh blueberries and some vanilla cream that was left from a summery tart with fresh strawberries and let me tell you this is a piece of heaven. you can fill this buttery, heavenly dough with whatever your heart desires: nutella... fresh fruit... jam...nuts, there is really no limit to it.

Danish Braid, inspired by Sherry Yard, The Secrets of Baking:

Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

For the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Dough:Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

Butter block: Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
- After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. - Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Danish Braid:
Makes enough for 2 large braids
1 recipe Danish Dough
filling of your choice

- Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
- Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
- Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Proofing and Baking
- Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.
- Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

***

hands up for our hosts this month: kelly from sass & veracity who has a fabulous step by step post about this recipe on her page. and ben of what's cooking who is quite a danish braid baker himself.

darling peonies

2008-06-05T21:37:00.004+02:00

this aint no flippin' flower blog.

but i just couldnt resist.

can you?

the daring bakers go to the opera...

2008-05-28T01:01:00.000+02:00

... well sort of. we were baking an opera cake. quite a fancy little challenge we were doing this month. but a nice one. with loads of buttercream to make, with a soft cake, a chocolate mousse and a decent ganache to top it all.

when i talk about "us" and when i say "we" i am talking about a big bunch of crazy & fun bakers all around the globe who bake something fancy, nice or just simply delicious once a month. it's for fun, you know. but it comes with rules...

... rules like: you are not allowed to use any vanilla. or: you must follow the original recipe. or: you are not allowed to skip the bavarian cream. or: you are not allowed to use any brown flavouring like chocolate or coffee this time.
you know i am swiss. we have loads of rules. for everything. i know what it means when you break the rules. not fun. not at all. better not do it.

but i had to. i was stuck in the kitchen with 700g of white chocolate. not that i dont like it but it's just something i never work with. i just think the brown stuff is the real mccoy - so white chocolate is something i haven't even thought about using in my kitchen.
pah - i better had! such a simple humble thing as melting the white chocolate was - lets be honest here, my girls - a pain in the ass! IT JUST WOULDNT MELT! no. melting. at. all. then it did, but only for about a nanosecond and then it turned into a clump and before it burned and it was ready for a decent little swearword (when the rest of the cake was so much fun to make!).
so me and the white chocolate = no good friends. not gonna happen.
so i had to break the rules and use the brown stuff instead. if you know us swiss, you know it breaks our hearts and no we dont think this way you will make it to heaven and yes i am ready for a week of kitchenduty.
although... let me think: i did make it to heaven anyway. the cake is so soft and delicously sweet... the white buttercream with vanilla... the choclate mousse in between and the generous amout of almost kinky ganache - when you eat that, that's what it must feel like going to heaven.

this month's challenge was hosted by the lovely fran of apple peaces pumpkin pie and shea of whiskful. to check out a recipe of the opera cake, visit out our queen bees blog tartelette.

savoury filled zopf with goats cheese

2008-05-19T18:54:00.000+02:00

i have this thing for goats cheese. not the stinky one. no! i am talking about the creamy, soft and nice stuff. one day (yes, must have been after a long night out...) i felt like a savoury bread for breakfast. so i invented the savoury filled zopf with goats cheese. i added some ham & sundried tomatoes - but you can adjust the recipe just the way you like it best (no long night out required...). a basic recipe (minus the vanilla pod!) and a "how to" for zopf you will find right here.

1kg white (zopf)flour
40g fresh yeast
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of salt
5 dl milk
2 eggs, whisked
160g cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons of fresh tyhme, finely chopped

filling:
6 slices of ham (or bresoala)
5-6 sundried tomatoes, finely diced
150g soft goats cheese (spreadable)
a hand full of grated parmesan

1 egg mixed, to brush

mix the flour with the sugar and salt in a bowl. mix yeast with the milk and add with thyme & eggs. form into a dough and knead well (best done with your stand mixer) until soft. slowly add butter and knead until dough is silky and soft. cover and let rest for about an hour until it has doubled in size.

heat the oven to 220 c°,
cut dough in half and roll each into a 60 x 20 cm long rectangle. spread with the goats cheese, coat with the ham, sprinkle the suntried tomatoes on top and finish with the grated parmesan. roll each rectangle into a log and pull a little, so you get kind of a "long rope". loop / wrap each rope around the other and form a wreath. put on a tray with some baking paper and let rest for about half an hour. then glaze with the egg.

bake in the hot oven for about 35 minutes (ev. add some underheat for the last 10 minutes, you want the bottom to be supercrisp and nice.).
slice open and serve when still warm.

still there

2008-05-17T12:28:00.002+02:00

i have not fallen off the world. just above it all at the moment. speak to you, soon! *m

daring bakers go cheesecake-crazy

2008-04-27T13:21:00.005+02:00

when i travel i go crazy and buy all things heavy. no wonder an airline employee once asked me if i had a dead body in my suitcase when he lifted my baggage. but why not buy a kilo or two of sugar... or beautiful porcelaine... or dishsoap... or very heavy books?

my bags where heavy like a sumo wrestler already but there was this book at one of my favourite shops that i had my eyes on. sticky, chewy, messy, gooey by jill o'connor was a must and i made the extra trip back to the shop to buy it. it is filled with supersweet desserts and wonderfully decorated with lotsa ribbons and polkadots and all the other fun stuff.
the daring bakers proved that it was the right decision to buy this book.

because this month's mission was the cheesecake pops from this lovely little book. a wonderful idea for babyshowers, birthday parties, a chit-chat-marathon with your best friends or even an evening in front of the telly. it takes a bit of time to prepare because the cheesecake needs to chill and freeze before its coated with chocolate and needs another chill in the
freezer.

i halved the recipe because 40 cheesecake pops where too much to handle for me. worked out well - i used 3 eggs & 1 yolk instead of the 5 eggs and the 2 yolks. the batter fitted perfectly into a 30 x 18 cm baking pan.

RECIPE

Cheesecake Pops

Makes 30 – 40 Pops

5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature

2 cups sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

5 large eggs

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ cup heavy cream

Boiling water as needed

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

1 pound chocolate, finely chopped – you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not impossible)

Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F / 170 C° . Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

have you been strudeld lately?

2008-04-21T21:35:00.002+02:00

i have been dealing with a lot of phyllo dough lately. i was doing a programe about all kinds of strudel - from sweet to savoury and just couldnt stop!
there was the one with rucola, taleggio cheese and some fried mushrooms, the topfenstrudel (austrian quark strudel) with dried apricots that almost blew up in my oven, the apple strudel with hazelnuts, thyme and gruyere cheese... and last but not least the potato strudel with sage and ham.

a yummy little number that makes a wonderful lunch if you serve it with a fresh garden salad. easy and quite quick to make if you use ready made phyllo pastry (available in turkish speciality shops or ask your baker). if you want to make your own strudel dough, check out this recipe or simply use puff pastry.

RECIPE

120g phyllo pastry or homemade strudel dough
200g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
70g mozzarella (or grated gruyere or fontina cheese)
1 garlic, finely diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
a hand full of sage, finely diced
salt and pepper
3 slices of ham
some more olive oil to brush

heat the oven to 200 c°

mix potatoes, mozzarella, garlic, sage and oil in a bowl. season with salt and pepper.
place a clean kitchen towell on your work surface and dust with some water, then arrange your phyllo pastry onto it (make sure you get 2 layers!) and brush with some olive oil.
spread filling & ham onto pastry and roll up your strudel (make sure the edges are neatly tucked in or you filling will end up in your oven).
brush with some olive oil and bake in the middle of the oven for about 30 minutes until golden and crisp. - serve while still hot.

basil butter

2008-04-14T21:12:00.001+02:00

hello my lovelies, just a quick one as i am dashing from one kitchen to the other at the moment, but found some time to make this today. it's a sweet butter - a basilbutter with honey that crowns every sunday brunch or turns an everyday breakfast into a feast. tastes delicious on brioche bread with some berries and keeps in the fridge for about a week.

100g butter, soft
2 tablespoons of runny honey
30g basil, chopped
juice of half a lemon
50g mascarpone
some berries
soft bread such as challa or brioche

mix the soft butter with honey, basil, lemonjuice and mascarpone in a mixer until creamy and mixed throughout.
spread on bread and garnish with the berries.

fancy more recipes using fresh herbs? check out this weeks WHB, hosted by jugalbandi this week.

centre piece of the month april

2008-04-06T23:00:00.000+02:00

new month, new centrepiece of the month. i am still into hyacinths - they last for ever, they have an amazing colour and i love the scent (some of my guests almost faint when they enter my apartment but they will have to deal with it ;-).

very simple centrepiece - i filled a big glassbowl with moss (make sure you dust it with some water - using a spray bottle - so its nice and soft) then placed the hyacinth bulbs into the moss and covered them with a last layer of moss so they sit in the bowl nicely.

make sure you put them on your balcony at night - this way your centrepiece lasts for weeks and weeks. you could use other flowers such as tulips, paperwhite or daffodils to make this centrepiece.

you could use any other container to make this - a soup bowl, a fruitbowl - even a wirebasket would be wonderful to hold the moss & flowers.

only water once a week with very little water - it doesnt need much, since all the power is coming from the bulb.

make sure you check out sandy's blog - she is the host of centrepiece of the month.

daring bakers and the perfect party cake

2008-03-30T13:42:00.005+02:00

today is daring baker's day! this months cake was a recipe by the wonderful dorie greenspan - so that was a promise and a guarantee at the same time. i dont need to say much, do i? - perfect cake. you will find the recipe (and a wonderful pic of the cake) on this months host marvens blog.

this cake is quite something to write home about. you can fill it with jam, fresh fruit, add vanilla instead of lemon (like in the original recipe - i had to do that since i used all my lemons for a guacamole that just wouldnt taste right so i turned it into a lemon-guacamole, if there is such a thing at all). it somehow remembers me to the Dean and Deluca all occasion cake, that i wish to have for my birthday one day in my life.

tete de moine - sandwich

2008-03-24T21:15:00.000+01:00

you may have realized by now that i eat everything.... except one: food that comes from the staff restaurant at work. i used to eat there every day. not because the food was delicious or anything like that - no, i felt i had to join my work buddies, give them support, when they served the worst... erm... world famous "pojarski-skewer" (imagine dry meat balls on a stick!) with brown sauce or the "homemade lasagne" that tasted like cardboard. i no longer do the teamwork-thing, at least not when it comes to eating in our cafeteria. instead i bring my little lunchbox along - some fruit - bread - a little chocolate... you know, bits and pieces of really yummy stuff.
here is my latest office-food invention: a tete de moine sandwich.

tete de moine is a wonderful and very recent cheese so you dont need much to get some flavour into your sandwich. you will find more information about it right here. if you live in the states you might find this cheese at stores such as dean and deluca or balduccis.
the combination of cheese and fruit such as apple or pear is a classic and i couldnt resist and also put some walnuts onto the sandwich.

and if i'd get crazy and if i wouldnt have to eat this in between interviews, reading books, typing away on my computer and looking fabulous while doing it, i would splatter this sandwich with loads of runny honey. have a go - i am sure you will love it, too!

RECIPE

bread, such as baguette
4-5 tete de moine cheese rosettes
1/4 apple, in slices
1 tablespoon of mascarpone
2-3 walnuts
some freshly ground pepper
some chive

cut the bread in halves, spread with the mascarpone, garnish with the chive, cheese, apple, walnuts and season with freshly ground pepper.

last minute easter deco

2008-03-22T22:25:00.003+01:00

the bunnies are just around the corner... and just in case your easter-table isn't set, yet - here is an idea. i was working with the very talented decorator tatjana glemser last week and she came up with this very simple but adorable little project.

cut some paper doilies into a strip and place into a glass. then trace the line of the doily with a water-soluble white pen. place some moss into the glass, fill with a quail's egg, a tiny boxtree branch and a blown out egg. decorate with some tiny branches, a feather that's graced with some satin- and laceyband. - easterdeco done!

truffes brioche

2008-03-19T16:14:00.000+01:00

if you would ask me what i really, really couldnt live without i would tell you it was a truffes brioche. of course i wouldnt wanne live without my friends, my miu miu's, my work, my books, my home and all the other things that fill your heart and soul.
but there is nothing as comforting, as good and sweet as a truffes brioche. sprüngli in zürich bake a mean one - when my best friend was in hospital and very sick we ate one a day. i am still convinced it was the truffes brioche that healed him in the end.
i decided it was about time i came up with my own recipe. a truffes brioche cant be too difficult to bake. here we go with a sweet little bread - perfect for your easter brunch (or lunch, or dinner or a midnight snack...). dont you think?

RECIPE

500g flour
1 teaspoon salt
20g fresh yeast
50g sugar
125g butter, soft
4 eggs, lightly beaten
12 truffes (or pieces of chocolate)

egg glaze:
1 egg
2 tablespoons of milk

sift flour and salt into bowl of a food mixer attached with the dough hook, rub in the yeast, mix in sugar. add eggs & start kneading. cut soft butter in small pieces and add one after the other while the mixer is running. knead for about 10 minutes until dough is very soft and silky.
then shape into a ball and put in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel and leave to rise for about 1 hour until it has doubled in size.

turn out the dough onto a floured surface, cutt off about 150g of dough and divide the rest into 12 equal pieces. shape each piece into a bun and then flatten it out, placing the truffe into the centre. fold the edges over the chocolate, pinching them together to seal. press buns, seam side down, into 12 lightly oiled individual brioche tins (or simply use muffin tin to bake).

take the reserved dough and divide it into 12 small pieces. shape each into a ball. make a small indentation in the top of each bun, brush with a little egg glaze and press small ball of dough into each one. cover the tins with a towel and leave to rise for about 30 minutes until doubled in size, then glaze.

heat oven to 190 c° , bake brioches for 20 minutes until the buns are risen and sound hollow when tapped underneath, let cool for a bit, then remove from the tins. let cool on a wire rack or serve when still warm.

centre piece of the month march

2008-03-16T18:42:00.005+01:00

this months centre piece of the month is a tiny one. i dont even know if it counts as a centre piece if you follow the definition of the word:

Centerpiece \Cen"ter*piece`\, Centrepiece \Cen"tre*piece`\, n.
 An ornament to be placed in the center, as of a table,
 ceiling, atc.; a central article or figure.

certainly not an ornament, but simply the leftovers of a bunch of flowers put into a little pot and decorated with some moss. perfect if you only got a few (almost dying...) flowers. add a little tag with a name on it and your centre-piece or place card is done. put on a plate or into some invy and your table is set.

check out sandys blog, she is the lovely host of CPOM.

daring bakers - fresh from the oven!

2008-02-29T16:04:00.004+01:00

this month we were baking a bread with the daring bakers. well, not just any bread... it was julia child's french bread (yep, a white bread! yum!). when i first saw the recipe i couldnt believe it - oh that was a long, long list of things to do (but dont let it put you off doing the recipe, yourself - looks like more work than it acutally is - here is the recipe). it's such a basic but wonderful recipe - you end up with such a silky dough - its just heaven in a bowl, when it sits there and rises.
i am a sucker for white bread. i do believe it's your white bread that tells if you are a good baker or not. like a baguette. there is no other bread with a better crust... the structure of the bread - the crisp - the taste - oh i just love it.

i was planning to make baguettes (especially since i was thinking about eating this with it, good job tartelette - we share the same childhood memories!) but then of course i had to move things round and do the bread in a dash (which isnt really possible, since it needs to rise and shine a couple of times) - so i made one round loaf instead.
with the smell of freshly baked bread still in the house i start to think what to eat with it. and i really cant help but only think about a decent swiss milk chocolate and a glass of milk. it just doesnt get any better than that!

a naughty cake - devils food cake

2008-02-27T14:39:00.003+01:00

when i bed with flu you should probably eat healthy stuff. kiwis, oranges - drink loads of tea to flush all the bad stuff out of your body system. i believe that when in bed with flu you are entitled to eat all the stuff you love the most. marshmallows, crisps with tomato ketchup and a decent piece of cake. if we are talking about "a decent piece of cake" here, there is really only one that deserves the title: devils food cake. a naughty rich and fabulous cake that tastes great and is so rich and buttery, that it keeps long enough in the fridge that it feeds you through the entire time you are in bed with a heavy flu, angina pectoris, pneumonia or any other nasty bug one can catch. - enjoy! and get better you fellow sneezing noses out there.

RECIPE (adapted from linda collisters chocolate)

110g plain chocolate, finely chopped
125 ml sour cream
175g muscovador or other brown sugar
300g plain flour
a good pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
115g butter, room temperature
200g caster sugar
2 large eggs, separated
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
175ml water, room temperature

ICING

520g chocolate, finely chopped
300ml sour cream
2-3 teaspoons vanilla essence

sugar flowers, to decorate

butter and line 2 sponge tins of 23 cm diameter & set aside.

put the chopped chocolate, sour cream and muscovado sugar into a heavybased saucepan and set over very low heat. stir from time to time until melted and smooth, dont let become hot. remove from the heat and set aside.
sift flour with the salt & cocoa & baking powder and put into a bowl.
put butter into a bowl and, using a wooden spoon or electric whisk, beat until creamy. gradually beat in sugar. beat well, then beat in the egg yorlks at a time, followed by the vanilla. mix in the flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, alternately with the water. when thoroughly blended, work in the melted chocolate mixture. spoon the mixture into the prepared tins, to fill evenly, then bake in a preheated oven at 180 c° for about 30 minutes. the cakes are cooked when they spring back from the sides of the tins. let cool for 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack, remove the lining paper and cool completely.

to make the icing and filling, put the chocolate into a heavyproof bowl set over a saucepan of steaming but not boiling water and leave until melted. remove the bowl from the heat, stir in vanilla & mix gently until smooth, then whisk in the cream. leave until very thick and spreadable.

set one cake aside and spread icing on top of the remaining cake. sandwich the layers together, with the plain one on top. spread the top and sides of the cake with icing, decorate with sugar flowers. keep in a cool place until ready to serve.
best eaten within 5 days - uniced cakes can be frozen for up to 1 month.

first signs of spring - centre piece of the month february

2008-02-19T14:09:00.000+01:00

pick whatever flowers you get at the supermarket to make this little basket filled with flowers. ranunculus are my favourites and available all over the place at the moment, so i chose to put them into this flowery centrepiece. the orchid is quite fancy but you just really need one to pimp this up (and it keeps for ever!). a rose or two, some ivy and green leaves from the forest and you are all set.

to get started line a basket with some foil and trim on the edges. soak some floral foam in water and place in the basket, when soaked wet (can be really, really wet - it will have to work as a vase to the flowers), eventually cut and trim the floral on the edges, so that it resembles an arch. trim flowers and green leaves and stick into pot. start doing so on the bottom of foam, working upwards until you have an even flowery centrepiece.
make sure foam stays moist - adding some water from time to time.

i used a little basket, you could use just about any container that looks cute and can hold some floral foam. fruit bowls, small or large terra-cotta pot, soup bowl - go crazy!
head over to whistlestop cafe cooking - to check out all the other centrepieces of the month!

salmon cake with dill

2008-02-16T00:01:00.001+01:00

while the week is filled with loads of work and all that other stuff you have to do to make a living, my weekends are filled with sleeping / reading / cooking / baking / eating and drinking (i dont always follow the order and start with the drinking instead of the sleeping...).
here is a little cake that goes wonderfully with a glass of white wine or something sparkly. a salmon cake - soft and airy... since the salmon is a quite "fatty fish" the cake is very moist, too.
i like to bake it as a small "gugelhupf" but you are free to fill the batter into a muffin tin (shorter baking time!) and bake small salmon cakes instead. serve with some cream cheese or ricotta that you season with some lemonjuice and chive.

RECIPE

180g flour
15g baking powder
3 eggs
100ml sunflower oil
100ml milk
120g gruyere cheese, freshly grated
120g smoked salmon, cut in small pieces
1 generous hand full of fresh dill, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of pink pepper, ground (use a mortar)
salt and freshly ground pepper

heat the oven to 180 °c.

butter a gugelhupf- or cake tin (25cm) generously or line with parchment paper.
mix eggs, milk and oil in a bowl. mix flour with baking powder and grated cheese and put in another bowl. add salmon, dill and pink pepper. add liquid and mix, then season with salt and pepper.
fill into the prepared cake tin and put in the middle of the oven. bake for about 50 minutes, then let cool for about 10 minutes, then turn over onto a cooling rack.
slice and serve.

the daring bakers strike again - lemon meringue pie

2008-01-28T00:15:00.000+01:00

new month, new baking challenge with the daring bakers. this month's recipe was a lemon meringue pie. and you dont have to ask me twice if you got a recipe that has any kind of meringue in it. i could eat meringue for breakfast. the pie was a must!

making a lemon merinuge pie is not a very difficult thing (even if you end up with thist fancy pie at the end!). but i have to say that i needed some time to adjust to the recipe below (dont feel funny, just give it a try!). instead of the pie dough described below i used my all time favourite one... that i usually make to bake my lemon curd tart. (i know that is so against the rules... call me naughty. but the dough just gave me a headache!)
speaking of the lemon curd /cream. well - the recipe below advises you to mix hot water with cornstarch and sugar which works fine and is no big deal at all. except it made me feel like a freaking chemist. if you know me, you know i just dont, never did and never will do chemistry. so if you are looking for an easy way out, simply use my recipe for a lemon curd tart (dead easy) and follow the instructions with the merinuge topping. it's a pie made in heaven. just a wonderful little thing. serve it as soon as possible, you dont want it to turn soggy!

Lemon Meringue Pie
Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie

For the Crust:
3/4 cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces
2 cups (475 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/3 cup (80 mL) ice water

For the Filling:
2 cups (475 mL) water
1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 mL) cornstarch
5 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
3/4 cup (180 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

For the Meringue:
5 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) cream of tartar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract
3/4 cup (180 mL) granulated sugar

To Make the Crust:
Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt.Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of 1/8 inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about 1/2 inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.

To Make the Filling:
Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated. Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.

To Make the Meringue:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.

HHDD: Pizza!

2008-01-21T16:33:00.000+01:00

i couldnt resist but take part in the world famous Hay Hay it's Donna Hay - foodblog event. this months theme is pizza and i have been craving a decent pizza for - at least - 2 weeks but never had the time to actually make one. since it's the united nations international year of the potato i have been cooking with loads of potatoes for work and as i am stuck with a few kilos of all kinds of potatoes my pizza had to be a potato pizza. i have a favourite potato pizza (yep, the new york one!) already, so i had to come up with a new idea and decided to turn it into a potato calzone with creamy cheese and all that good and fun stuff. this pizza is dead easy to make and surely a hit with your guests (i was too greedy, i didnt share!). since potatoes can have a quite bland flavour, make sure you season it well with salt, pepper, herbs or a real stinky cheese!

RECIPE - makes 1 calzone
adapted from pizza, calzone & focaccia

for the dough:
250g flour
12g fresh yeast
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
125ml lukewarm water
about 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

for the filling
about 70g fontina cheese, finely grated / or some mozzarella cheese
200g potatoes, peelend and very thinly sliced
olive oil
1 spring onion or leek, finely diced
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon-thyme or rosemary, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper

to make the dough cream the yeast with water and add olive oil. mix flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a standmixer and make a well in the centre. pour in yeast-mixture and mix together until very smooth and elastic. put in clean bowl, cover and let rise for about 1,5 hours.

preheat the oven to 220c° and put a large, heavy baking tray on the lower shelf of the oven.
toss the potaotes, cheese, spring onion, thyme (or rosemary) and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl.

uncover the dough and roll into a 25 cm cirlcle directly onto the baking parchment. slide this onto a pizza peel or a cookie baking sheet. spread one half of the calzone with the potato mixture, leaving about 1,5 cm around the edge for sealing. season well with salt and pepper. fold the uncovered half of the dough over the filling. pinch and twist the edges firmly together so that the filling doesnt escape during cooking.

working quickly open the door and slide paper and calzone onto the baking sheet. bake for 10 minutes, then carefully slide out the baking parchment. bake for a further 25-30 minutes (i add some under-heat for the last 10 minutes), until the crust is puffed up and golden. remove from the oven and brush with a little olive oil. leave to stand for 2-3 minutes before serving - filling is flipping hot, it needs a rest! then serve.

make sure you turn january into pizza month, too - 80 breakfasts is hosting this round of HHDD and will post heaps of new pizza recipes. dont miss!

centrepiece of the month january

2008-01-19T13:53:00.001+01:00

jesus, it's about time i get back into the game of "centrepiece of the month", inveted by the lovely janelle of talk of tomatoes.
so it's winter... foggy... rainy... cold - oh it's a heck of a nasty time. so i tend to spoil myself with flowers - from orchids to roses to tulips. the only flower that makes me feel like spring (where is it? - how many nights will i have to sleep until i can finally go to work in a t-shirt and flipflops?) is a hyacinth with it's strong, sweet scent and it's lovely flowerheads.

a hiacinth is such an easygoing flower. plant a bulp in a pot with little soil or simply place it into a little cute basket like i did, decorate with some small branches, some moss and a tiny snail shell and you are all set. dont water too much - all the power is in the bulb already. depending on how many guests you have at the table make a few and place them in the middle of the table or make one for each of your guests as a little present to take home.

check out sandy's page - she will be posting all the lovely centre pieces of the month.

cake with ham, sage and sundried tomatoes

2008-01-04T00:01:00.000+01:00

the really (and only) good thing about a vacation with bad wheater is that you dont mind spending all day in the kitchen. i am messing around with my leftovers in the fridge, i mix and try to match what tastes good together. i was quite lucky with this one today: a spicy cake with ham, sage and sundried tomatoes. feel free to substitute the sage with rosemary or thyme, the ham with bacon and the sundried tomatoes with olives (or whatever exciting things you might find in your fridge). a wonderful cake / bread to serve with a glass of wine or as a light lunch. i couldnt resist and smear some cream cheese on top and like to think that this is a wonderful cake for a sunday brunch, too.

RECIPE

180g flour
15 g baking powder
3 eggs
100ml sunflower oil
100ml milk
120g grated fontina cheese
130g ham, cut in cubes
some fresh sage, finely diced
4-5 sundried tomatoes, finely diced (plus 2 for decorating)
salt and pepper

heat the oven to 180 c°
butter or line a cake tin (25cm) with parchement paper.
mix the eggs with the milk and oil in a bowl, add the grated cheese, the ham, sage and sundried tomatoes. mix the flour with the baking powder and mix with the egg-mixture. season with salt and pepper, then pour in the prepared cake tin and put in the middle of the oven.
bake for about 50 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. let cool for 10 minutes, then take out of tin and serve still warm (or cold, as you like).

christine ferbers gugelhupf

2007-12-28T20:00:00.000+01:00

i wanted to post this one for over half a year. it was june when i went to the alsace to interview the world famous christine ferber. it was a rainy sunday - just the perfect wheater to visit her in her wonderful little bakery and stand at the stove for 2 hours to stir some jam and talk about the world and all it's beautiful things in it.
christine is a baker (and also a cook and a icecream-queen) you wont find anywhere else in the world. there is not one pre-made product in her bakery. the chocolate glaze, the marzipan, the fruit, the veggies, the tarts and pies and all the adorable little cakes she bakes from tuesday to sunday make you believe you just ended up in a fairy tale. more about that later, as i still got some pics of the jam-queen herself in the bakery from last summer...

before i went to see her, i had to bake one of her signature-cakes: the gugelhupf. a recipe that was given to her by her father. actually, he didnt tell her how to do it. he just told her to take some butter, flour, eggs and raisins and bake a gugelhupf out of it. christine herself almost fell into despair as she baked loads of these gugelhupfs, but never ended up with one as soft and buttery as her father's. finally - after some years of practice and alot of patience she handed mer her recipe - which i proudly share with you. it takes a heck of a time to make it. the dough needs a lot of rest - but dont even think about skipping a minute of it. it's what makes this gugelhupf so airy and soft. really, just the best gugelhupf in the whole wide world!

RECIPE

makes a gugelhupf (kugelhupf) of about 1kg

100 g and 300 g flour
60 g icing sugar
200 ml cold milk (full fat)
180 g soft butter
25 g fresh yeast
one small egg (about 40 g)
10 g salt
100 g raisins
1,5 cl kirsch
1,5 cl water
50 g almonds (whole)

15 g icing sugar, for dusing
the best jam you have in your house

ready to go into the oven

soak the raisins in a bowl in the water and the kirsch.
sift 100g of the flour into a bowl and mix with the yeast and the milk. cover with a kitchen towell and let rest at room temperature (about 22 c°) for about 15 minutes.

sift 300g of flour onto the working surface and form a hollow. scatter salt and sugar at the boarder of the hollow. pour yeast/milk/flour mixture and the egg into the hollow. working slowly from the out- to the inside, knead into a dough and knead for about 5 minutes. it will become lighter in colour in time and is finished as soon as it doesnt stick to your fingers any more. add the soft butter in cubes and knead well. you will end up with a very silky and shiny dough.
then drain the raisins and add to the dough. form a ball, put in a bowl and cover with a towell. let rest at room temperature (22 c°) for 1,5 hours. when the dough has doubled in volume, knead it one more time (just a little...), then cover again and let rest for 20 minutes.

dive the almonds into very hot water for about 1 minute.

butter the gugelhupf / kugelhopf-tin generously with butter and put an almond into each of the rills on the bottom. form dough into a ball and put in the tin, cover and let rest for about 1,5 hours until it doubles in size.

heat oven to 200 °C, reduce to 180 c° before you put the cake into the oven. bake for about 45-55 minutes. then take out of the oven, take gugelhupf out of the tin and let cool on a cooling rack. dust with icing sugar before serving. cut into slices and spread with some homemade jam.

christine ferber sells not only her world-famous gugelhupf, but also the traditional gugelhupf-tin (that's actually made of clay) at her wonderful little shop in the alsace. christine ferber, 18 rue des trois epis, 68230 niedermorschwihr -FR

crunchy apple-veggie salad

2007-12-25T18:00:00.000+01:00

are ya stuffed, too? - i probably gained my full bodywheight last night ... oh - all these sauces, meat, fish, chips... i can literally feel the christmas cookies on my hips.
so it's time for something quick and healthy. not that the cabbage will give my stomach a rest - but hey: here is my quick but delicious veggie salad. i couldnt resist to put some bacon into the salad. you can leave it out, if you like. but if i was you - i wouldnt. too healthy isnt any fun, is it? (plus: it's christmas day after all!)

RECIPE

4 tablespoons of white balsamicovineggar
1 teaspoon mustard
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of sour cream
5-6 tablespoons of sunflower oil
bunch of parsley, chopped
2 apples, cored and cut in small slices
200g carrots, peeled
250g white cabbage, finely diced
4-5 rashers of streaky bacon, finely diced
walnuts and onion sprouts

mix the balsamico and mustard for the sauce, season with salt and pepper, then add the sour cream and (while whisking) the oil. add chopped parsley to the sauce.
finely grate the carrots directly into the sauce, add diced cabbage & apples. mix and let rest for 10 minutes.
fry the bacon in a pan, let cool a bit, then add to the salad with the walnuts and onion sprouts.

the daring bakers strike again - yule log

2007-12-23T14:00:00.000+01:00

thank god to the daring bakers! what a lazy blogger i have been in the last few weeks. not that i have fallen out of love with the world wide web of foodbloggin' - it's just been a heck of a time with loads of non-blog related stuff to do. and then.. food pics just dont look that cute when you shoot them at night (anybody like black soup?).
but thanks to the daring bakers i had to turn my oven on: this month's competition was a yule log. the yule log is also known as bûche de noël, a genoise filled with buttercream and rolled up to form a log shaped cake. decorated with heaps of buttercream and some marzipan or meringue mushrooms. i came across some yule logs this month in food magazines, this one from UK delicious magazine won my heart instanstly. mostly because i suspect my adorable friend angela has baked this one (and because it's made with nutella...). look how cute & delicious it looks!!!

i do believe in a decent cake that looks like a cake, but baking tree-logs i guess is just a step further from baking gingerbread cookie houses, isnt it? - at the end of the day it's the taste that counts. this one tastes just wonderful!
you will have to excuse the look of my yule log. it's still in the process of being finished... the mushrooms wont make it into this world until tomorrow, before i serve the yule log. and the frosting needs a chilly night on my balcony to be perfectly firm and set and ready to be served.

enjoy and be merry everyone!

RECIPE

Yule Log (Bûche de Noël)

Plain Genoise:

3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
3/4cup of sugar
1/2cup cake flour - spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off
1/4 cup cornstarch

One 10 x 15 inch jelly-roll pan that has been buttered and lined with parchment paper and then buttered again

1.Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

2.Half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat so the water is simmering.

3.Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, salt and sugar together in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Place over the pan of simmering water and whisk gently until the mixture is just lukewarm, about 100 degrees if you have a thermometer (or test with your finger - it should be warm to the touch).

4.Attach the bowl to the mixer and, with the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until the egg mixture is cooled (touch the outside of the bowl to tell) and tripled in volume. The egg foam will be thick and will form a slowly dissolving ribbon falling back onto the bowl of whipped eggs when the whisk is lifted.

5.While the eggs are whipping, stir together the flour and cornstarch.

6.Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the beaten eggs. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, making sure to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl on every pass through the batter to prevent the flour mixture from accumulating there and making lumps. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture and finally with the remainder.

7.Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

8.Bake the genoise for about 10 to 12 minutes. Make sure the cake doesn’t overbake and become too dry or it will not roll properly.

9.While the cake is baking, begin making the buttercream.

10.Once the cake is done (a tester will come out clean and if you press the cake lightly it will spring back), remove it from the oven and let it cool on a rack.

Coffee Buttercream:

4 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
24 tablespoons (3 sticks or 1-1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons rum or brandy
some extra dark chocolate powder, for reserved buttercream (frosting)

1.Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water and whisk gently until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

2.Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk on medium speed until cooled. Switch to the paddle and beat in the softened butter and continue beating until the buttercream is smooth. Dissolve the instant coffee in the liquor and beat into the buttercream.

Filling and frosting the log:

1.Run a sharp knife around the edges of the genoise to loosen it from the pan.

2.Turn the genoise layer over (unmolding it from the sheet pan onto a flat surface) and peel away the paper.

3.Carefully invert your genoise onto a fresh piece of parchment paper.

4.Spread with half the coffee buttercream (or whatever filling you’re using).

5.Use the parchment paper to help you roll the cake into a tight cylinder.

6.Transfer back to the baking sheet and refrigerate for several hours.

7.Unwrap the cake. Trim the ends on the diagonal, starting the cuts about 2 inches away from each end.

8.Position the larger cut piece on each log about 2/3 across the top.

9.Cover the log with the reserved buttercream, making sure to curve around the protruding stump.

10.Streak the buttercream with a fork or decorating comb to resemble bark.

11.Transfer the log to a platter and decorate with your mushrooms and whatever other decorations you’ve chosen.

PS: here is a link how to make marzipan mushrooms

cordon bleu with apple filling

2007-12-09T20:32:00.000+01:00

i have told you about my favourite meat dish before. with those first chilly winternights and hunger for two, i thought it was about time to cook a decent cordon bleu. this time it's a new twist to an old classic: i am filling the classic cordon bleu with some cooked sour apples that make it digest just a dash easier and taste just wonderful with the cheese and the tender meat. a salad is all you need with this. ... and a hunger for two! - enjoy!

RECIPE
CORDON BLEU

4 steaks (veal or beef, about 100g - tell the butcher to prepare them for cordon bleu!)
8 slices of ham
4 slices of gruyere
salt & freshly ground pepper
1 sour apple, cut in fine cubes
a dash of cinnamon
flour
2 eggs, whisked
loads of fine breadcrumbs (put your stale bread in a mixer!)
butter and olive oil, to fry

cook the applecubes in a skillet in some butter. season with a little cinnamon. let cool.
wrap the cheese in the ham - make a neat little parcel. put into prepared steaks and press the edges well, so the meat sticks together (i also use wooden sticks to make sure it closes well). season generously with salt and pepper.
coat steaks with the flour, then the whisked eggs and cover very well with the breadcrumbs.

heat oil and a piece of butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. fry cordons bleus on each side for about 5-6 minutes until golden and the cheese has melted inside. serve immediately on a warm plate.

spinach spätzli

2007-12-07T20:41:00.000+01:00

spätzli is actually spätzle, if you are german. depending on size, spätzli can also be knöpfli (small buttons). and if you have no idea what i am talking about: spätzli is a wonderful swiss dish (plus: also a word you could use for your sweetheart - it ends with -i like all cute words in swiss german) made with fresh eggs, flour, milk, a dash of nutmeg and some spinach. its a quick and easy meal to make. you could serve it with meat - i am happy to serve it just with a salad on the side as i like to think of it as a main dish that doesnt need much else to make starving bellies happy. i am using spinach here - you could use herbs or a dash of curry or safron or even some pumpkin purree to season the spätzli. whatever your heart desires. speaking of it: nothing beats freshly made spätzli. but i must admit: there is not much else out there in the world that tastes as good as some leftover spätzli, fried in a little butter until golden with some cheese on top. - just delightful!

RECIPE

600gr cooked & finely pureed spinach
400gr flour
2 teaspoon salt
some freshly grated nutmeg
4 tablespoon semolina
4 eggs
2 dl water

ca. 100 g cheese, such as gruyere

put flour, salt, nutmeg and semolina in a bowl and build a hollow in the centre. mix eggs with the water and put in the hollow. using a wodden spoon and working slowly mix a dough and work until the dough is shiny and some bubbles emerge. mix in the spinach and mix well. cover with some clingfilm and let rest for about 30 minutes.

preheat the oven to 200 c°
boil some salted water in a big pot.
to make the spätzli you can use your potato ricer or a spaetzle maker (simply put the dough into ricer / spatzle maker - press directly into water - cook - and you are done). in case of an emergency, use your colander as a spaetzle maker. let spaetzle cook until they rise to the surface, then drain.
put in a large baking dish, sprinkle the cheese on top and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes until cheese has melted and turned a dash golden. - serve asap.

i will be back!

2007-12-01T14:19:00.001+01:00

hello all. so sorry for not updating in such a long time. i am cooking up storms elsewhere at the moment but promise to be back very soon! we need to do the whole christmas-cookie-rave and smear chocolate all over the place, dont we? i will be back - big promise!

nussheckli - or just a fabulous nut-cookie

2007-11-05T21:51:00.000+01:00

dontchaworry, i am not starting the christmas-cookie rave, yet. although i usually cant wait to spend freezing swiss nights hanging around in my kitchen, baking all sorts of christmas cookies, glazing my cinnamonstars and baking my ginger cookies.
i just happened to find lotsa nuts, when i was cleaning out my cupboard this weekend and since they have seen their best days, i just had to use them up in a dash. so here we go with the "nussheckli". swiss word - i am not quite sure what it means, which is a shame because it comes from my homestate of kanton nidwalden (we - of course - like to think we are the real swiss people, since our state is located in the heart of the country. we also know how to play cards, drink beer and our family tree is graced with the name of the holy brother klaus, which is a numer one saint in the catholic church. i am sure there is loads of people from other states that would disagree here... still: we like to think, we are the real mccoy in this country!)
nussheckli can be made with walnuts, hazelnuts or even almonds. whatever nut you got. its done in a dash - and this nutty but very light (can you see the bubbles?) cookie is just heaven in your mouth. enjoy - wherever part of switzerland or the rest of the world you come from.

RECIPE
500g wal or other nuts, chopped
4 eggs
400g sugar
100g flour

heat oven to 180 c°. line two baking trays with parchment paper. mix eggs and sugar until foamy, then carefully add chopped nuts and flour until well incorporated. using a spoon, place mixture on baking tray and bake for 20 minutes until chrisp. let cool on a rack, then serve or put in a cookie tin (they keep for about a week).

bostini cream pie with the daring bakers

2007-10-29T12:42:00.000+01:00

today is the day! the day all the crazy bakers from the daring bakers post their little baking projects. click on the link to see all the wonderful bostini cream pies, but let me tell you that this month's host mary from alpineberry made such a cute little cake, you shouldnt miss it.

bostini cream pie was this months recipe and while i mis-read the title for a couple of weeks i finally figured out it wasnt a boston cream pie - although it is kind of a boston cream pie. a bostini cream pie is a vanilla bean pastry cream topped with an chiffon cake and then drizzled with a rich chocolate glaze.

its a bit of a fancy name i have to admit and you need a little time to bake and blend and assemble it all together but it's definitely worth all the work. you will need a truck of fresh eggs in your fridge and all in all its a dessert that can feed a little army - its so rich and chocolatey and all that. so since i am a little person i just halved the recipe and fed 4 hungry mouths instead. worked well!
i do have every possible and impossible gadget for the kitchen but dont own any custard cups. so just use any other cup that would survive 25 minutes in the oven or simply use your silicone molds to bake the little cakes.
any leftover cakes can be drizzled with the leftover chocolate glaze and surely keep a day or two in the fridge (if not eaten before...). enjoy!

RECIPE

Bostini Cream Pie
(from Donna Scala & Kurtis Baguley of Bistro Don Giovanni and Scala's Bistro)
(makes 8 generous servings)

INGREDIENTS:

Custard (Pastry Cream)
3/4 cup whole milk
2 3/4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 whole egg, beaten
9 egg yolks, beaten
3 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract)
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar

Chiffon Cake
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola or sunflower oil
1/3 cup beaten egg yolks (3 to 4 yolks)
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup egg whites (about 8 large)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar (or pinch of salt)

Chocolate Glaze
8 ounces semi or bittersweet chocolate
8 ounces unsalted butter

INSTRUCTIONS

To prepare the custard (pastry cream):
Combine the milk and cornstarch in a bowl; blend until smooth. Whisk in the whole egg and yolks, beating until smooth. Combine the cream, vanilla bean and sugar in a saucepan and carefully bring to a boil. When the mixture just boils, whisk a ladleful into the egg mixture to temper it, then whisk this back into the cream mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain the custard and pour into 8 large custard cups. Refrigerate to chill.

To prepare the chiffon cakes:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray 8 molds with nonstick cooking spray. You may use 7-ounce custard cups, ovenproof wide mugs or even large foil cups. Whatever you use should be the same size as the custard cups.

Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the oil, egg yolks, orange juice, zest and vanilla. Stir until smooth, but do not overbeat.

Beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gently fold the beaten whites into the orange batter. Fill the sprayed molds nearly to the top with the batter.

Bake approximately 25 minutes, until the cakes bounce back when lightly pressed with your fingertip. Do not overbake. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, remove the cakes from the molds. Cover the cakes to keep them moist.

To prepare the glaze:
Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place the butter in a saucepan and heat until it is just about to bubble. Remove from the heat; add the chocolate and stir to melt. Pour through a strainer and keep warm.

To assemble:
Cut a thin slice from the top of each cake to create a flat surface. Place a cake flat-side down on top of each custard. Cover the tops with warm chocolate glaze. Serve immediately.

i am back & a mushroom ricotta tart

2007-10-23T00:00:00.000+02:00

if this blog was a - let's say a pet - like a guinea pig or a bunny or even a cat, it would have died by now. a total lack of attention and - this is what makes me kinda sad, because it is so incredible for me - no food. for 22 days. how bad is that?
it was so lovely to recieve all your e-mails... wondering if i was still alive... somewhere out there... cooking up storms or something. when really i just wasnt hungry and busy with a thing called life. now with those first mean cold nights i am getting back into the kitchen (there is a new daring bakers competition coming up i better not miss - its got chocolate in it). i was happy to discover my oven still worked (but really needs a proper clean-out before i use it the next time) and my hands still loved to make some buttery base for a tart. a mushroom ricotta tart it is that i present you here. how about you get your chanterelles from the market, some fresh ricotta, a twig or two of thyme and you will be ready to go with this wonderful mushroom tart. at least it got ME cooking and darn hungry again...

RECIPE

tart dough

120g flour
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
60g cold butter
ice water

combine flour, salt and sugar in a blender and pulse to combine. cut cold butter & add to the flour, then pulse until largest butter pieces are about the size of almonds. gently add some ice cold water until dough holds together (you dont want it to be wet!). form into a disc, wrap and let chill until firm in the fridge (about 40 mins).

tart filling

250g ricotta
30g freshly grated parmesan (plus more for rolling out tart dough)
pinch of salt
freshly ground pepper
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons of heavy cream
handful of freshly picked thyme

3 hands full of chanterelles (or other mushroom), cleaned & roughly chopped
1/2 red chilli, de-seedes, cut in small pieces
1 small shallot, finely diced
salt & freshly ground pepper

first heat some olive oil in a frying pan, add shallot and cook until starting to soft, then add chilli and chanterelles and fry on high heat until starting to soft. then take off heat and season with salt and pepper. put aside.

mix ricotta with parmesan cheese, add 1 egg yolk and add salt, pepper and thyme in a small bowl.
sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese on your kitchen counter (or directly onto a baking paper), then roll out dough into circle (doesnt have to be perfect!) - about 20cm in diameter. spread filling on the dough, leaving an about 3cm border. arrange the fried mushrooms on top and gently fold the edges of the dough toward the centre, creating a 2cm border. chill until firm.

heat oven to 220c°.
mix remaining egg yolk with heavy cream and brush the edges of the tart with the egg wash and then sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese & some more thyme if you like. transfer to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. then reduce heat to 200c°, rotate the baking sheet and bake for another 20 minutes until the edges become golden brown. remove from oven and slide (with baking paper) on a cooling rack. serve warm or at room temperature.

the daring bakers strike again - cinnamon buns

2007-09-30T18:00:00.000+02:00

it's time for something sweet again - thank god my girls from the daring bakers had this wonderful idea to bake cinnamon buns this month. i have a thing for cinnamon buns. when i was a kid we baked loads of them and sold them at the fleamarket. they were always such a hit, we were literally sold out after an hour.
how can you not like them? - the yeasted dough is sweet and soft, the cinnamon a harmonic aroma and the sweet glaze simply irrestible - it's almost kinky how sweet and sticky it is! another plus - they are very quick and easy to make. and just in case you havent had dinner yet, the recipe makes enough to serve them as a main dish for a whole family.

this month we had the choice to make cinnamon buns or sticky buns. you might want to bake the cinnamon buns firs (cos they are dead easy) and do the sticky buns once you fell in love with the wonderful smell of cinnamon coming out of your kitchen. check out tartelettes blog to see how versatile the recipe is and how glorious those sticky buns come out of the oven.

Cinnamon and Sticky Buns (from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice)
Days to Make: One (1)Active/Resting/Baking Time: 15 minutes to mix, 3 1/2 hours fermentation/shaping/proofing, 20 - 40 minutes to bakeRecipe Quantity: Eight(1) - twelve (12) large rolls or twelve (12) - sixteen (16) small rollsMaking the Dough

6 1/2 tablespoons (3.25 ounces) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 tablespoons (2.75 ounces) shortening or unsalted butter or margarine
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon lemon extract OR 1 teaspoon grated zest of 1 lemon
3 1/2 cups (16 ounces) unbleached bread or all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast*
1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature OR 3 tablespoons powdered milk (DMS) and 1 cup water
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (6 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar plus 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, or any other spices you want to use, cardamom, ginger, allspice, etc.)
White fondant glaze for cinnamon buns or caramel glaze for sticky buns (at the end of the recipe.)
Walnuts, pecans, or other nuts (for sticky buns.)
Raisins or other dried fruit, such as dried cranberries or dried cherries (for sticky buns, optional.)
*Instant yeast contains about 25% more living cells per spoonful than active dry yeast, regardless of the brand. Instant yeast is also called rapid-rise or fast-rising.

Making the Dough: Cream together the sugar, salt, and shortening or butter on medium-high speed in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a large metal spoon and mixing bowl and do it by hand).
Note: if you are using powdered milk, cream the milk with the sugar, and add the water with the flour and yeast.
Whip in the egg and lemon extract/zest until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast, and milk. Mix on low speed (or stir by hand) until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes (or knead by hand for 12 to 15 minutes), or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. You may have to add a little flour or water while mixing to achieve this texture. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Fermentation: Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

Form the Buns: Mist the counter with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin. Roll it into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick and 14 inches wide by 12 inches long for larger buns, or 18 inches wide by 9 inches long for smaller buns. Don´t roll out the dough too thin, or the finished buns will be tough and chewy rather than soft and plump. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough and roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon-sugar spiral as you roll. With the seam side down, cut the dough into 8 to 12 pieces each about 1 3/4 inches thick for larger buns, or 12 to 16 pieces each 1 1/4 inch thick for smaller buns.)
Prepare the Buns for Proofing:
For cinnamon buns: line 1 or more sheet pans with baking parchment. Place the buns approximately 1/2 inch apart so that they aren´t touching but are close to one another.
For sticky buns: coat the bottom of 1 or more baking dishes or baking pans with sides at least 1 1/2 inches high with a 1/4 inch layer of the caramel glaze. Sprinkle on the nuts and raisins (if you are using raisins or dried fruit.) You do not need a lot of nuts and raisins, only a sprinkling. Lay the pieces of dough on top of the caramel glaze, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a food-grade plastic bag.
Proof the Buns: Proof at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size. You may also retard the shaped buns in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, pulling the pans out of the refrigerator 3 to 4 hours before baking to allow the dough to proof.
Bake the Buns:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with the oven rack in the middle shelf for cinnamon buns but on the lowest shelf for sticky buns.
Bake the cinnamon buns for 20 to 30 minutes or the sticky buns 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. If you are baking sticky buns, remember that they are really upside down (regular cinnamon buns are baked right side up), so the heat has to penetrate through the pan and into the glaze to caramelize it. The tops will become the bottoms, so they may appear dark and done, but the real key is whether the underside is fully baked. It takes practice to know just when to pull the buns out of the oven.
Cool the buns:
For cinnamon buns, cool the buns in the pan for about 10 minutes and then streak white fondant glaze across the tops, while the buns are warm but not too hot. Remove the buns from the pans and place them on a cooling rack. Wait for at least 20 minutes before serving.
For the sticky buns, cool the buns in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes and then remove them by flipping them over into another pan. Carefully scoop any run-off glaze back over the buns with a spatula. Wait at least 20 minutes before serving.

Toppings for the Buns:

White fondant glaze for cinnamon buns:
Cinnamon buns are usually topped with a thick white glaze called fondant. There are many ways to make fondant glaze, but here is a delicious and simple version, enlivened by the addition of citrus flavor, either lemon or orange. You can also substitute vanilla extract or rum extract, or simply make the glaze without any flavorings.
Sift 4 cups of powdered sugar into a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon or orange extract and 6 tablespoons to 1/2 cup of warm milk, briskly whisking until all the sugar is dissolved. Add the milk slowly and only as much as is needed to make a thick, smooth paste.
When the buns have cooled but are still warm, streak the glaze over them by dipping the tines of a fork or a whisk into the glaze and waving the fork or whisk over the tops. Or, form the streaks by dipping your fingers in the glaze and letting it drip off as you wave them over the tops of the buns. (Remember to wear latex gloves.)

Caramel glaze for sticky buns
Caramel glaze is essentially some combination of sugar and fat, cooked until it caramelizes. The trick is catching it just when the sugar melts and lightly caramelizes to a golden amber. Then it will cool to a soft, creamy caramel. If you wait too long and the glaze turns dark brown, it will cool to a hard, crack-your-teeth consistency. Most sticky bun glazes contain other ingredients to influence flavor and texture, such as corn syrup to keep the sugar from crystallizing and flavor extracts or oils, such as vanilla or lemon. This version makes the best sticky bun glaze of any I´ve tried. It was developed by my wife, Susan, for Brother Juniper´s Cafe in Forestville, California.
NOTE: you can substitute the corn syrup for any neutral flavor syrup, like cane syrup or gold syrup.
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature.
2. Cream together for 2 minutes on high speed with the paddle attachment. Add 1/2 cup corn syrup and 1 teaspoon lemon, orange or vanilla extract. Continue to cream for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
3. Use as much of this as you need to cover the bottom of the pan with a 1/4-inch layer. Refrigerate and save any excess for future use; it will keep for months in a sealed container.

weekend herb blogging roundup 101

2007-09-24T15:08:00.000+02:00

once again weekend herb blogging is an international-herb-affair. from canada to australia, from spain to london - people were cooking up storms using herbs, flowers and veggies and how about i just shut up and present you this weeks roundup of weekend herb blogging:

the lovely ruth from once upon a feast was first with her entry: marinated feta cubes with fennel and coriander seeds. a wonderful way to please a crowd (and the secret not to go nuts when you have a loads of guests). oh i am sure they taste wonderful in a salad, sandwich or just served with a glass of wine.

tigerfish from teczcape is using napa cabbage this week. if you think cabbage is boring and only for people who are on a diet, check out this recipe, that comes with loads of infos about picking the right cabbage and how to cook it.

another blogger that uses napa cabbage is anna from morels & musings. she makes a kimchi jjigae - isnt just the title worth giving this recipe a try?

i just love kevins recipe: asparagus crepes with mushroom dill sauce. not only are mushrooms and dill a match in heaven, but that creamy sauce just a must-try. check out closet cooking for the recipe.
christine cooks is next, serving a fresh green pea risotto with shiitake mushrooms. i am a sucker for risotto. and if it's got peas in it, just count me in. whenever. wherever.

elizabeth from blog from our kitchen reminded me it was about time i used up all my basil that i still got on my balcony. now with the colder days ahead of us, make sure you keep some of that wonderful summery flavour for winter. read more about her basil and how to keep them in the fridge (see pic) here.

denise from maybahay is using a very interesting veggie this week: chokos! works wonderful in a mash, curries, stir-fries or sauteed with prawns, like denise coooked it for us.

it makes me scream of joy to see the creamy sauce that gattina at kitchen unplugged cooked for us: red bell pepper sauce that she serves with pasta and corn. OHMY! thanks for sharing.

another salad comes from sweetnicks - it's a marinated shrimp salad with green onions, celery and garlic. worth a try is all i can say.
arfi from homemades is taking a closer look at a herb that doesnt have alot of friends around here: parsley. still - her new potato salad with parsley looks wonderful and always remember that one can never have enough potato salad recipes. never!
mike over at mike's table starts with an explanation: he made a tamale pie for us, but: its actually not a pie, more like a tex-mex casserole with ground beef, cornbread and a salsa mixture. easy and quick to make!

kalyn, our mama of weekend herb blogging, is still cooking strong week after week, joinng her wonderful weekly event. this week she made a foil wrapped grilled butternut sqaush with sage. wonderful idea to cook your butternut - now that the pumpking season is about to begin. yay!

virginie from absolutely green made such an intersting recipe: vanielje kitchen makes the most of the last basil, too and made basil ice-cream. read this:And I've just realised what that first mouthful is like...the moment you climb in to bed after a long day, breath in the scent of freshly laundered sheets, lay your head on a crisp cool pillow and sigh: 'Aaaah! I should have done this hours ago....' - i am sure you want to try this as much as i do.

rose made some wicked stuffed eggplant rolls for us. they are filled with a ricotta mixture and i am sure they just taste wonderful. a melt in your mouth-dish, as rose writes in her post.

genie from the inadverted gardener had quite some basil this week as you can see in the picture. and what did she do with it? - a feta basil pesto. what a great idea!

sophie from mosty eating has such a cute blog, make sure you check it out. her baby carrots with plums and chilli is just one of her wonderful recipes (that come with cute pics, too!). thanks sophie - loving it!
from south africa comes our next recipe: bruschetta with basil tomato topping. a simple recipe that just works. at least i could eat that fresh stuff all the time. thanks for your recipe, didi at bloggingherbman.
ready for garlic? - peter is and dishes up a skordalia at this blog pursuit of delicious foods. curious? here is the creamy sauce.

more garlic to come is in the backyard pizzeria's recipe: she uses the "wonderdrug" in her shrimp dish. you know and if you all eat it, then you might even kiss after....;-)

susan is the well-seasoned cook and i would actually run all the way from switzerland to the US to taste her green goddess crab puffs. dont they just look delicious?

key lime & coconut didnt have too much fun this week. see, she is on a diet (i couldnt do it) and didnt find anything fun to eat. then she discovered the seared salmon that she served with chickpeas and tomatoes and capres. looking fun, isnt it? (still... i wont diet!)
haalo from cook almonst anything at least once might be travelling in italy right now, but it didnt put her off cooking for us this week. using chestnut flour and all kinds of fun things like rosemary, almonds and ricotta, she made a castagniacco. how delicious does this look? hm...
also cooking in australia is anh, cooking at a food lovers journey. she is using a globe artichoke this week and cookes a nami-nami made some wonderful apple and flowering quince jam for us this week. isnt it just the ultimate scent of autumn? - the large amout of pectin helps to make a great consitency of the jam. how delicious will that be on a slice of crusty bread?

fresh tomatoes and a splash of vodka is the secret for zorra's recipe: mafalde a la vodka! a summery dish that is also quite nourishing with the chorizo. check out the recipe on her blog 1 x umrühren bitte.
garlic breath is rianas blog (loving the name!) and a green tomato relish her recipe for this weeks WHB. think of this as a green tomato piccalilli.
i am sure this tomato relish is something you could serve with the next recipe: warm chicken, mung, rocket and couscous salad from coffee and vanilla. simple and elegant, it has everything you want from a salad!
clap your hands ladies and gents, we have a first timer: stephanie from what i eat joins us with a recipe for eggplant with basil and feta. just another recipe that just tastes like 100%summer. good job, thanks stephanie!

ready for something to warm your stomach and soul? - jennifer at do you like to cook, cooked a minestrone for us, using savoy cabbage (isnt it just the best?). secret ingredient seems to be a parmesan rind that she cookes with the soup to give it some extra flavour.
oh this one is for me: i got so many zuccinis this summer, i dont even know what to do with them any more. katie from thyme for cooking, the blog, joins us with a recipe for sauteed spinach, courgette/zuccinis and onions. this and a bowl of rice - and i am in heaven!
sra has a blog that is called when my soup came alive, but she doesnt just write about soups. oh-no! this week its all about the pommelos and her memories. read her story and loads about the fruit and how to use it (salad! YUM!)
if you have an eggplant and some green tomatoes in your kitchen, then better head over to burcus blog almost turkish recipes. there you will find the easy but very delicious recipe for this eggplant stew with rice.

this one sounds dangerous: ssssaucy! a vodka drink with applesauce by intoxicated zodiac. sounds like a killer drink - and so easy to make.
mandy from fresh from the oven is using thai basil this week and her recipe prooves once more that this herb is just unbeatable in a stir fry. doesnt this look delicious?
not thai, but normal basil is this weeks herb at dinner in the yellow house. rebeca is making a simple but delicious pesto and i just love the way she keeps it in the freezer.

sher at what did you eat made this stunning dish: artichockes stuffed with shrimp & parsley. doesnt this just look amazing?
i love mias name for her recipe: sexy belgian endive sandwich with white bean spread and prosciutto. endive can be a little bitter, doesnt it. sure not with this sandwich where something bitter and spicy and creamy is squeeezed between a crusty bread. yum!
if you like celery, you might love lovage. kitchemadge uses it this week and tells us a bit about it. she cooked some saussage stuffed lovage - oh this looks yum!

sarah from what smells so good makes the grand finale to this weeks weekend herb blogging: a ginger peach cake. how wonderful is this? - sarah, i am sure this one smells very good! oh, i wish i could have a slice right now!

what a great list of recipes - what a long list of inspiring meals to cook with herbs, veggies and fruit. i hope you enjoyed this weeks weekend herb blogging. please let me know if i have forgotten your entry or if a link to your post doesnt work and i am happy to fix it asap. onceupnatart AT yahoo DOT de. - thanks & happy cooking!

once upon a tart hosting WHB this week!

2007-09-17T15:48:00.001+02:00

it could be a herb. a plant. a veggie or even a flower. most important is that you cook something yummy with it. post - take a pic and send me your hot stuff and you will be part of this weeks weekend herb blogging, that wonderful event founded by kalyn's kitchen. i got the honour to host this week, so keep those recipes coming until sunday23rd of september - i cant wait to see them all!
if you are new to weekend herb blogging - check out the rules here.

Once upon a Cakestand

torta di pane

coriander cakes in a glass

linzertart for a good cause

creme fraiche cheesecake with fig-plum compote

simple apricot tarts

tart malakoff

strawberry mascarpone tart

berrytart with creme lègere

cheesecakes in a glass with mirabelle-gingercompote

The *I miss New York Berrycake*

Rustic Peach Tart

homemade mayonnaise

marshmallows bliss

blissful baking

be merry ya'all

fall in a glass

comfort in a brownie

Let's marniate!

it's PIMM's o'clock, baby

you were always on my mind marie rose

naughty drink

Chocolate Pistaccio Biscotti & an increasing waistline

raspberry lemonade

beet crostini with smoked trout

butter revelations

savoury filled bread (feeds a bunch)

i moved!

horseradish-dip with pumpkin & thyme

white wine soup

dutch apple pie

autumn fruit salad with a beer sabayone

sugar daddy's éclairs

celebrate summer!

chilled tomato soup with rose water

a danish braid for the daring bakers

darling peonies

the daring bakers go to the opera...

savoury filled zopf with goats cheese

still there

daring bakers go cheesecake-crazy

have you been strudeld lately?

basil butter

centre piece of the month april

daring bakers and the perfect party cake

tete de moine - sandwich

last minute easter deco

truffes brioche

centre piece of the month march

daring bakers - fresh from the oven!

a naughty cake - devils food cake

first signs of spring - centre piece of the month february

salmon cake with dill

the daring bakers strike again - lemon meringue pie

HHDD: Pizza!

centrepiece of the month january

cake with ham, sage and sundried tomatoes

christine ferbers gugelhupf

crunchy apple-veggie salad

the daring bakers strike again - yule log

cordon bleu with apple filling

spinach spätzli

i will be back!

nussheckli - or just a fabulous nut-cookie

bostini cream pie with the daring bakers

i am back & a mushroom ricotta tart

the daring bakers strike again - cinnamon buns

weekend herb blogging roundup 101

once upon a tart hosting WHB this week!

The I miss New York Berrycake