Coffee chocolate cake / Chocolate cake (for) coffee.

After last week filled with crazy temperatures, unusual heat and so much sunshine that even my sun batteries went to overheat mode, I'm really looking forward to fall. I never thought I would ever say it, since summer is my favorite season but this year I feel like I have had enough and with a big smile on my face looking forward to a bit colder season.

This summer was super intense, with traveling, working, summer visitors and overdue get-togethers with friends. So finally when this weekend seemed to be empty, I sighed with relief - ufff.... Maybe I will find a little moment to catch up with dusted-over hobbies...?

And a lazy weekend like this calls for something sweet. No more fruity cakes, sweet ice creams or sour sorbets - this weekend we are craving chocolate in big amounts, a cake that would go well with a cup of coffee or ...  why not combine those two into a coffee chocolate cake?

Coffee Brownies
prep time 15min, baking time 30min

125g dark chocolate
125g butter
150 g flour
1 teaspoon spoon baking powder
3 eggs
150g sugar
50g wallnuts
3 tblsp strong coffee
*opt 80g raisins/cherries

1. Melt chocolate in a thick-bottomed pan. Add butter constantly mixing.
2. In a separate bowl, beat 3 eggs with sugar for about 5min. Add melted chocolate/butter, then flour, baking powder, nuts, raisins and coffee.
3. Pour into previously buttered baking form (see picture). Bake for 30min in 180 degrees.

The idea comes from my brownie book, as usual slightly modified. Since before baking I quickly cleaned  the cabinets and found there some dry cherries, they also ended up in the cake, adding a nice touch of moist fruity taste to the deliciously dry chocolate-coffee substrate. 

Green - or how to cleverly hide a broccoli in a delicious meal.

Summer is as its fullest, days are long and sunny, sky is blue, windows stay open until it's dark out, meals are simple and quick. My computer is not being as used as much as in the colder times - who wants to stay indoors when summer is calling?

But all blissfulness has to finish sooner or later, mine got slightly crushed by my doctor's news, which said 'too low levels of iron'. Well, I thought, not the worst thing in the universe, simply have to add more greens, dried apricots, seeds of all kinds and grains (no-meat eater). Quick sandwiches have to be replaced with more thought through options - spinach salads, beans, quinoa and broccoli....

Broccoli is one of those vegetables, similar to spinach, that even the sound of it makes some shiver. Thankfully not me, but my other half - yes indeed. And rarely, very rarely but still (here comes my dirty secret) - I try to smuggle it anyway. Hidden in sauce or a soup, mixed with other tastes and textures it gets eaten.

Today I'll show you one of my favorite smuggling successes, which is also one of my favorite green dishes.

Broccoli pesto quinoa
prep time 20min, serves 4ppl

1 cup quinoa
2 broccoli florets
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, lightly roasted on a dry frying pan
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
4 tbl spoons of olive oil
salt to taste

1. Prepare quinoa as instructed on the package.
2. Meantime steam cook broccoli. When soft and ready to consume set one aside and put the other one in a blender with garlic, sunflower seeds (leave a spoonful for decoration), cheese and olive oil. Mix until well blended.
3. Add pesto mix to cooked quinoa, cut the remaining broccoli florets and serve on the plate next to the quinoa/pesto (if your companions are not frightened by it. Otherwise blend both florets in the blender).
4. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining sunflower seeds.

I've discovered this recipe in one of my favorite blogs and the dish immediately stole my heart. The taste of broccoli (for those who can stand it) is very well hidden in the sunflower pesto, leaving a tangy and spicy buzz on the tip of your tongue.
Packed with iron and all kinds of other good stuff. Green and summery!

First real summer meal

The first days of July always bring back memories of the days of first days of summer vacations. School was out at the end of June and suddenly two full months of summer laziness would begin. Waking up in a summer cottage and having a full day of tranquility ahead of me. The only must was a trip to the bakery to get a couple of loaves of warm, crusty bread - of which one would disappear before we made it back to the cottage. Swims in the lake, sunbathing on an old wooden lounge chair, afternoons with a book, and definitely picking a few jars of fresh blueberries. That was called a real summer vacation!

(a long long time ago - blueberry picking)

 Berries are definitely my favorite type of fruit, that can serve as breakfast, lunch, quick snack or dinner. The dishes are usually not too complicated - simply add some berries to rice, cottage cheese, oatmeal and there you have it - full of valuable nutritious juicyness, that has summer written all over it.

So it's really no wonder that I also like blueberry pierogi, a very Polish dish, although a bit more time consuming, but definitely worth every minute. As a child, I usually just helped and watched, but this time, for the first time in my life I've decided to try to experiment with it myself.
Here are the results:

Blueberry Pierogi
prep time: 20min + 5min boiling, makes abt 40 pieces

3 cups flour
1 cup of warm water
1 egg
pinch of salt
tbl spoon of oil

+ 2 cups of fresh blueberries sprinkled with 2 spoons of sugar

sugar and/or sour cream for serving

1. Prepare dough: mix all ingredients (except blueberries) until soft and smooth (if too sticky add more flour).
2. Sprinkle flour on a pastry board to avoid the dough sticking to it. Roll up the dough on the table or pastry board, to a thickness of about 3 millimeters.
3. Cut circles in dough using glass rim. In the middle of each circle arrange a (table) spoon of blueberries, then fold the filled circles into half moons, sealing the edges and pressing shut with your finger.
4. Bring a large shallow saute pan of water to a boil, add a spoon of oil (to prevent them from sticking together) and gently boil the pierogi in batches for 5-6 minutes (a couple of mins after they rise to the top of the surface), then remove carefully using a wooden spoon.
Serve warm, sprinkle with some sugar and/or sour cream.

I haven't found too many variations of the actual dough recipe, but maybe next time I'll experiment a bit adding some vanilla sugar to make it a bit more dessert-like. The batch of pierogi disappeared very quickly, I enjoyed it for dinner, a friend at work had it as a snack and there are some left for tomorrow's lunch. Definitely summer like!

Strawberry weekend.

It was a perfect weekend. Just the right amount of everything - food market, sun, fresh veggies, brunch with friends, afternoon nap, delicious dinner, evening with a book, wide open windows until late, coffee with cream and fresh strawberries....

It really feels like the weekend was a day longer or at least somehow it squeezed in an extra couple of hours.

Summer food is definitely more veggie / fruity - heavy dishes turn into salads, soups into fruit smoothies, desserts into a simple bowl of fruit, lightly sprinkled with sugar. Unless there's an occasion to make a real fruity masterpiece.

Strawberry bday cake with vanilla cream.
prep time 30min, baking time 40min + breaks to cool things down

for base:
6 eggs (separate yolks from whites)
160g sugar
180g flour
1sp baking powder
50g almond powder (grained almonds)

for cream:
4 egg yolks
50g sugar
1 cup milk
1 vanilla stick (cut in the middle)
1sp gelatine (soaked in 2tbsp of cold water)
1 cup of cream (36%)

+ 400g of fresh strawberries

1. Mix egg yolks with sugar, beat whites until stiff then gently add to yolks/sugar mix. Constantly mixing add flour and baking powder, then almond powder. Pour into a round spring form (greased). Bake for 40min in 180 degrees. Take out of the oven, set aside to cool. When cold cut the middle part out (don't throw out, just set aside for later), leaving just thick rims and bottom.
2. Prepare cream. Mix egg yolks with sugar. Boil milk with vanilla stick, then slowly add egg mixture. Pour back to into the pot and continue boiling, constantly mixing until thickens. Take vanilla stick out and add gelatine - stir to make sure it's well dissolved. Set aside to cool.
3. In a separate bowl beat cream until thick. Add cold yolk mixture (point 2) and crumbled pieces of remaining base. Gently pour into the base, decorate with strawberries and leave in fridge for min 30min before serving.

This recipe is not easy and it involves multiple little steps. You need to make sure you have enough time in between to let things cool. The result is stunning and will make every bday person (and I guess not only) happy. I only used half of the remaining base for the cream and only half of the cream to fill the cake. The remaining cream will be used as extra and to decorate the plates.
Last but not least - I have been waiting to make it for a year. The cake was on the cover of last years 'Kuchnia' magazine and I just could not get it out of my mind...

Voilà! Enjoy!

Finally a weekend at home and some summer muffins!

After a few weeks of traveling this weekend was supposed to be about relaxing, catching up, cleaning, de-cluttering, organizing, and hundred other things that I'm forgetting about. All of that crammed into 2 short days, which now I know was just wishful thinking....

Saturday started with perfect blue skies and sun, ideal for catching some sun rays on the beach with a good friend. I managed to quickly bake a batch of summer muffins, to take with. Nothing better than a lazy summer afternoon spent talking, in company of heavenly tasting muffins!

Unfortunately I forgot the camera to save those beautiful moments... So the photos here come from this morning, as usual my colleagues were tasting the remaining few pieces.

 

 

 

Upside down rhubarb muffins

prep time 15min + baking, makes 12 muffins

for fruit topping:

6tbsp brown sugar

4tbsp butter

2 cups of rhubarb, washed and chopped into 1cm pieces

 

for muffin batter:

4tbsp soft butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1.5 cup flour

1sp baking powder

1/2sp baking soda

pinch of salt

pinch of muscat spice

1/2 cup milk

orange zest from one orange

1. Combine sugar with butter, mix until butter gets soft and sugar partially dissolves. Add rhubarb pieces and mix again. Place into bottoms of previously well greased muffin form (no muffin lining).

2. Using a food processor or mixer mix butter with sugar, then add an egg and stir until well combined.

3. Mix all the dry ingredients and then slowly add to the butter mixture - little by little alternating with milk. Lastly add orange zest. 

4. Place in the muffin form on top of the fruit topping. Bake for 25min in 180 degrees.

5. When baked, cool for 5min in the form, then gently take out each muffin and place up side down - with fruit topping on top (if needed for more stability, cut the bottoms even). Serve and enjoy!

(as said, didn't need to wait long for the muffins to disappear...)

The muffins have a sweet-sour summer taste, they are very fluffy and light. I found this recipe in a Polish cooking magazine 'Kuchnia' and got an idea to experiment a bit and maybe one day changing those muffins into a cake.... Just have to wait for another weekend.

Good weekend brunch.

Mid week is just perfect timing to start preparing weekend plans. And weekend meals of course!

The idea of brunch was on my mind for a while - and then there was this perfect Sunday to try a new recipe for the delicious little pancakes. Brunches like this make all Sundays sunnier - and then start the week in a very positive way.

So, how about some brunch this weekend....?

Ricotta pancakes with blueberries.
prep time 10 min + frying, serves 4 people

200g blueberries
2tbsp sugar
for the pancake batter
3 eggs
250 g ricotta cheese
50g sugar
2tsp vanilla sugar
25g melted butter
50g flour

1. Warm the blueberries very gently with the sugar, until they begin to break open. Cool a little while you make the pancakes.
2. Separate the eggs, and whisk the white until stiff. Mix all the other pancake ingredients together in a bowl, then gently fold in the whites.
3. Fry pancakes on a large, thick bottomed frying pan. Make sure you don't tip them over until they are properly set underneath.
4. Eat hot with warm blueberries

This perfect inspiration comes from Camilla Plum's book 'the Scandinavian Kitchen'. I must admit that it was the very first recipe I tried from this book, and now I'm very excited to try more delicious meals from it. The pancakes are very fluffy and reminded me of lazy summer mornings and eating late breakfast on the balcony.

Tiramisu for a May weekend.

So finally it's really May! Sure - it still gets cold in the evenings, and I haven't dared to pack my winter jacket into the bottom of the 'seasonal clothes only' suitcase in the basement, but at least I did take out my spring coat! And in this very spring coat, halfway unbuttoned I paraded to and from work yesterday - with a big smile on my face.
Spring, it's really in the air, the Sun is shining brighter and the air smells like fresh grass. To make sure that it's really spring everywhere, we took a little car ride into the country side - and this is what we found:

perfect blue skies, green grass and yellow blooming fields.... What a nice beginning to this spring weekend!

Spring is the time for more light and fruity cakes - rhubarb, strawberries and blueberries... But before I officially start this kind of cooking, I want to tell you a story of one tiramisu...

I ate the original tiramisu at an Easter get-together with my high school girlfriends and completely fell in love with it. I realize of course that there's a recipe for tiramisu on every mascarpone box, but this was really special, and tasted amazingly delicious while chit-chatting and catching up after months of not seeing each other. So I decided to try it myself and as usual, all I needed was a good occasion. And then it appeared - another friend's from the office birthday +  I discovered that it was an anniversary of me working with them! Voilà, the excuse ready!

Tiramisu - simple cake for many occasions.
prep time 15min, cooling 2hrs

750g mascarpone cheese
3 eggs (separate yolks from whites)
3tbsp sugar
1 cup espresso, cooled and mixed with
2tsp dark rum or amaretto
24 packaged ladyfingers
2tbsp dark cacao

1. In a glass bowl (here 20x20cm) arrange half of the ladyfingers in order to fit the bottom, then soak them with half a cup of coffee + alcohol mix.
2. Beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale, for about 5 minutes. Add mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth.
2.  Beat egg whites in a separate bowl until thick (turn the bowl up side down, it's ready when the mixtures stays attached to the bottom of the bowl). Then gently add to the egg yolk mix.
4. Spread evenly 1/2 of the mascarpone + egg whites mixture over the ladyfingers (about 2-3cm layer). Arrange another layer of ladyfingers soak with coffee and top with remaining creamy mixture.
5. Cover tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Before serving, sprinkle with dark cacao.

I've decided to share this recipe here because of the combination of its simplicity and deliciousness - very high rankings in both. The final product looks very yummy, unless of course it's more than halfway gone - as on the here attached photo. But it only means that they loved it - what else is there to want?

Pea soup for a cold evening.

So it's May. Heard on the radio today someone saying that a third of 2012 is already behind us - incredible how fast it went! Still remember our skiing escapades, the crisp cold nipping at your skin, and the promenade by the lake covered in a thick layer of ice...

Winter is gone, spring slowly turning into summer. Soon there will be time for picnics, strawberry tarts and berry muffins. Can't wait!

Meantime, with the window open just enough to let some fresh air in, but not so much that the cold gusts of air get in, we are enjoying another Indian soup. Good for evenings like this - spring greens infused with a bit of hot spices, to shut that night chill firmly out.

Indian Potato and Pea Soup
serves 4, prep time 30min

2tbsp vegetable oil
5 medium potatoes, diced
2 large onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
4 cups of vegetable stock/bullion
1 red chilli, chopped,
1 cup frozen peas
4 tbsp of unsweetened yoghurt
chopped fresh coriander, to garnish

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan, add potatoes, onions and garlic, then gently saute for 5min, stirring constantly
2. Add ground spices, cook for another minute.
3. Stir in the vegetable stock and chilli, bring the mixture to boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 20min, or until the potatoes get soft
4. Add the peas and cook for another 5min. Stir in the yoghurt, season to taste.
5. Pour into soup bowl and garnish with coriander. May be served with warm garlic bread.

This is definitely one of our all-time favorites. It's very refreshing, and leaves a warming sensation - its spicy notes softened and sweetened by the peas and potatoes, while the coriander and yoghurt add a discreet citrus/sour counter-point. Perfect for a long but still a bit chilly first day of spring. Happy Walpurgisnacht!

A feel good cake, or brownies at work.

Brownies, or chocolate cake is the very first cake I remember baking myself. I still remember the piece of paper on which I wrote the recipe, slightly yellow and with grease stains from the ingredients. I got it from a friend of mine who mastered the cooking skills way before me. She could instantaneously or using her magical powers make a big plate of crepes, hot cocoa, or chocolate cake. In my house I never even dared starting the oven - mom and dad were responsible for feeding us and I always knew that I'll learn when the right time comes.

The right time didn't come for a while until one day I met this very special someone that loves homemade meals... No other choice - and that's how I fell in love with mixing, tasting, and the idea of offering every single day something made with love....

I don't have anymore the little faded piece of paper with the chocolate cake recipe. I remember it's taste and many times try to recreate it. No success so far.

This attempt was a 'happy bday' cake for someone at work. I'm very lucky to work in a big office with 20-something people and many many birthdays to bake for. Who knows maybe one day I manage to recreate that cake I remember, meantime discovering many others....?

Brownies - a feel good cake.
prep time 10min, baking time 35min

120g flour
1/2 tea spoon baking powder
2 tbsp cocoa
150 g butter
250g sugar
80g nuts (hazelnuts or walnuts) chopped
4 eggs (beaten)
200 g dark chocolate (150g melted + 50 g chopped into small pieces)


1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and flour an 35x 30cm baking pan.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder and cocoa.
3. Melt butter and sugar on low heat constantly stirring. When well combined set aside to cool.
4. In a separate pan, also on very low heat, melt 150g of chocolate then set aside to cool.
5. In a mixer, beat eggs (about 3min) then add butter/sugar/baking powder, constantly mixing. When all well combined add melted chocolate and then slowly flour mix, hazelnuts and chopped chocolate.
6.Spread batter into prepared pan and put to bake for 35min. 

This recipe comes from my very first cooking book Pascal Brodnicki ' just cook' vol 2. It reminds me a bit the American brownies and they definitely make everyone feel good!

Mini crossaints for the perfect weekend.

In the dictionary, under 'perfect weekend', there should be a home-made dessert included. Sun, for example, is an optional factor, since the weekend can still be good without it, but home-made dessert is a must!
Baked goods come always with their smell that first fills the kitchen, then wafts slowly into the dining and living rooms. Even just sitting far away from the oven with a book and smelling it is a feast.

I've been planning to have a perfect weekend since Monday morning, had a few dessert ideas and was changing my mind every time I opened another blog or cooking magazine. So what kind of weekend would that be...?

There was this one dessert that was on my mind for a while, or at least ever since I discover a few jars of jam in the cupboards and saw 'perfect for baked good, tarts and mini-croissants' written on one of the labels. Mini croissants...? That sounded very tempting..... So now it was a mini-croissants kind of weekend - covered in a crazy amount of flour, I was mastering my sculpting talents.

The rewards came with a cup of coffee a few hours later....

Mini croissants with fruit jam filling.
prep time: 20min, baking time 25min

3 cups flour
200g butter (room temperature)
60g yeast
200g sour cream (here 36%)
1 spoon of brown sugar
1 egg
pinch of salt
thick fruit jam (about one jar)
powder sugar for decoration

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the sour cream, and let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Combine flour, butter, egg, and salt, then add the yeast and knead for 5 mins until smooth.
3. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into large circles (about 25cm across and 4mm thick,) using a rolling pin, then, using a knife, cut into 6-8 triangles. Put a spoonful of your favorite jam on the base of each triangle, then roll up forming a mini croissant (photo guide below).
4.  Heat oven to 180C, then bake for 25min. Sprinkle with powder sugar and serve.

The recipe comes from my little cousin Asia who served it a while back and I still remember the taste of it. The secret to the sculpting / giving it a perfect shape is using a thick jam that stays in place once placed on the dough. I used a few different kinds for variety. The dough should be rolled thin, so that there is a nice ratio of jam to dough in each bite. The croissants are best warm and straight out of the oven - at least that's my excuse for eating so many of them :)

First days of spring - Primavera!

Spring is finally here! Maybe the weather still finds it hard to decide, whether it's time to add more sun, less rain and cut down on the gray tones but at least every day it's a bit more green. The colors of the grass are a little more vivid, trees and flowers slowly start to bloom. All that's missing is a nice shade of blue in the sky....

In the kitchen it's very spring-like, too. I came back home with a big bag of fresh asparagus that each day became a different dish. And today it ended up in a risotto....

Risotto Primavera
serves 4, prep time 40 min, cooking time 35 min

350g asparagus
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch of spring onions, ends trimmed, and sliced
300g green peas (frozen)
2 tbsp shredded basil
2 tbsp snipped chives
1 tbsp chopped mint
Finely grated zest of one lemon
1.7 l of vegetable bouillion
4 shallots
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
300g carnaroli or  arborio rice
25g Parmesan cheese
150ml dry white wine
25g rocket leaves


Prep works:
1. Cut the wooden ends of asparagus, then slice the stems into 5cm diagonal lengths. Heat half of the oil  in a non-stick frying pan, over a medium heat for 4 min. Add spring onions and cook for another 1-2min. Remove, season with pepper, and set aside
2. Cook the peas in boiling water for 3min, then drain and set aside.
3. Mix the basil, chives, mint, and lemon zest together in a small bowl, season with pepper and set aside.

Risotto:
1. Pour the stock into a saucepan and keep it on a very low heat. Pour the other half of olive oil (1tbsp) into a large pan. Tip the shallots and garlic, fry for 3-4 min or until soft. Stir in the rice, then continue to stir for 1-2 min over medium heat.
2. As it starts to sizzle, pour in the wine and stir again until the wine has been absorbed.
3. Start to stir in the stock - 1.5 ladlefuls at the time so it simmers and is absorbed after each addition. Keep stirring the whole time, to keep the risotto creamy. Continue adding the stock as above - after 20min the rice should be soft with a bit of chew in the middle - you should have a ladleful of stock left at this point.
4. Take the pan off the heat. Season with pepper (shouldn't need any salt). Pour over the remaining ladleful of the remaining stock to keep the mixture fluid, then scatter over all the vegetables (1+2 from preparations), half the herb mix (3) and half of the cheese. Stir together, then cover with the pan lid and let the risotto sit for 3-4min to rest.
5. Serve topped with a small pile of rocket and the rest of herbs and cheese scattered over.

This recipe comes from the April issue of 'Good Food' magazine - from the 'make it healthier' section. I must admit I preferred it over the heavy-on-butter-and-cheese alternative. In general, all risottos take a while and lots of stirring, but the result is a very richly flavored dish, that tastes just like the first days of spring. The lemon zest should, ideally, give just a discreet hint of fresh lemons, adding richness to the flavor texture without dominating the dish.

Lazy weekend and some berries

It's just this kind of weekend here. One short trip for groceries, minimum time spent outside - to avoid the allergies, then books and tea. Love it!

Cats are also taking a day off. They took over our bed, taking only quick food breaks, then back to sleep. Oh, it's good to be a cat on a day like this.....

I'm also on a slower mode today. I tried to stay away from the kitchen as much as possible, but then as I put my dinner fish in the oven and set the clock to 20min, I thought '20 minutes to spare...'. And there was an idea - a big bowl of berries in my fridge, and a recipe that has been hanging on my cork board for the past couple of months. 20 minutes to prepare, oven will be ready - perfect!

Blackberry & Coconut Squares
prep time 15min, baking time 75min

250g self raising flour
100g of oats
300g brown sugar
200g of cold butter, cut in pieces
75g desiccated coconut
2 medium eggs, beaten
350g of blackberries (fresh or frozen)


1. Heat oven to 180C. Mix flour, oats and sugar in a big bowl. Rub the butter into the flour mix using fingertips until small pea-size pieces remain. Stir through the coconut, then fill a teacup with the mixtures and set aside.
2. Stir the eggs into the bowl, then spread over the bottom of a lined baking tin. Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon, scatter over the berries. Scatter the reserved cup of crumbs. Bake for 1hr-1hr15min, or until golden and cooked through. Leave to cool a bit, then cut into squares and serve!

The recipe comes from 'renew your subscription to Good Food magazine' leaflet. It has a post-it note which says 'I found this and thought of you'. Well, it must be a miracle because it really looks like my kind of dessert... Berries, oats and coconut is a combination to die for! I'll better grab another piece.....

TGIF and chocolate cake for adults

Friday - the hole weekend ahead of me. Ever since I remember Friday evenings were longer than all the other evenings. They're more stretchy, they melt and flow. Get back from work, having the hole evening ahead of me, then a bunch more hours in the couple weekends days to fill. What to do, what to do.....

Just a quick check of emails, speedy tour of cyber news, a glance at my to do at home list and then I'm off to the world of Swedish crime, just a few pages left  before I can start a new journey of another crime novel. The tea is ready, the white chair too....

There is no dessert to go along with the tea, surviving on some swiss chocolates instead, and the the memories of one chocolate cake....

My multiple experiments proved that chocolate is good all year long... The judges? The crowd at work, who never says no to brought the next day half eaten cakes, cookies or muffins. When I entered the office with a bag and a box inside, I see big smiles, still half awake eyes that shine. Then, almost immediately it's coffee time, and what goes better with morning coffee then a slice of deliciousness? Some chocolate recipes are more successful then others but nothing ever lasts all day. And that's exactly how I know how successful the recipe was....

My newest creation was gone is 60 seconds. Never had so much success.... Everything except the last bite - no one ever wants to eat the last piece....

 (picture of just few pieces of cake shortly after it  the big part was devoured. Other pics temporarily unavailable)

Chocolate Cake (for adults)
prep time 35min, baking time 35min

140g of prunes
4tbsp of Kirsch (or other cherry alcohol)
100g of butter
2tbsp of cocao
140g of dark chocolate, chopped (I used one with almonds)
100g og caster sugar
50g of muscovado sugar
4 large eggs (2 with separate eggs/yolks)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
100g of ground almonds
1tbsp of plain flour

1. Heat over to 180C. Gently heat the prunes and cherry alcohol over a low heat until hot. Remove from the heat and leave for about 1 hour or until prunes have absorbed almost all of the liquid. Whizz the prunes and any remaining buzz in a food processor until roughly chopped.
2. Prepare the tin (round, 20cm) - butter and dust with 1tbsp of cocao. Melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. When all melted, put aside and cool. Add prunes mix.
3. Combine the sugars, 2 eggs and 2 yolks until pale, thick and double in volume. Fold the chocolate mixture and vanilla into the egg mixture - add ground almonds, flour and remaining cocao.
4. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and gently fold into the mixture. Pour all into the tin, bake for 20-25min, or until a light crust has formed. Cool and serve!

As said - a big success. The cake keeps the moisture inside, and the kirch/prune combination is to die for! I call it for adults, because even after the cherry alcohol evaporates, it still leaves a sweet note of cherry ...
The original recipe comes from this months issue of Good Food. It came with a booklet of 40 cakes, so I guess I'm not done with experimenting with chocolate!

Spring time soup.

Spring is gradually getting closer and closer. Each day stretched a tiny bit more, with a few more seconds of sun on each end. The tender sun rays gently caressing the faces of people patiently waiting for a bus in the morning. Slowly waking up, no longer packed like penguins in the corner of a crowded bus stop, seeking shelter from an icy wind. With hands out of the pockets, scarves now just loosely hung around the white necks, jackets halfway unzipped - sometimes even fearlessly holding a morning newspaper in their gloveless hands, following big and small world news, gossip, and the weather forecast that already sound more positive. Spring is in the air!

 

Soon there will be flowers, green lawns with many first-time couples - innocent but already so eager to spend forever with each other. Because forever sounds magical when lying hand in hand on the lawn smelling the fresh grass and bathing in the new-spring sun....

But meantime spring has another week to start officially. Looking out of the window I cherish every minute of this warmth, storing it for days when winter coldness will make an appearance again. Hopefully not very soon….

So, to stretch the warmth yet a bit more, I made a new soup, that we fell in love with at first spoon!

 

 

 

Indian Chickpeas soup  

Prep time 10 min, cooking time 15min, serves 4ppl

 

1tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1tbsp garam masala

1 carrot, peeled and quartered lengthways and chopped

1l of vegetable stock

2cm finely grated fresh ginger root
400g  can of chickpeas, drained

100g green beans, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

 

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, then add the onion, ginger and garlic. Fry for 2min, then add garam masala, give it 1min more, then add the stock and carrots.

2. Simmer the mix for 10min (or until carrots get tender), then add the chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in beans and simmer for 3min.

*tastes great with naan or garlic bread 

I found this recipe in the winter issue of 'Eat Well' magazine, changed a bit the proportions. All in all a great success - the oriental spiciness perfectly balanced by the earthy and slightly burnt flavor of the chickpeas, crispy freshness added by the green beans, and the carrots giving a nice solid foundation to chew on!

I'll show you my other favorite indian soup some other time....

Chocolate oatmeal balls

Weekend has passed too quickly again.

 

Friday can’t get here fast enough; in my mental calendar each weekday is seen based on its relation and distance to Friday. Wednesday is two units away from Friday, Thursday means almost weekend. And then suddenly it’s Friday 6pm, I’m almost skipping instead of walking. Just a tram way away from the weekend, patiently sitting and looking out of the window with many others like me – tired but with a tiny spark in their eyes – so called weekend happiness.

 

Nothing on the agenda, yet so much to do. Is it all going to fit into my weekend? Laundry, quick visit to the supermarket, chat with the neighbor in the staircase, phonecall to my best friend, walk by the lake, reorganizing the tall stack of papers, an afternoon with books and cookies, a lazy nap….? Shouldn’t Saturday and Sunday by law have more hours in them? Maybe then I would fit in them then an extra hour with the French vocabulary and some jogging…?

 

And suddenly, it’s Monday again. Sitting by the same computer, with a second cup of tea. Weekend still so close, I can almost feel the coziness of it, the sun sneaking through the gaps of the curtains, and the taste of the freshly baked chocolate oatmeal balls. So close yet so far already.....

 

 

 

Back to reality - with longing looks at the calendar on my desk – Monday, 4 days away from Friday, 4 early mornings before the solace of another weekend…..

 

 

 

Chocolate Oatmeal Balls 

prep time 15min, baking time 10min

 

130g of cane sugar

300g of rolled oats
125 g of butter
1 egg 

5 tbl spoons of milk

2 tea spoons of vanilla sugar
1 cup of flour (self raising or regular + a teaspoon of baking soda)
50 grams of dark chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Melt butter, sugar, and chocolate in a deep pot. Add rolled oats and stir until all liquid ingredients are well absorbed (about 10min on low heat)

2. When cooled off - transfer to a bowl with previously mixed flower and vanilla sugar. Add egg and milk, then stir until all well mixed together.

3. Roll little balls (use more flour if the consistency is too sticky) - the size of a big walnut, then bake for 10min.

 

The inspiration for this recipe comes from this blog. It’s one of those things that I’ve been longing for for years, without realizing it. And then I saw it and could almost taste it. I’ve altered the proportions; it somehow seemed more true to more childhood memories. The result – yummy! And I guess it’s a kind of healthy dessert with all the rolled oats…..

Summer on the plate - olive & ricotta chicken

So, we are back. The bags are unpacked and things are making their way back to their accustomed places. Summer dresses, high filter sun lotions, books read while lazying on the beach, cables for all kinds of electronic items, snorkeling mask, coins from places we passed through.... Some things are going back to their old places on the shelves, others are new, still need to find their new location. In the background sounds of newly acquired chillout album accompanied by the noises of the washing machine, patiently going through the n-th load of laundry.

Traveling is an enriching experience. Apart from new cities, new people, new customs, we bring back something else - a new, refreshed way of looking at life. Traveling allows to step back and observe, take pictures and mental notes - in order not to forget.... And relax, breathe....

From this trip, apart from the sun-kissed tan, I brought my favorite items - cooking books and magazines. And that's what my Saturday was like - in the big white chair with a stack on the coffee table, a journey through different tastes and flavors. New ideas, new inspirations, many new posts.... 

Green olive and ricotta - stuffed chicken
prep time 20min, cooking 20min, serves 2

1 zucchini, finely chopped
1 tomato, seeded, finely chopped
2 crushed garlic cloves
2tbsp of olive oil
1/4 cup of ricotta
150grams of green olives, pitted and sliced
2tbsp of grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 chicken breasts
salt, pepper, sweet paprika (to season)
4 toothpicks

1. Preheat oven to 230C. Combine zucchini, tomato, garlic and olive oil in a bowl. Put in fridge.
2. Combine ricotta, olives, Parmesan cheese and egg in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Make a small incision in each chicken breast, creating a pocket. Fill with ricotta mixture, season with sweet paprika and secure with a toothpick.
3. Cook chicken on a frying pan, toothpick side up, until lightly golden. Place in a oven proof dish and move to oven for 15min (until cooked)
5. Serve topped with tomato salsa.

The recipe comes from the Australian issue of Good Food magazine. Here served over quinoa and asparagus but it goes very good with just some green salad. It's definitely a summer recipe, or a nice reminder of our sunny vacation. And on the plate the tangy bitter olive taste is a prefect compliment to the sweeter notes of ricotta. Simply Good Food!
And what's for dessert?

Weekend carrot cake

Seems like winter just started with February. Scarves, hats and gloves are no longer optional. Temperatures falling, every day a bit colder and even the hours on the clock seem to have frozen in place.
Made a decision to stay in and have a lazy weekend with no plans. The only trip outside to get groceries, bundled up in extra socks and double fleece. I really don't remember this kind of winter. Tomorrow will have to leave the house and go to work, brrrrrrr..... Today drinking a fifth cup of tea, going from chair to chair, ensconced in the tranquility of Sunday ....

Carrot & Honey Cake
prep time 30min, baking time 50min


280 grams of butter (room temperature)
200 grams of cane sugar
3 table spoons of honey
5 eggs (separate whites from yolks)
1 orange (zest + juice)
200 grams of self-raising flour (or regular flour with 1.5 tea spoons of baking powder)
1.5 tea spoons of baking powder
100 grams of almond powder
200 grams of chopped nuts and raisins (here walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds)
optionally 50 grams of chocolate (chopped into small pieces)
1 tea spoon of cinnamon
optionally 1 tea spoon of muscat spice
3cm ginger piece (peeled and chopped into small pieces)
3 carrots (peeled and grated)

1. Put butter and sugar into a bowl and mix until paste like. Add honey, egg yolks, orange zest and orange juice. Continue mixing.
2. Slowly add flour, baking powder and almond powder - mix until well combined
3. Add nuts, ginger and spices
4. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites (stiff foam - turn bowl upside down - when ready it should stick to the bottom), then gently combine with the other mixture.
5. Pour into a greased tin (here rectangular 25 x 40cm) and bake for 50min in oven at 180C

I found this recipe in a Polish cooking magazine 'Kuchnia' under a Jamie Oliver section - but as usual I adjusted the proportions and added more nuts for some extra crunchiness. The cake tasted heavenly, the orange zest and ginger adding sparkling notes of citrus sweetness.
It takes a while to prepare all the ingredients but definitely worth every minute of it.

Last day of January.

So it’s finally here, buried under a good 20cm of snow. Temperature is falling, each day a bit colder, each day a bit whiter. Suddenly the city got lighter, calmer, asleep. There’s something relaxing about watching the snow falling down, trees and roofs covered with cotton-like softness….

January is finishing. Just a few hours away from turning another page in the calendar. And that much closer to summer, to sun, longer days and more energy. 

...looking at the thermometer outside - temperature is still falling – an unpleasant reminder that winter is still here....

In the kitchen we have summer. Close your eyes, imagine that you’re somewhere warm, sitting at a cozy little beach restaurant and eating the very best:

Exotic and very tropical Curry w/tofu (or chicken)

serves 6ppl, prep time: 30min,

Tofu/2 Chicken Breasts

1 Onion

3cm piece of ginger

2 table spoons of curry

400grams of chopped tomatoes (canned, no seeds)

2 bananas (cut in rings)

1 mango (cut in pieces)

1. Chop onions and let sear in olive oil (medium heat) for 3-5min. Add crushed/finely chopped ginger and garlic, leave searing for another 3min. Add curry and mix.

2. * add tofu (cut in cubes) and let fry for another 3min

3. add tomatoes, coconut milk, chopped bananas and mango

4. bring to boil then leave cooking on low heat for 15min stirring from time to time.

5. add spices - in my case salt and cayenne for some extra hotness.

Serve over rice/ quinoa or potatoes.

*if you have time marinate the tofu in 2 table spoons of soy sauce mixed with 1 table spoon of water, finely chopped 1cm of ginger and 1 garlic clove. Leave in fridge for at least 30min before adding

Tofu can be replaced by chicken - same steps.

The recipe comes from January issue of French 'Elle à table', I just slightly adjusted the proportions. There's a lot of good inspirations so will definitely go back to it. In February that is.

One sweet sour...

I've decided to stop focusing on the bad sides of winter, and hold on to the good ones. One thing that I can definitely get away is some sweet indulgence. Coming back home after work in this cold ugly weather is much more pleasant if a house filled with freshly-baked-cookies smell... On a dark winter night sinking into a big comfy chair, with a cup of a steaming beverage and a good book. Plus some baked goodies of course. Hmnmnm, that's my favourite part of winter....
Both Pe an I are big chocoholics, so I tend to make more brown desserts, but this time we tried something new, more sour and tangy. Turns out not so bad, and after having some people over, most of it disappeared from the plate leaving just a few crumbles. And one slice for me, for a lazy Sunday tea time.

Key Lime Pie

for crust:
250 grams of Digestive biscuits
3 table spoons of sugar
1 tea spoon of cinnamon
140 grams of butter

for filling:
4 limes
400 grams of condensed milk (sweet)
4 egg yolks

Crust:
Melt butter on low heat, then set aside to cool off
Crumble biscuits into powder-like pieces, add sugar and cinnamon, then melted butter - mix.
Pour this mixture into a 24cm round baking form, press over the bottom and up the sides of the form. Using the bottom of a spoon make sure the mixture forms a firm layer. Bake for 10min  at 160 degrees C.

Filling:
Remove the lime zest from whole limes, grate, and put aside. Cut the limes in half and squeeze out the juice.
In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk,  lime juice, grated zest, and egg yolks, mix well .

Pour filling into previously baked graham cracker crust and put in oven for another 15-20min (the middle should be still soft).

After cooling down, put in the fridge for at least 2hrs.


*the recipe comes from the same Danish cooking magazine ('mad' dec 2011) that I used for the onion soup. It's a definitely refreshing dessert that can taste just as good in summer as in winter (I'll definitely give it a try!)

Second New Year's resolution

- snow. Or rather taking advantage of what's around in winter time. Turns out that there's lots of snow just a couple of hours away. Why not?
Learning how to ski also sounded like fun, so there I was, in my new bright red jacket, big white gloves and even bigger smile on my face. All in all is was not so bad, and most important - not as cold as I feared. With a bit of luck, the slope gets full sun exposure, and I got a bit of it too. Nice and warm.
Two hours later I learned how to turn and stop - standing or sitting position. My legs were a bit tired, bruised here and there but I think I'll go skiing again.

At home there was a nice soup waiting for us. Green and very warming.

Asparagus & Pesto Soup
serves 2 hungry ppl/ prep time 30min


500 grams of fresh asparagus
1 yellow onion
1 red onion
1 cup of fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup (abt 30 grams) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbl spoons of olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts (slightly roasted)
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
750 ml of veg bouillon


Cut asparagus into about 3 cm pieces - save the tip pieces for decoration
In a big pot, heat olive oil and add finely chopped onions. After a couple minutes add asparagus pieces and continue frying for a few more minutes.
Add bouillon and cook for about 15 min, until asparagus becomes soft.
In a separate frying pan, fry the asparagus tips for a couple minutes.
Prepare pesto - grind basil leaves, cheese, pine nuts, garlic and  olive oil in blender or food processor.
Add onions and apsparagus and continue grinding until pastelike (texture depends on individual likings)
Transfer the pesto/asparagus cream back to the pot with bouillon. Stir and serve!
Decorate the bowls with asparagus tips and pine nuts.

I discovered this soup recipe here, but decided to make it even more pesto like and enriched it accordingly.
And yes, I realize it's been a bit too green here, so promise to prepare something sweet and not so green next time.

Is it summer yet...?

So how quick can all the saved up/relaxed mood run out? Quick. Too quick. I admit, I had tiny bit left walking this morning to the office, watching the sun slowly rising. Had it later this morning, planning all the good things winter time can bring.

And then after lunch, it run out! Minutes were passing very slowly, way too slow for a Wednseday afternoon. Two cups of coffee helped me stay awake, and then with my eyes half-open I started dreaming... summer.... and avocados.
It was this avocado dessert, and my Portuguese friend who introduced me to it, that helped me come up with the name for this blog. Green as avocado, because it's fresh, and I like green food a lot. And because it's just like summer!

Avocado Dessert
serves 4 ppl, prep time 5min

2 ripe avocados
1 lime
2 scoops of honey
4 cherries for decorations

1.Cut avocados in half, take the pulps out and then gently, using a spoon scoop them into a bowl, add lime juice and 2 spoons of honey and mash until almost smooth.
2. Place back into the peels. Place cherries on each for decoration. 

This dessert was my personal favorite all summer (and until today when I just day dream about summer). It's a quick and healthy option for a lazy afternoon, or any other time of the day.
The amount of lime and honey can be adjusted based on individual preferences.
Very refreshing. Very summer - even in January.

First....

First post. First of January. First New Year's resolution - to combine all the yummy food in some more-or-less coherent way. Add pictures to illustrate all the efforts. And maybe inspire a bit, like I get inspired - by opening a random cooking magazine or a cooking blog - there it is, today's lunch/dinner/dessert...
and what's cooking today? Something to warm us up, after a beautiful trip from snow wonderland....

An Onion Soup with a Kick and croutons

serves 4 people; prep time: 60min 

4 yellow onions

2 red onions

1 leek

3 garlic cloves

2cm piece of ginger

1 table spoon of butter 

1.5 l of veg stock

10dl of white wine

2 table spoons of flour

fresh thyme

1 tea spoon of sugar

salt, pepper

for croutons
3 slices of bread
1 garlic clove
olive oil
fresh thyme

1. Cut bread into small cubes, meantime heat olive oil with finely chopped garlic and thyme - add bread cubes and fry until golden on all sides
2. Chop onions and leek. Half of the onions into small pieces and the other half into rings. Sauté in butter in a large pan until golden brown (about 15 min), add a teaspoon of sugar, garlic and finely chopped ginger and let sauté for another 10 min
3. Add a couple of tablespoons of flour, leave for 3 or 4 minutes, then pour in 1.5 liters of boiling veggie stock and 10dl of white wine.
4. Cover with lid and leave simmering (on low heat) for another 30min.
5. Season the soup with salt, pepper and thyme.
6. Serve with previously prepared croutons.

The recipe comes from december issue of a Danish cooking magazine 'Mad' (which means 'food' in Danish, not crazy-mad), I added leek and ginger to make it more warming up and spicy. Thyme adds a slight minty freshness.
Perfect soup for winter evenings. Bon Appétit!