Eve's fika

Easy and tasty

2011-03-03T14:14:00.004-04:00

One slice of Bread
A half avokado, mashed
Salt and pepper
One slice of red pepper
One slice of ham
One slice of tomato
Sprouts on top

...et voilà!

A bun in the oven and two pannacottas in the fridge

2011-03-01T20:06:00.013-04:00

These past few months have been the most exciting of my life. My husband and I found out that we are having a baby in the end of June, and we couldn't be any happier! Due to some pregnancy symptoms, I banned myself from the kitchen for a few months. But now I'm back, ready to take on the monthly Daring Bakers and Daring Cooks Challenges! I'm so excited!

As a treat for you readers, I am giving you a to-die-for recipe for white chocolate panna cotta, that I made for my hubby on Valentine's Day. Enjoy!

White Chocolate Panna Cotta
(fills six moulds)

180gms white chocolate
600mls full cream
4 Tbs caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, scraped of its seeds
3 tsp / 10gms powdered gelatin
1/3 cup of boiling water

Preparation:

Into a heavy based saucepan place the white chocolate, cream, sugar and vanilla seeds.

Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly to ensure the mixture is smooth and does not begin to catch on the base of the pot. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for a couple of minutes to give the flavours time to get to know each other a little better.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the boiling water and wait a few minutes for the granules to dissolve.
Pour the gelatin liquid into the cream mixture and stir through to combine.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove any potential lumps, and then divide the mixture between the 6 moulds.

Lightly cover the moulds with cling film and allow to set in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight if need be.

Swedish Royal Wedding

2010-06-20T14:28:00.017-03:00

Yesterday the crown princess of Sweden, Victoria, finally got her prince! We watched the wedding live over the Internet, and celebrated with a traditional Swedish breakfast and these princess cupcakes.

Best moist Chocolate Cupcakes

3/4 cup butter
1 cup soft dark brown sugar
1/2 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tbs instant espresso powder
1 1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat to 374 degrees.
2. Beat butter till soft, smooth, creamy and pale. Add sugar and beat till creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time.
3. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa and coffee granules together.

4. Mix the vanilla and milk together in a small bowl or pouring jug. Add a third of the dry ingredients into batter, mix well. Add half of the liquid, beat well. Alternate till you end with the dry ingredients.

5. Line muffin tray with liners. Fill cups 2/3 full.

6. Reduce oven heat to 347 degrees. Bake 25-30min. Let cool completely before icing.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. Cream cheese

3/4 cups unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla exract

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

a pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Cream the cream cheese and butter together.

2. Add the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.

3. Take 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix together with the cream cheese blend. Continue to add powdered sugar until you get the concistency you want.

A taste of Swedish summer

2010-06-16T19:02:00.010-03:00

Herring (bought at IKEA), potatoes, greens, sourcream and chives.

Swedish Midsummer is coming up this weekend! That means traditional dancing around a flower covered maypole - and eating herring. As a kid I would shrug just by looking at the silky, raw-looking piece of fish, but as the years passed I learned to appreciate it, and now, I have come to love it.

Now, you might wonder how I found the courage to even try it. My wonderful mom would actually give us kids 100 kronor (about $7) each if we ate a whole piece of herring. So when my big sister did it, I just had to do it! Unfortunately, no one's paying me anymore. Instead, I'm enjoying this Swedish delicacy.

Skagenröra

2010-06-15T20:03:00.001-03:00

Skagenröra is a creamy composition of shrimps, mayonnaise, red onion and dill. I know what you're thinking, but don't let the few ingredients fool you - it's fantastic. Although it's simple, this Swedish speciality is one of the most common starters in Sweden, and is often used in wedding menus.

The best way to enjoy Skagenröra, is to put some on a toast, garnish with vegetables and squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top of it. Absolutely delicious!

Skagenröra

2 cups peeled shrimps

2 cups mayonnaise

2 cups red union

1 cup finely chopped dill

White pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop shrimps (optional), red union and dill. Mix with mayonnaise and add white pepper after taste. Enjoy on toast with vegetables.

Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchiladas

2010-05-19T14:04:00.018-03:00

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.

Traditional British Pudding

2010-04-27T12:07:00.018-03:00

The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.

I decided to skip the suet (kind of raw fat) ingredient, and instead go for a sweet sponge pudding recipe. After all, it's a Bakers Challenge! I added lemon zest and blueberries to the basic recipe, and it turned out to be a very moist and flavorful sponge cake. I can't wait to try other variations!

Now, I have made a few sponge cakes in my life, but never have I steamed it on the stove. It was both fun and easy to make. Well, almost. The preparation had a few trials - let's just say it was hard to find a string strong enough to use as a handle on a glass bowl without a rim. Luckily, the hubby found some new shoestrings lying around that we ended up using! We have a Swedish saying that goes "Man tager vad man haver" ("You take what you've got"). So true!

Steamed Jam Sponge Pudding
base recipe from GreatBritishPuddings, Serves: 6 - 8

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons of Blueberry Jam
1/2 cup blueberries
zest from 2 lemons
175g Self-Raising Flour
1 Rounded Teaspoon of Baking Powder
175g Softened Butter
3 Large Eggs
175g Caster Sugar

Method:

A 1.2 litre basin well buttered, some foil, greaseproof paper, string and a steamer or large pan.

After buttering the basin add 3 tablespoons of Blueberry Jam and some blueberries to the bottom. In a large mixing bowl sift the flour and baking powder into it. Add the softened butter, sugar, eggs and lemon zest. Whisk together with an electric hand whisk for around 2 minutes until it is well mixed. Spoon the mixture into the basin and smooth the top out with a large spoon.

Lay some greaseproof paper onto the work surface and the same size of foil on top of it. Be careful to ensure that you have it large enough to cover the top of the basin with extra to wrap around the sides. Form a pleat in both the paper and the foil together and place over the top of the basin with the foil uppermost. Carefully smooth the foil and paper down around the basin and tie in place with some string. Form a "handle" of string over the top of the basin to enable you to lift the basin in and out of the steamer.

Steam the pudding for 2 hours making sure to check the water level every 30 minutes to ensure that it doesn't boil dry.

Serve with vanilla sauce.

Plain Jane...

...or pure deliciousness.

Virginian Brunswick Stew

2010-04-18T21:31:00.008-03:00

2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club.

Brunswick Stew recipe
from the Callaway, Va Ruritan Club, served yearly at the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival in Ferrum, Va.

Serves about 10

2 ½ lb TOTAL diced stewed chicken, turkey, and ham, with broth - yes, all three meats
3 medium diced potatoes
2 medium ripe crushed tomatoes
2 medium diced onions
3 cups/ 689.76 grams / 24.228oz frozen corn
1 ½ cups / 344.88 grams / 12.114oz frozen lima beans
4-5 strips crumbled bacon
½ stick / 4 tablespoons / ¼ cup / 56.94 grams / 2oz of butter
1 Tablespoon / 14.235 grams / .5 oz sugar
1 Tablespoon / 14.235 grams / .5 oz ‘Poultry Seasoning’
Dash of red pepper
2 diced carrots (optional)
Tomato juice

In large stock pot or Dutch Oven, mix all ingredients, heat until bubbly and hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add tomato juice as desired. Cook until all vegetables are tender. Serve hot.

Update! It was really delicious, and tasted even better the next day!

Chocolate Cheesecake...again.

2010-03-30T14:51:00.009-03:00

Once again I made this chocolate cheesecake, this time for a 40th birthday party. It has become one of my favorite cheesecake recipes, and it never fails! As decoration I used white chocolate, raspberries and cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!

Love at first bite

2010-03-12T19:37:00.018-04:00

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.

Having skipped last month's challenges, I felt like it was time to get back in the saddle! There has been a lot going on with work, and I also made a visit to Sweden. So, even though I love me some Tiramisú (February's Daring Baker's Challenge) and meze (February's Daring Cooks Challenge), I decided to make them some other time.

Anyway, I was really excited about this challenge! I must say, shockingly enough, that I had never had risotto before. It was so good! Learning the versatility of it and how easily it is made, along with the high deliciousness factor, I'll will definitely make it again.

Preparation time:

Stock: 20 minutes prep time, 3 hours cooking.
Lemon Risotto: 10 minutes prep time, 20-30 minutes cooking.

Chicken Stock

Ingredients:

1 large chicken 2-3 pounds about 1 kg
chicken bones 2-3 pounds 1 kg
2 onions, roughly diced
1 medium leek - white part only, roughly diced
2 sticks celery, roughly diced
2 cloves garlic, halved
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. white peppercorns ( Any type of whole peppercorn will do)
2 bay leaves (fresh or dried, it doesn't matter.)
peel of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp. allspice

Directions:

Wash the chicken and bones and places in a 5 Litre pot, cover completely with water and bring to a boil
Skim away any scum as it comes to the surface
Add the vegetables and bring back to a boil
Add the rest remaining ingredients and simmer very gently, uncovered for 1.5 hours
Carefully lift out the chicken, set aside. The chicken meat can be removed from the chicken, shredded off and used for other things like soup!
Simmer the stock gently for another hour. At , at the end you should have around 2 Liters
Carefully ladle the liquid into a fine sieve, the less the bones and vegetables are disturbed in this process the clearer the stock will be.  The stock is now ready for use. Freeze what you don't need for later use.

Risotto Base

Ingredients:

olive oil 2 fluid oz 60 ml
1 small onion, quatered
rice 14 oz 400g
Any type of risotto rice will do. I use Arborio but the recipe itself says Vialone Nano. Another to look for is Carnaroli.
white wine 2 fl oz 60 ml
chicken or vegetable stock , simmering 2 pints 1 L

Directions:

Heat oil in a pan and add onion. Fry for a few minutes to flavour the oil then discard. (We diced ours and left it in as we like onion).
Add the rice and stir for a few minutes to coat each grain of rice with oil and toast slightly.
Add the wine and let it bubble away until evaporated.
Add enough stock to cover the rice by a finger’s width (about an inch or two). Don't actually stick your finger in, it will be hot. Just eye it off.
Cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time, until most of the stock has been absorbed.
Repeat Step 5 making sure to leave aside approximately 100 ml. of stock for the final step. .
Repeat, save 100ml for the final stage.
Once you are at this point, the base is made. You now get to add your own variation.

I used zest from one lemon, mushrooms, chives, parmesan and a few tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small cubes. It turned out delicious! My husband cooked some steaks (to perfection!). It went wonderful together with the risotto.

Bon apetit!

Graham Crackers & Nanaimo Bars

2010-01-27T17:18:00.016-04:00

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

This challenge was divided in two parts, first the making of Graham crackers, then the Nanaimo bars, where the crackers were used as an ingredient. Even though it was time consuming, it was a lot of fun! I even tried to experiment with flavors in the Nanaimo bars, so instead of using the vanilla custard that the original recipe calls for, I tried a moccha mousse and a chocolate mouse. It turned out very chocolaty, but with a hint of coffee. Coffee and chocolate - it doesn't really get any better than that!

Anyway, first we make the Graham crackers.

Graham Crackers

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup mild-flavored honey, such as clover
5 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

For the topping:

3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

To prepare the topping: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon, and set aside.

Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.

Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more flour and roll out the dough to get about two or three more crackers.

Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough. Using a toothpick or skewer, prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line.

Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the tough, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking.

These Graham Crackers are a great coffee snack, but they also work perfectly for a Nanaimo bottom layer... behold!

Nanaimo Bars

Ingredients:

Bottom Layer

1/2 cup ( 115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup (50 g) (1.8 ounces) Granulated Sugar
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Large Egg, Beaten
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) (160 g) (5.6 ounces) Graham Wafer Crumbs (See previous recipe)
1/2 cup (55 g) (1.9 ounces) Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)
1 cup (130 g) (4.5 ounces) Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)

Second Layer

4 oz white chocolate
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp instant coffee
1/2 tbsp hot water
1 1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp icing sugar

Third Layer

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1 1/5 tbsp Bourbon
1 1/3 cup heavy cream

Top Layer

4 ounces (115 g) Semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons (28 g) (1 ounce) Unsalted Butter

Directions:

1. For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.

2. For Layer 2: Melt the chocolate. Remove from heat and add the egg yolk. Mix the instant coffee with the hot water and let cool. In a separate bowl whip the heavy cream together with the icing sugar and add the cooled coffee. Mix the chocolate with the cream mix. Pour evenly into the pan.
3. For Layer 3: Melt the chocolate. In a bowl whip the heavy cream and add the Bourbon. Mix the chocolate and the cream and add it to the pan.
4. For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.
Enjoy!

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

2010-01-14T18:43:00.012-04:00

The January 2010 DC challenge was hosted by Cuppy of Cuppylicious and she chose a delicious Thai-inspired recipe for Pork Satay from the book 1000 Recipes by Martha Day.

This was a great challenge with an easy and delicious recipe that I will be sure to make again. Most importantly, my husband gives it two thumbs up! Then you know it's good.

Satay Marinade

1/2 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbp ginger root, chopped (optional) (2 cm cubed)
2 tbp lemon juice (1 oz or 30 mls)
1 tbp soy sauce (0.5 oz or 15 mls)
1 tsp ground coriander (5 mls)
1 tsp ground cumin (5 mls)
1/2 tsp ground turmeric (2-2.5 mls)
2 T vegetable oil (or peanut or olive oil) (30 mls)
1 pound of chicken (breast) (16 oz or 450g)

Directions:

1. Chop onions, garlic and ginger really fine then mix it all together in a medium to large bowl.
2. Cut chicken into 1 inch strips.
3. Cover chicken with marinade. You can place the chicken into a bowl, cover/seal and chill, or place the whole lot of it into a ziplock bag, seal and chill.

Peanut Sauce

3/4 cup coconut milk (6 oz or 180 mls)

4 Tbsp peanut butter (2 oz or 60 mls)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (0.5 oz or 15 mls)
1 Tbsp soy sauce (0.5 oz or 15 mls)
1 tsp brown sugar (5 mls)
1/2 tsp ground cumin (2.5 mls)
1/2 tsp ground coriander (2.5 mls)
1-2 dried red chilies, chopped (keep the seeds for heat)

Directions:

1. Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add soy sauce and lemon, mix well.
2. Over low heat, combine coconut milk, peanut butter and your soy-lemon-seasoning mix. Mix well, stir often.
3. All you’re doing is melting the peanut butter, so make your peanut sauce after you’ve made everything else in your meal, or make ahead of time and reheat.

I served the Chicken Satay with saffron rice, but woked vegetables or noodles is probably great with it too.

Enjoy!

Gingerbread Cupcakes w/ Caravella Limoncello cream cheese frosting

2010-01-04T23:01:00.005-04:00

Gingerbread cupcakes (recipe from Gastronomy)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease 12 standard-size muffin cups or line them with paper cups. Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla. In a small bowl, stir together the boiling water and baking soda until dissolved. Stir the baking soda water into the molasses mixture.

Sift together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, lemon zest, and salt into a small bowl. Whisk the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until the batter is combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center of one or two of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the pan. Place the cupcakes on a rack to cool for 30 minutes.

Caravella Limoncello Creamcheese Frosting (from Cupcake Queen)

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 stick unsalted butter
4 cups confectioners' sugar
Zest of 1 lemon, grated
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoon Caravella Limoncello

Gingerbread House - Daring Bakers Challenge

2009-12-27T23:55:00.011-04:00

The December 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was brought to us by Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi. They chose gingerbread house as a challenge.

Scandinavian Gingerbread (Pepparkakstuga)

Ingredients

1 cup butter, room temperature [226g]
1 cup brown sugar, well packed [220g]
2 tablespoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground ginger
3 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ cup boiling water
5 cups all-purpose flour [875g]

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until blended. Add the cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Mix the baking soda with the boiling water and add to the dough along with the flour. Mix to make a stiff dough. If necessary add more water, a tablespoon at a time. Chill 2 hours or overnight.

2. Cut patterns for the house, making patterns for the roof, front walls, gabled walls, chimney and door out of cardboard.

3. Roll the dough out on a large, ungreased baking sheet and place the patterns on the dough. Mark off the various pieces with a knife, but leave the pieces in place.

4. [I rolled out the dough on a floured bench, roughly 1/8 inch thick (which allows for fact that the dough puffs a little when baked), cut required shapes and transferred these to the baking sheet. Any scraps I saved and rerolled at the end.]

5. Preheat the oven to 375'F (190'C). Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the cookie dough feels firm. After baking, again place the pattern on top of the gingerbread and trim the shapes, cutting the edges with a straight-edged knife. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.

Royal Icing:

1 large egg white
3 cups (330g) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon almond extract

Beat all ingredients until smooth, adding the powdered sugar gradually to get the desired consistency. Pipe on pieces and allow to dry before assembling. If you aren't using it all at once you can keep it in a small bowl, loosely covered with a damp towel for a few hours until ready to use. You may have to beat it slightly to get it an even consistency if the top sets up a bit. Piped on the house, this will set up hard over time.

Simple Syrup:
2 cups (400g) sugar

Place in a small saucepan and heat until just boiling and the sugar dissolves. Dredge or brush the edges of the pieces to glue them together. If the syrup crystallizes, remake it.

Salmon en Croute - Daring Cooks Challenge

2009-12-14T23:03:00.008-04:00

The December 2009 Daring Cooks Challenge was hosted by Simone from Junglefrog Cooking. Simone chose Salmon en Croute from Good Food Online.

Salmon en croute

Ingredients:

Mascarpone or creamcheese 5.2 ounces/150 gr

Watercress, rocket (arugula) and spinach – 0.6 cup/4.2 ounces/120 gr

Shortcrust pastry – 17.6 ounces, 500 gr. Use a butterversion such as Jus-rol which is frozen or dorset pastry. or… make your own!

Salmon fillet (skinless)- 17.6 ounce/500 gr

egg – 1 medium sized

Directions:

1.Heat the oven to 200°C/390 F. Put the mascarpone or cream cheese in a food processor with the watercress, spinach and rocket and whizz the lot until you have a creamy green puree. Season well.

2. Roll the pastry out so you can wrap the salmon in it completely (approx. 2-3 mm thick) and lay it on a buttered or oiled baking sheet (it will hang over the edges). Put the salmon in the middle. If it has a thinner tail end, tuck it under. Spoon half of the watercress mixture onto the salmon.

Now fold the pastry over into a neat parcel (the join will be at the top, so trim the edge neatly), making sure you don’t have any thick lumps of pastry as these won’t cook through properly. Trim off any excess as you need to. Make 3 neat cuts in the pastry to allow steam to escape and make some decorations with the off-cuts to disguise the join if you like. Brush with the egg glaze.

3. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and browned. To test wether the salmon is cooked, push a sharp knife through one of the cuts into the flesh, wait for 3 seconds then test it against the inside of your wrist; if it is hot, the salmon is cooked. Serve with the rest of the watercress puree as a sauce.

Bon appetit!

Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

2009-11-20T01:57:00.022-04:00

I'm in love. I'm not talking of one of those temporary crushes, I mean real LOVE. Being a chocolate junkie, this three layer chocolate cheesecake with the smooth texture of a mousse and a rich chocolaty taste hits my spot. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a winner.

I stumbled across this recipe a while ago at Joy of Baking, and I decided to make it as a dessert for a couple of friends we had invited over for dinner one night. Everyone loved it, and I'm pretty sure you will too!

Chocolate Cheesecake

serves 12-16 people

Crust:

1 1/2 cups (150 grams) chocolate wafer crumbs

1/3 cup (75 grams) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

12 oz (340 grams) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

24 oz (680 grams) full fat cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup (240 ml) sour cream, room temperature

Ganache:

4 oz (115 grams) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

Directions

Butter a 10 inch (25 cm) spring form pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) with rack in center of oven.
Crust:
In a medium sized bowl combine the chocolate wafer crumbs and melted butter. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom of the spring form pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.
For Filling:
Melt the chopped chocolate in a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer) beat the cream cheese, on medium low speed, until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar. Add the melted chocolate and beat until fully incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract and sour cream and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and pour in the filling. Place the cheesecake pan on a larger baking pan and place in the oven.
Bake for about 50 - 55 minutes or until firm yet the center of the cheesecake will still look a little wet and wobbly. Remove from oven and carefully run a knife or spatula around the inside edge of pan to loosen the cheesecake (helps prevent the surface from cracking as it cools). Let cool and then cover with plasticwrap and refrigerate for a few hours before covering with the ganache.
Ganache:
Place the chopped chocolate in a stainless steel bowl. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a few minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly and then pour over cheesecake. With an offset spatula or back of a spoon, evenly spread the ganache over the top of the cheesecake. Cover and return to the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. This cheesecake tastes best after being refrigerated for at least a day.

Since this cheesecake is very heavy on bitter-sweet chocolate, I decided to make a raspberry sauce to add some sweetness and a little color for the presentation. This recipe is very easy to make but tastes heavenly!

Homemade Raspberry Sauce

1 pint fresh raspberries
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup cold water

Directions:

Combine the raspberries, sugar, and orange juice in a saucepan. Whisk the cornstarch into the cold water until smooth. Add the mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil.

Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the desired consistency is reached. The sauce will thicken further as it cools.

Puree the sauce in a blender or with a handheld immersion blender and strain it through a fine sieve. Serve warm or cold. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Enjoy!

Sushi 寿司 - Daring Cooks Challenge

2009-11-14T21:03:00.021-04:00

The November 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was brought to us by Audax of Audax Artifex and Rose of The Bite Me Kitchen. They chose sushi as the challenge. (To get the full recipes and instructions, please visit their blogs.)

I have to say I was really excited when I found out that sushi would be my first challenge as a Daring Cook. Not only is it one of my absolute favorite foods, but it also fascinates me in terms of the historic tradition, the room it leaves for creativity and the skills of the sushi chefs. Needless to say, I was ready to go!

Now, to be frank - this isn't a kitchen fairytale. When I first looked through the instructions for the recipe, I realized I would have to put down a few more hours (read five!) than normal in the kitchen, and that I needed an abundance of patience. Luckily, I had just enough to complete the challenge!

This challenge was divided into four different parts; the making of sushi rice, dragon rolls, decorative sushi and Nigiri sushi.

Spicy Crunchy Tuna Maki, Decorative Sushi roll with Sriracha and Nigiri Sushi.

As if this wasn't enough, I decided to make a fifth edition: Spicy Crunchy Tuna Maki. The recipe is taken from Beyond Salmon, where you will find the instructions and great step-by-step pictures for making it. I only have one thing to say: Deeeeelicious!

Spicy Crunchy Tuna

Makes 8 rolls

Ingredients:
1/2 - 3/4 cup crunchies (see the recipe below)
1 recipe sushi rice
1 Lb sushigrade tuna, chopped into 1/4 inch dice
1/4 cup mayo
1 Tbsp Sriracha
2 tsp Japanese soy sauce
4 sheets of seaweed (nori)
Toasted sesame seeds
Scallions, sliced very finely

Crunchies:

1 Lb French pullman loaf
1/4 cup canola oil

Equipment:
sushi mat wrapped in plastic wrap
a small bowl of water

Dragonroll with salmon.

Overall I enjoyed making the sushi, but due to the long preparation time and the load of dishes afterwards, I will probably not make it again anytime soon. Besides, the sushi place around the corner is just too good.

A perfect start of the day

2009-10-10T19:15:00.004-03:00

Girls Night!

2009-09-26T20:12:00.008-03:00

Go Blue!

2009-09-08T11:44:00.008-03:00

Cheesecake!

2009-09-02T13:58:00.005-03:00

Sweet mini burgers

2009-06-16T21:35:00.007-03:00

Dad's strawberry cake

2009-06-15T19:24:00.009-03:00

Bun cravings after midnight

2009-06-01T20:23:00.021-03:00

Mother's Day

2009-05-31T12:52:00.016-03:00

un dulce para el alma

2009-05-07T11:30:00.028-03:00