Always used to love eating something sweet and something salty at the same time. Like salt sticks and chocolate or vanilla ice cream with pommes frites, of course home made. In my childhood during the winter we often had a warm soup and something sweet served afterwards. Well, I always ate the sweet dish first and the soup at the end. This haven't changed. Though lately, I have only published sweet treats, I can assure you that I also cook savoury meals, yet nothing special. So until then please enjoy these sweet and salty cookies!
Ingredients:
makes about 30
125 g buckwheat flour
125 g flour
175 g butter
50 g sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
70 g salted peanuts
100 g dark or milk chocolate chip
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cream soft butter with sugar until fluffy, add vanilla extract and finally beat in the egg. Coarsly chop peanuts. Sift flour on top of the butter mixture, add chocolate chip and peanuts and knead everything together. Take the dough and form an about 3-4 cm diameter roll. Cut roll in about 0,5 cm slices and put them onto the baking paper covered sheet. Flatten them with the help of your fingers and bake about 10 minutes.
After a pretty long time, that I spent sick in bed and couldn't even think of food, finally I am back in the kitchen. Though only slowly yet, but I am cooking again! The pumpkin season is blooming! So many different kinds of winter squashes are available that probably I won't be able to try them all. Besides I already have my favourite type, the so called Bleu de Hongrie, which if you ask me, has the best consistency and taste. I usually just bake medium chunks in the oven and it as it is. It is unbeatable! However for this monkey bread I used some butternut squash pimped with loads of spices. A lovely autumn treat that makes a nice afternoon snack with a glass of cold milk.
Ingredients:
for a 20 cm round cake form
for the dough:
350 g flour
150 g baked pumpkin puree
1 egg yolk
100 ml milk
10 g fresh yeast
30 g butter
30 g sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground anise
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
for sprinkling:
100 g cane sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
for the glaze:
100 g butter
100 g cane sugar
Sift flour and make a mould into the middle. Crumble yeast and sprinkle with sugar and pour the lukewarm milk over it. As soon as the yeast swims on top, add pumpkin puree, spices adn the egg yolk and start to knead together. When the dough has almost came together add the cold, molten butter and knead a smooth dough. Let it rise for an hour or until double its size. Butter a 20 cm round cake form. Mix together cane sugar with ground ginger and pour it into a plastic bag. Take the dough and snip more or less equal sized bites from it and pop them into the plastic bag and shake it until it is covered with sugar. Place a row of the sugared bread chunks into the form and either sprinkle each layer with the glaze or pour it on top. For the glaze melt butter, add sugar and cook it over medium heat until it turns brown. Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let it cool in the form for 10-15 minutes then turn it over onto a plate.
Lately, I am really totally crazy for orange blossom water. I remember, when I bought the bottle, I was sure that it will last for a life time. Well, I was wrong, totally wrong. There is almost nothing left. No wonder! After all it is just irrisistble when served with something that contains orange, cardamom and pistachio!
Ingredients:
makes about 12-14 mini bundt cakesfor the bundt cake:
300 g flour
200 g finely ground polenta
100 g butter
50 g sugar
4 eggs
200 ml orange juice
zest of 2 lemons
3 tablespoons orange liquer
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon baking powder
for the syrup:
200 g sugarr
100 g water
100 g orange blossom water
Bring orange juice to the boil over low heat and stir in the polenta. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Cream butter with sugar until fluffy, then beat in the eggs one by one. Stir in the polenta, orange zest, orange liquer, cardamom and stir until well mixed. Finally fold in the flour and baking soda. Pour batter into mini bundt cake forms and bake for 15-20 minutes. For the syrup bring the ingredients to the boil and cook for 5-6 minutes. Pour syrup over the warm cakes and serve with chopped pistachio.
