Pistachio frangipane tartlets with poached rhubarb

Poached rhubarb sprinkled with pistachio on top of tonka bean scented pastry cream with pistachio frangipane hiding underneath. I think it's been exactly a month that I prepared these tartlets and now it is time to share them with you! You find the recipe on Style Me Pretty Living, go and have a look if you like!

Kakaós csiga - a guest post for samtundsahne

I think it was more or less a week ago, that I've received a mail from Nancy, who is the author of the inspiring blog samtundsahne. Although, I am on a sugar and white flour free month, I had to take a tiny break to bake these cocoa rolls. I was wondering for a while about with what kind of treat I should surprise Nancy, but for a couple of reasons it was absolutaly clear, that it must be kakaós csiga and nothing else! I hoped to wake up some childhood memories with it, and I think I managed to do so! If you would like to know more about kakaós csiga, then please head over to her blog!

Homemade Fresh Cheese and Yoghurt

Last week, I took part in a fresh cheese making class and I thought you might also be interested in the recipes. It was a small class held by a farmer, who's prodcuts I appriciate very much, especially her fresh goat milk's cheese.

 

Yoghurt


To make yoghurt you may either use raw or pasteurised milk. It is unnecessary to heat pasteurised milk, after all it has already been heated. Among the milk you will need either a start yoghurt or some yoghurt culture, that is for example availabe in form of a powder. Some also add milk protein powder, but personally I do not recommend this because it has an aftertaste. It supposed to make the yoghurt a little more creamy, but I think it is still not worth it. You may prepare the yoghurt right away from the raw milk that is heated to 48°C and the just proceed as written in the recipe below. However in that case you should consume the yoghurt witing 3-4 days and the resulted yoghurt will be more sour and less creamy, then when heated to 90-95°C. In case you ferment the bacterias for too long you'll likely end up with a too sour yoghurt. If the yoghurt is too liquid then probably it has been either fermented over too low or too high temperature (above 50°C). Or you have moved it too often and sudden while transfering it to the fridge. So be patient while the fermentation time and do not even think about touching it. I understand that you are curios and want to so if something happens at all, but be patient! I know what I am talking about...!

Heat 1 liter raw milk to 90-95°C and keep it on this temperature for 5 minutes, then chill down to 48°C in a cold water bath. Now add a knife point yoghurt culture powder or a teaspoon yoghurt. Mix it well together and prepare the yoghurt glasses and fill with the prepared milk. Put glasses into a waterbath that has a temperature of 42-43°C and let it stand there for 4-6 hours and take care that the temperature doesn't fall under 40°C. The result is going to be a kind of coarse-grained yoghurt with a little whey. The whey can be drained. In case you desire a yoghurt that is smoother with fine grains you have to keep the mixture for 18-20 hours in water bath that is 30-35°C warm. But I think it is a lot more difficult to make at home, unless you own a machine.

Fresh cheese

Fresh cheese is made by curdling milk with an enzyme and then draining off the whey. Some fresh cheeses are curdled only by acidity, but most cheeses also use rennet. Fresh cheeses tned to be bland so it is nice to experiment with herbs and spices. My favourite is the túró (a type of curd) or quark, but the Hungarian type is a lot drier then for example the German. At home it is usually prepared from curdled milk that is heated to 60°C and then it is drained.

Heat 2 liters of raw milk, while whisking once in a while to 70°C, then let it cool in a water bath to 20-28°C. Then add 2 tablespoons of yoghurt and a drop of rennet. Now let it stand for 12-24 hours on room temperature. Then either with a knife or a cake decorating spatula cut the curd in 2 centimeters thick slices and let is stand for an hour. A layer of whey is going to appear on top. Now pour it carefully into a cheesecloth covered sieve and let it drain for 6 hours (or maximum 12 hours). By the way instead of the yoghurt you may use buttermilk or kefir. When the cheese is ready pimp it with spices or herbs anything you desire.

The next fresh cheese is a type that you can cut with a knife and it has also spent some time in salty water. You will need both culture and rennet to make it.

Heat 3 liters of raw milk to 65°C, then let it cool in a cold water bath to 34°C. Then stir in a knife point culture (MA4001) and let it ferment for 30 minutes. Then check the temperature, it should be at least 30°C, but better if it is 32°C. If neccessary then reheat it carefully. Stir in 3 drops of rennet and let it stand for another 30 minutes. It is important to keep the temperature constant otherwise it will take longer until the curd reaches the right consistency. It is just right when you put your finger into the curd and when removing it breakes and there no leftover curd on your finger. Then with a knife or a cake decorating spatula cut in 1-2 centimeteres cube. Let it stand for 10 minutes, until a layer of whey sets on the top. Remove 300 ml of whey and add the same amount of 50°C warm water. Now the curd has been washed. Let it stand for 7 minutes and now transefer it into forms. This can be special cheese form or plastic yoghurt forms that you have made holes into it so that the whey can drain. Let it drain for 18 hours while turning it first after 1 hour, then after 3 hours and then after 6 hours again. Now the fresh cheese is ready to eat but you can leave it in salty water for a while. For that cook 1 liter of water with 200 g salt, let it cool and put the fresh cheese in there for 5-10 minutes, or as long you like. But be careful because it can get too salty pretty fast!

And finally, my favourite, that is also a fresh cheese but a lot more creamy then the once before. It has a slight, but really very slight sweet touch and it tastes pretty much like crème fraîche.


Heat 1 liter raw milk to 70°C, then cool down to 25-30°C. Stir in 2 tablespoons of yoghurt and 3 drops of rennet and stir well. Let it stand on room temperature for 6-18 hours. Now cut it in 2 cm slices with a knife or a cake decorating spatula and let it stand for an hour. Now carefully transfer it into a cheescloth and let it drain for 7 hours. Then transfer it into a plastic form with holes and salt the top of it. Turn it the next day and salt it again. In case it has been drained very well, then you can also put it into oil with herbs and spices.

Galette des Rois

It's Epiphany, so it's just time to bake a your King Cake, if you haven't made it already! This year I decided to make the French Galette des Rois, that actually comes in four different versions. If it is made of yeast dough (brioche), then it is either sprinkled with sugar or filled with candied fruits, like the one I used to bake. The other type is made with puff pastry and is also available simply sprinkled with sugar, that is the so called galette sèche or dry galette. The other kind is made with frangipane filling and that's the one I decided to bake this year according to Alain Ducasse's recipe. However, I left away the pastry cream that he adds to the frangipane. And the puff pastry from Ladurée? Oh well, it is a dream! Go for it, it's worth it and it is not that time consuming as you might think! 

Ingredients:
(based on a recipe by Alain Ducasse)
100 g butter
100 g powder sugar
100 g ground almond
10 g cornstarch
1 egg
puff pastry
2 teaspoons amaretto
1 egg yolk

Cream soft butter, stir in powder sugar and ground almond, then stir in the egg and the amaretto. Cut puff pastry in two pieces (you need about 1/4 of the linked recipe for one 18 cm galette). Roll out half of the pastry about 1,5 mm thick, the other 2 mm and cut out two 18 cm circles. Put frangipane filling onto the middle of the bottom, glaze the sides with water and cover with the other circle. Glaze with egg yolk and chill for 20 minutes. Glaze again and decorate with a help of a cookie cutter, but be careful not to cut the pastry through. Bake for 20-25 minutes over 200°C.

Pâte Feuilletée á la Ladurée

Nothing is easier than to grab a pack of ready made puff pastry from the store, get home and pop it into the oven topped with anything one desires. In the past I also used to do that, however I've started to make my own puff pastry already some years ago. During that time I tried a couple of different recipes, from fast puff pastry to traditional. Currently my favourite is Michel Roux's pastry, however it would be a big mistake not to try Ladurée's recipe. How it turned out? Well, I can't tell you yet, because still two turns need to be done including the resting time over night. However, its texture seems to be gorgeous, so I bet I am going to be more than happy with the result tomorrow.

Ingredients:
500 g flour
75 g butter
250 ml water
10 g salt
400 g cold butter

 Dissolve salt in the water at room temperature. Melt 75 g of butter over low heat. Pour flour into a bowl, incorporate the salty water, then add the melted butter. Mix everything together using your fingertips, until the dough is just homogenous, be careful and do not overwork it! Place it on a clean surface and form into a 15x15 cm square and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Place 400 g of butter onto a sheet of baking paper and pound on the butter to soften in. It must have the same consistency like the dough. Form butter into a 15x15 cm square. Roll out the dough (détrempe) into a 30x30 cm square and place the butter (beurrage) in the center and fold the 4 corners of the dough into the center to completly enclose the butter. Roll out this package of dough (pâton) to a rectangle 60 cm long and then fold it in thirds. Turn dough one quarter, roll it out again and fold it in thirs. Wrap it in plastic and chill for 2 hours. Repeat the turning 2 more times, that means that you should turn the dough a total of 6 times. After the last turn chill for 2 other hours, but better over night.

An old favourite...

Well, I have already posted this cake about 3 years ago, but I have just baked it last friday for my birthday, and I wanted to share the photos. I have just found out, that my mother has been baking this cake ever since she was 16. When I was that young, I hardly ever thought about baking. But this cake has been a favourite of mine ever since my childhood. It is so rich and gooey and so far everyone who tried it was totally thrilled.


My mother is absolutly the greatest baker to me. She is simply amazing. It is a pity, that there are no photos of her amazing cakes she baked for me when I was a child. However, my childhood friends could tell you stories! It is absolutly stunning that she actually bakes without using a recipe! Most of the time she just looks around and uses what ingredients she finds and creates creams and stuff on her own. She is just great when one has to improvise. The only problem with this is when I ask for a recipe she can not give one, and that is a pity. Luckily, meanwhile, in case she doesn't forget, she measures the ingredients for me, so that she can share the recipe with me.

Barba di Frate - or Friar's Beard

Well, finally, I found this kind of salad, the Barba di Frate or agretti, the edible leaves of the opposite leaved saltwort. First I have seen it in Robert's blog, and ever since I was absolutely curious about it. Its taste reminds me of spinach, though it is crispy. Often it is served among fish, but also raw as a salad. In the 16th century it was popular as a medical plant. Nowdays, the cultivated plant is grown in North Italy and in the southernmost canton of Switzerland, Ticino.


Lately, I've shared plenty of recipes with fish, but I just do not feel like eating meat. On the other side I am totally eager to bake, I just do not know yet what. Anyway, back to the dish. Barba di Frate is often flavoured with lemon and as I planned to serve fish, I decided to serve it among a lemon sabayon. However, I did not want a strong lemon taste, therefore I baked the lemons in the oven and used the so to say baked lemon juice. Many people dislike the fish skin, but if it is really crispy it is totally delicious, therefore I served it seperately this time, as I did not want that it gets soft under the sabayon. This quick and fresh meal need only a few minutes of cooking.

Just for fun...

Well, I was kind of bored, and felt like cooking, but nothing complicated. Then I remembered that I have a small portion of white tomato consommé in the freezer. It would be anyway time to finally empty it, so this was a start. I decided to make a dried tomato gelée to serve it with the soup. The whole thing was finished with a light basil foam. A great cold treat in this warm evening and it makes it easier to wait until the tomato season starts.

Candied Beet Chips

Before publishing the post about the cake I have mentioned, here is the decoration of it, that is by the way is drying in my cold oven right now. As far as the cake is concerned, I have already finished two components of it, and soon the third is going to be made. I can already tell you, that it is going to be a "say goodbye to beet" cake, after all I have prepared plenty of meals with beet this winter, and I thought I should finish the set with something sweet. Though this doesn't necessarily means that beets will not be seen anymore this year. Anyhow, now let's see the recipe for candied beet chips.

 
Ingredients:
260 g sugar
200 g water
1 beetroot
 

Peel beetroot and slice it thin with the help of a mandoline. If you want to make perfect rounds then use a cookie cutter for shaping. Bring water together with the sugar to the boil and as soon as the sugar has dissolved add the beet slices. Cook it over low heat until the slices are translucent. Drain carefully and sprinkle with sugar. Let it dry over night. The candied beet slices can be kept for a week in an airthight container.

Eggs en cocotte with Oyster Mushrooms

Today I brought a quick and easy breakfast, as I will not have much time to cook something later on. The reason is that I am working on a cake, but now I am not going to tell anything about it. It is top secret, haha, no, but be patient. I found beautiful and fresh oyster mushrooms and I decided to prepare them for breakfast with eggs.


Well, scrambled eggs seemed just to be too boring, so I picked another way to cook it. En cocotte means that the egg is cooked individually in cream or butter in a small ramequin. I sauteed a shallot in some butter, then fried the sliced oyster mushroom and seasoned it with some thyme, a few drops of lemon juice and then cooked it for a few minutes with some cream.


Then I buttered the ramequins and ladled some mushroom into it, then I added one egg on top with some extra cream. Feel free to sprinkle the eggs with some grated cheese or even add some Taleggio or Brie between the mushroom and the egg. So when this is all done, you only need to wait about 10-15 minutes until the egg bakes in the 170°C hot oven. Serve with toast, butter and chives.

Elderflower Flavoured Granola

Somewhen at the begining of March I prepared a chocolate granola according to a recipe of Nigella Lawson. Hey, that was so totally sweet! Uuuh! It has almost sticked my teeth together! Not to mention, that it was impossible to break it small pieces. The solution was to use a machine, but then I ended up with granola powder, and that is not what I wanted. So it was time to make another portion of granola, something less sticky and only with a touch of sweetness. The bottle of elderflower syrup seemed to be the perfect choice for it.


Ingredients:
200 g rolled oats
50 g hazelnut
50 g almond
1 tablespoon raw pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon raw sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
1 tablespoon flax seeds
1 tablespoon coconut flakes
5 tablespoons elderflower syrup
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch of salt


Preheat the oven to 180°C. Mix the rolled oats with the seeds, the syrup and the oil. Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet that is covered with baking paper. Roast the mixture for 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally, so that it can roast evenly. As soon as it is cool add any kind of dried fruits of your choice. Keep it in an air tight container and consume within 2 weeks.

Waiting for Spring

Probably, January and February are the hardest months if we look at the range of available seasonal vegetables. Well, okay, it is not that bad, after all there are many different types of root vegetabltes and cabbages available. However in the stores you find almost everything no matter if it is in season or not. Still, I think I will never be able to understand why, and I have even less understanding for those who consume vegetables and fruits when they have no season. After all there is a reason why vegetables have their season and why it is good for us to consume them then and not all year around or any time. Besides they taste best when they are in season and even better if you can buy local production.


Anyway, it is also great to see that more and more people care and consume seasonal products. Last time when I was at my greengrocer I had to as if the fennel is already in season?! Huh, that would haven been strange, but I did not think that far, because the huge assortment in the stores tend to confuse one once in a while. Of course it is not fennel season and those were from Italy. But rarely, very rarely I can not resist, just like the last time, when I bought artichokes. However I never buy asparagus, strawberries and other typical spring vegetables or tomatoes, paprika, zucchini, cucumber, cherries and so on when they are not in season. I must confess, that slowly I have had enough cabbage, beetroot and their friends, so please spring be here soon!


Probably, I have cooked the last portion of brussels today, in a form of a simple puree with some nutmeg. I served lamb among it that I hide in a slice of bread with a filling of lamb farce. The farce was flavoured with garlic, rosemary, red wine and pureed with cream. Simple, yet flavourful. I fried the meat before I packed in, then fried it again together with the bread and then left it in the oven on 140°C for 7-8 minutes, depending on the weight of the meat. I also served some carrots among it and a reduced lamb stock. That's it! And guess what, finally after many grey days the sun came out this afternoon.

Lemon Oil

Last weekend, I have managed to buy a couple of fresh Sicilian lemons. Did you actually know, that there are torns on the branches of the lemon? Well, at least on this kind. I still have no plan what I am going to prepare, but as I had no more lemon oil left, I made one small bottle.


It is very simple to make your own flavoured oils and there are so many different combinations that you can choose from! However, it is very important to prepare only small portions at once. This means that you shouldn't make more than 200-300 ml from a kind, because once you open a bottle it has to be used within a few days or a week at the most. It looses its aroma very quickly, but sealed it can be kept up to a month. It is also important to use an oil that has a neutral taste such as grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil or a light olive oil.


It is up to you with what you want to flavour it, the method is almost the same no matter if it is lemon, orange, chili, herbs or garlic. In case you make a lemon or orange flavoured oil use only organic fruits and dry the zest in the oven on 110°C for 24 hours. Usually, I use 3 lemons to make 200 ml of lemon oil.


Heat the neutral oil until it reaches 120°C, then add the desired flavouring and remove it from the heat. Cover and let it stand until it cools completly. Now you only have to sieve it and fill it into bottles. In case you flavour the oil with garlic and chilis, then there is no need to sieve.

Red Wine Butter

Frankly, I would have never imagined, that one day I would enjoy a slice of fried beef medium or sometimes even rare. In the past it had to be well done. What a pity! Once in a while I feel an unstoppable desire to eat a steak, and then it must be it, nothing else.


That is what happened this weekend: once more I could not say no to those gorgeous slices of T-bone steaks in the butchery. I wanted to keep the meat simple, so it was fried among some garlic and thyme, but before it was resting for about 3 hours on room temperature. Frying a cold steak is a sin!


Blumenthal's carrot, oven roasted shallots and salad was served among the gorgeous piece of meat that was just perfect with the red wine butter.


Ingredients:
(recipe by Anthony Bourdain)
100 ml red wine
1 shallot
220 g butter, soft
1 bunch of parsley
salt, pepper

Finely chop shallot and bring it to the boil together with the red wine and reduce until there is almost no more wine left. Let it cool. Cream butter, stir in the shallots, the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper. Form a log or any other shape you desire and refrigirate until the butter is firm enough to slice. Freeze the leftovers.

Merry Christmas!

I would like to wish a Merry Christmas to all and the best wishes for the coming year! See you with new recipes in January!

Butter Caramels

Actually, I wanted to prepare some chocolate caramels, but I had no glucose at home. Anyway, I thought, I still go for it and use sugar instead, as I have already replaced it in the past in other recipes. Though, I was pretty sure that it might not work out this time, but I still tried. The result was a delicious chocolate-caramel cream, that made an awesome spread on a slice of bread, but well, that was not what I wanted.


Of course, I did not give up and searched for another recipe, this time without glucose, but the result turned to be the complete opposite of the other. I ended up with hard chocolate-caramel like candy, that tastes good, but it is not the real stuff. So after that, I decided to make some normal butter caramels, this time not salted. These are so delicious! Be careful when wrapping, because these are addictive! In my case one ended up in a wrap, the other in my mouth...


Ingredients:
3 tablespoon butter
360 ml cream
225 g sugar
225 g honey
salt as desired


Cover a baking pan with baking paper or butter it. Mix butter, cream, sugar, honey and salt in a pot and let it melt over medium heat and cook until it reaches 120°C degrees, this is going to take about 30-40 minutes. Stir mixture once in a while, when it has reached the temperature pour it into the baking pan and let it cool for a few hours. As soon as it has the right consistency cut it in pieces and wrap in baking paper or anything else.

Brussels Sprouts and other vegetables...

Every component of a dish is equally important and I always try to make the most out of each. It is only a question of being well-organised. Even with small effort you can perform magic assumed that those products are good quality. Of course one has to pay for quality, therefore I rather buy less, then to cook with something that is poor quality. Last Sunday it was once again time for some gorgeous slices of free range beef entrecôte. I did not want to prepare anything fancy with it, because the star of the meal was the meat, but it was also important not to hide the vegetables behind. The meat didn't need anything but a chunk of herb butter.


Ever since I have prepared Blumethal's roast chicken, I keep on cooking carrots the same way: for about an hour in butter with salt and pepper. The only thing that is important is not to uncover, but besides you can completly forget about it and prepare the rest of the meal. Not so long ago it was common to overcook vegetables, yeah, I know those carrots are also cooked for a long while, but the taste is unbeatable! Anyway, now let's talk about brussels sprouts that are in season now.


In order not to destroy the character, the colour and the taste of a vegetable it is important to blanche them in boiling water, and then to chill rapidly. In case you use it or serve it immediately after blanching, then there is no need to chill. Without chilling the vegetables will continue to cook and slowly to loose their colour and turn mushy. Brussels sprouts should be blanched for about 15-20 minutes, depending on the size. I was lucky to find some really small ones that only needed 7-10 minutes. Be careful and do not let the water bubble much, because this may destroy the delicate leaves. After they are blanched and chilled let them dry and fry them in melted butter over low heat for about 5 minutes while turning once in a while. Simply season with salt and pepper and sprinkle some roasted nuts on it when serving.


Among the carrots and brussels sprouts I also cooked some turnpis. Not much to do with those either: simply sautee in butter until tender, add some garam masala, some sugar to caramelise and some port wine. I also added some veal stock, because I have just cooked a portion the evening before and I had to test the taste. Reduce liquid until it is syrupy. While the beef is resting you have perfectly enough time to finish the vegetables.

Chocolate leaves

Fall is here with its wonderful colours. Why not take those leaves inside to decorate a cake with them? There are still some green leaves, that are perfect for coating with chocolate to make chocolate leaves. I can say, that I grew up on chocolate rose leaves, because my mom used to make them often. I remember that I collected the leaves in front of the house for her and watched her making the leaves with huge eyes. The best are rose leaves or other that have the same character, or are a little bit less strong, but the very soft ones or hairy leaves are not appropriate, because they might stick into the chocolate, and I bet nobody wants hairy chocolate leaves. I have decorated a chocolate mousse and caramel chocolate ganache cake with some cute leaves.


Ingredients:
100 g dark chocolate (or milk, or white)
rose or other leaves

First chop chocolate and temper the following way: place chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Put water into a pot and place the bowl on top of the pot. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. As soon as the chocolate has molten completely, the temperature should be 55°C. Remove the bowl from the bain marie and put it into another bowl with ice water and stir chocolate with a wooden spoon until it reaches 27°C. Immediately put the bowl of chocolate back on top of the pot with the hot water and while stirring and controlling the temperature let it get 30-33°C warm. Now the chocolate is tempered and ready to use. With a piece of wet cotton clean the back of the leaves, then let them dry. You can either dunk the back of the leaves into the tempered chocolate or brush them. Let them dry on a greaseproof paper in the fridge for 15 minutes. Now brush them with another layer of chocolate and leave them in the fridge for another 30 minutes. Then take each leaf and carefully peel away the leaf from the chocolate.