A favourite recipe in our household... stemming from Claudia Roden's book of Jewish food.
Serves 4
500 g minced beef
1 small onion or shallot, minced
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 garlic cloves, cut finely
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp sugar
500 g tomato passata
Fry garlic in sunflower oil, then add tomatoes and sugar. Season with pepper and salt. Bring the sauce to the boil, then let it simmer.
Meanwhile prepare the meat balls: mix beef, onion, cinnamon and salt. Form small balls, the size of a big walnut.
Add the meat balls to the sauce, bring to the boil, then lower the heat and let the meat balls simmer for 15-20 min until cooked.
Notes
You can leave out the onion.
I used to add a small pepper (peperoncino) to the sauce to spice things up, but I'm leaving this out now for the sake of the little ones in our household.
15 November 2013
05 January 2012
Cake with pears in syrup
While staying at my mum's I was leafing through The Silver Spoon cookbook (Il cucchiaio d'argento). Since we had guests coming to dinner I decided to make the Corona alle Pere for dessert. Another opportunity to sample the great St-Rémy pears from my mother's garden, a special variety that needs to be stewed.
Serves 6-8
4-6 pears, depending on the size (I used 4 huge pears)
juice of 1 lemon
250 g sugar
500 ml red wine
50 g butter
3 eggs
3 tbsp milk
120 g flour
pinch of baking powder
Peel the pears, remove the core and cut them in 4-8. Put them in a bowl with the lemon juice to prevent discoloration.
Move them to a saucepan, add 100 g sugar and the wine. The pears should just be covered in wine.
Bring to the boil over a low heat and simmer gently until the pears are cooked. Cooking time depends on the variety of pear used.
Leave the pears to cool in their syrup.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
Grease a cake tin with butter and dust it with flour.
Beat the egg yolks with 150 g sugar until pale and creamy.
Mix baking powder with flour and stir it in.
Melt butter and add milk and stir this in.
Wisk egg whites and fold them in.
Pour the mixture in the cake tin and bake for about 30 min.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
Meanwhile remove the pears from the syrup.
Put the cake in a serving dish.
Reheat the syrup, then sprinkle some of it on to the cake, a little at a time, to allow absorption.
Pour the reminder of the syrup over the pears again.
Serve the cake with the pears.
Note: The original recipe tells you to bake the cake as a crown and place the pears in the middle of it. The pears are cored and left whole. A lot more wine is used. Baking powder is only added completely at the end when making the cake.
Note: Another great recipe using stewed pears was blogged by Leafy Cooking.
22 July 2011
Chick pea casserole
Our favourite vegetarian dish at the moment also stems from Sarah Brown's Vegetarian Cookbook. It's quick and easy to prepare and you can use any vegetables that are lying around.
Serves 2
1 can of boiled chick peas
some olive or sunflower oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
a few celery sprigs, chopped
some fennel, chopped
some green beans, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp fennel or cumin seeds
Fry onion and seeds in oil for a few minutes, then add garlic and vegetables. Fry for a few more minutes. Drain chick peas and rinse them. Add them to the vegetables and fry for a few more minutes. Add some boiling water so everything is just covered. Add bay leaf and pepper and salt. Bring to the boil, then let it simmer on low heat for 15-20 min., until the vegetables are cooked.
We serve this with couscous and chilli paste (sambal or harissa). Sometimes I add chilli pepper while cooking the dish. You can vary endlessly with vegetables and spices.
Serves 2
1 can of boiled chick peas
some olive or sunflower oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
a few celery sprigs, chopped
some fennel, chopped
some green beans, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp fennel or cumin seeds
Fry onion and seeds in oil for a few minutes, then add garlic and vegetables. Fry for a few more minutes. Drain chick peas and rinse them. Add them to the vegetables and fry for a few more minutes. Add some boiling water so everything is just covered. Add bay leaf and pepper and salt. Bring to the boil, then let it simmer on low heat for 15-20 min., until the vegetables are cooked.
We serve this with couscous and chilli paste (sambal or harissa). Sometimes I add chilli pepper while cooking the dish. You can vary endlessly with vegetables and spices.
Chicken or pork marinade
Someone in my household refuses to eat chicken breast or pork chops, unless they have been marinated, especially when they are going to be cooked on the barbecue. I use a marinade meant for tofu from Sarah Brown's Vegetarian Cookbook, a vegetarian classic that was a favourite in my student days.
For 2 chicken breasts or pork chops
1 small onion, chopped very finely
4 tbsp peanut or sunflower oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dry sherry
2 tsp honey
1 tbsp grated ginger
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Mix all ingredients, then add the meat and let it marinate for 2-3 hours. Take the meat out for cooking. Pour the marinade trough a sieve and let the juice boil for a few min. if you would like a tasty sauce.
No pic in these extremely busy times.
For 2 chicken breasts or pork chops
1 small onion, chopped very finely
4 tbsp peanut or sunflower oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dry sherry
2 tsp honey
1 tbsp grated ginger
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Mix all ingredients, then add the meat and let it marinate for 2-3 hours. Take the meat out for cooking. Pour the marinade trough a sieve and let the juice boil for a few min. if you would like a tasty sauce.
No pic in these extremely busy times.
03 April 2011
London again
Spent a few days in London again. My main activity was: letting two little cousins meet. As one of the cousins was travelling with us, we couldn't go out for dinner at night. So we spread out a towel on the floor of our hotel room and had delicious Korean take away from Han Kang in Hanway Street. We had grilled seaweed of course, a very spicy soup, gyoza (grilled dumplings), 3 types of kimchi...
30 December 2010
Boeuf bourguignon
For New Year's Eve we are making boeuf bourguignon, based on a recipe by Alice B. Toklas. It's been prepared one day in advance.
Serves 4
1 kg beef, special meat for stews, in cubes
butter
150 g bacon, in cubes
2 dl red wine
12 small onions, cut in quarters
2 cloves garlic, cut finely
2 carrots, cut in thin vertical slices
a few mushrooms, cut in slices
1 bay leaf
a few thyme sprigs
a piece of nutmeg
salt & pepper
1 slice of bread, without crusts
Put a big cooking pan on very low heat and add a little wine.
Fry beef in butter, seal it well on all sides, add pepper and salt generously, transfer to cooking pan. Fry one half of the meat first and then the remainder.
Fry bacon in the same pan used for frying the meat, then transfer to the big pan.
Fry onion for a few minutes in the same pan, then add carrots and garlic. Fry for a few more minutes, then remove from the pan and set aside.
Fry mushrooms in the same pan, then remove and set aside.
Cover beef and bacon with red wine and some hot water if necessary. The meat should just be covered. Add bay leaf, thyme and nutmeg. Put the slice of bread on top.
Let this simmer on very low heat for 3 hours.
Then add onions and carrots and let it simmer for another 30 min.
Add mushrooms and let it simmer for 5 min.
Remove bay leaf, thyme and nutmeg.
Serve with parsley.
Note: I'm not sure about when to add the garlic. It's probably better not to add it together with the carrots. Then you can fry onions and garlic at medium heat without fearing to burn the garlic. I need to consult with master cook P on this.
Serves 4
1 kg beef, special meat for stews, in cubes
butter
150 g bacon, in cubes
2 dl red wine
12 small onions, cut in quarters
2 cloves garlic, cut finely
2 carrots, cut in thin vertical slices
a few mushrooms, cut in slices
1 bay leaf
a few thyme sprigs
a piece of nutmeg
salt & pepper
1 slice of bread, without crusts
Put a big cooking pan on very low heat and add a little wine.
Fry beef in butter, seal it well on all sides, add pepper and salt generously, transfer to cooking pan. Fry one half of the meat first and then the remainder.
Fry bacon in the same pan used for frying the meat, then transfer to the big pan.
Fry onion for a few minutes in the same pan, then add carrots and garlic. Fry for a few more minutes, then remove from the pan and set aside.
Fry mushrooms in the same pan, then remove and set aside.
Cover beef and bacon with red wine and some hot water if necessary. The meat should just be covered. Add bay leaf, thyme and nutmeg. Put the slice of bread on top.
Let this simmer on very low heat for 3 hours.
Then add onions and carrots and let it simmer for another 30 min.
Add mushrooms and let it simmer for 5 min.
Remove bay leaf, thyme and nutmeg.
Serve with parsley.
Note: I'm not sure about when to add the garlic. It's probably better not to add it together with the carrots. Then you can fry onions and garlic at medium heat without fearing to burn the garlic. I need to consult with master cook P on this.
03 September 2010
London
Spent a few days in London this Summer and we did have time for an English tea on the top floor of Waterstone's on Piccadilly. However one of us had to make many rounds of the bar to calm down our over-excited little one before we were able to enjoy our tea.
13 May 2010
Kousmine breakfast
When I was pregnant, my aunt told me to eat this for breakfast so I would have a very intelligent baby ;-) Not sure if he is, but in any case it's very healthy and helps preventing constipation during pregnancy and after giving birth. It's rich in fiber, vitamins and mineral elements.
This breakfast is actually called crème Budwig and is advised to eat by dr. Kousmine.
Here's the recipe which my aunt gave me:
1 tbsp lineseed (flax?) oil
1 tbsp organic maple syrup grade C
4 tbsp fresh white cheese (plattekaas)
fresh fruit
2 tbsp ground nuts
4 tbsp ground wheat/oat/... flakes or muesli
Add lineseed oil and maple syrup to white cheese and mix well until oil is absorbed.
Add other ingredients.
I developed this version:
1 tbsp lineseed oil
1 tbsp organic maple syrup grade C
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp white cheese
2 tbsp yoghurt with active bifidus
1 tsp of walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seed and pumpkin seed each (raw, not roasted or salted)
4 tsp oat flakes
1 dried fig
1 dried apricot
1 piece of dried mango
1/2 banana
1/2 apple
+ any other fruit (pear, grapes, fresh mango, ...)
Sometimes I left out the banana and the lemon juice, depending on how my stomach felt.
Banana has magnesium and is supposed to help with leg cramps.
This breakfast is actually called crème Budwig and is advised to eat by dr. Kousmine.
Here's the recipe which my aunt gave me:
1 tbsp lineseed (flax?) oil
1 tbsp organic maple syrup grade C
4 tbsp fresh white cheese (plattekaas)
fresh fruit
2 tbsp ground nuts
4 tbsp ground wheat/oat/... flakes or muesli
Add lineseed oil and maple syrup to white cheese and mix well until oil is absorbed.
Add other ingredients.
I developed this version:
1 tbsp lineseed oil
1 tbsp organic maple syrup grade C
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp white cheese
2 tbsp yoghurt with active bifidus
1 tsp of walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seed and pumpkin seed each (raw, not roasted or salted)
4 tsp oat flakes
1 dried fig
1 dried apricot
1 piece of dried mango
1/2 banana
1/2 apple
+ any other fruit (pear, grapes, fresh mango, ...)
Sometimes I left out the banana and the lemon juice, depending on how my stomach felt.
Banana has magnesium and is supposed to help with leg cramps.
I used to grind nuts, oat flakes and dried fruit but my blender got broken because of the dried fruit, so then I just ate these things as they were.
I really felt the benefits of eating this.
Apart from that, I have a few other pregnancy tips:
- drink loads of water
- start rubbing your bottom, belly and breasts twice a day as soon as possible (I loved the pregnancy oil by Weleda)
- hydrate your skin: use extra rich moisturizer and body lotion, and plenty of lip balm
- buy a pregnancy cushion (sausage)
Thanks cousin I. for stimulating me to make another post here and good luck!
I really felt the benefits of eating this.
Apart from that, I have a few other pregnancy tips:
- drink loads of water
- start rubbing your bottom, belly and breasts twice a day as soon as possible (I loved the pregnancy oil by Weleda)
- hydrate your skin: use extra rich moisturizer and body lotion, and plenty of lip balm
- buy a pregnancy cushion (sausage)
Thanks cousin I. for stimulating me to make another post here and good luck!
28 April 2010
Beef stew
Now that we live in a new home with more space, it's easier to invite our friends and family for dinner. And we've had lots of visitors who came to see our little one.
Most of the time we cook them this traditional Flemish dish. The recipe is my mother's. It tends to meet with success.
Serves 4
1 kg beef, in cubes (carbonaden, special meat for stew)
2 big onions, peeled and cut in half slices
1 bottle Palm beer (or another beer, preferably dark)
butter
1 slice of bread
mustard
Heat butter in frying pan until golden brown.
Add part of the meat and fry on fairly high heat until it's sealed and has a crust.
Transfer the meat to another pan on very low heat, add pepper and salt and cover the pan.
Repeat this until all the meat is fried.
Fry the onion in the same pan, add salt and pepper, and add to the meat.
Pour some beer in the pan, then add to the meat, and repeat with all of the beer.
If necessary, add a little water to the pan; the meat should just be covered.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat.
Add a slice of bread without crust, covered with mustard.
Cover the pan and let it simmer on very low heat for 2-3 hours.
We usually serve this with apple sauce, oven-baked fries (Lutosa) and home-made mayonaise.
Note 1: for big eaters, take some more meat.
Note 2: you can add half a box of dried prunes. Soak them for 30 min in lukewarm water and add them to the stew for the last 30 min of cooking.
Most of the time we cook them this traditional Flemish dish. The recipe is my mother's. It tends to meet with success.
Serves 4
1 kg beef, in cubes (carbonaden, special meat for stew)
2 big onions, peeled and cut in half slices
1 bottle Palm beer (or another beer, preferably dark)
butter
1 slice of bread
mustard
Heat butter in frying pan until golden brown.
Add part of the meat and fry on fairly high heat until it's sealed and has a crust.
Transfer the meat to another pan on very low heat, add pepper and salt and cover the pan.
Repeat this until all the meat is fried.
Fry the onion in the same pan, add salt and pepper, and add to the meat.
Pour some beer in the pan, then add to the meat, and repeat with all of the beer.
If necessary, add a little water to the pan; the meat should just be covered.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat.
Add a slice of bread without crust, covered with mustard.
Cover the pan and let it simmer on very low heat for 2-3 hours.
We usually serve this with apple sauce, oven-baked fries (Lutosa) and home-made mayonaise.
Note 1: for big eaters, take some more meat.
Note 2: you can add half a box of dried prunes. Soak them for 30 min in lukewarm water and add them to the stew for the last 30 min of cooking.
08 March 2010
Brussels waffles
A new life
whose arrival took up all my time and left nothing for blogging.
A Valentine present
what you put inside
like this:
and the result: delicious!
The recipe comes from the Farmers' Wives' Association Cookbook (Boerinnenbond).
For 16 waffles
500 g flour
40 g yeast
200 g molten butter
500 ml milk
500 ml water
4 eggs
pinch of salt
Mix yeast in 125 ml lukewarm water.
Put the flour in a big bowl, make a hole in the middle, add yeast and then lukewarm milk and egg yolks.
After this add in turn the rest of the water, molten butter, whisked egg whites and salt.
Let the dough rise in a warm spot for half an hour.
Stir it gently and let it rise again until it has doubled in volume (about an hour).
The waffle iron does not need to be greased.
Serve with powder sugar or whipped cream or butter and brown sugar.
whose arrival took up all my time and left nothing for blogging.
A Valentine present
what you put inside
like this:
and the result: delicious!The recipe comes from the Farmers' Wives' Association Cookbook (Boerinnenbond).
For 16 waffles
500 g flour
40 g yeast
200 g molten butter
500 ml milk
500 ml water
4 eggs
pinch of salt
Mix yeast in 125 ml lukewarm water.
Put the flour in a big bowl, make a hole in the middle, add yeast and then lukewarm milk and egg yolks.
After this add in turn the rest of the water, molten butter, whisked egg whites and salt.
Let the dough rise in a warm spot for half an hour.
Stir it gently and let it rise again until it has doubled in volume (about an hour).
The waffle iron does not need to be greased.
Serve with powder sugar or whipped cream or butter and brown sugar.
10 May 2009
Caponata di melanzane
Today I cooked a big family dinner. Yesterday we did our shopping at the special chicken shop, butchers, organic shop and market at St-Gilles.
For starters we had raw vegetables, toasts with shrimp salad and blinis with smoked salmon and fish eggs.
After that another chicken broth.
Main course was meat loaf, served with baked potatoes, tomato sauce and caponata.
The potatoes were grenailles from the market. I didn't peel them but washed them, then cut them in 2-3 pieces if necessary, steamed them for 7 min, then baked them at 200° C with olive oil, rosemary, pepper and a lot of salt.
The tomato sauce was just tomato, dried basil, pepper and salt. It simmered for a long time and then we passed it through a sieve.
The caponata is from Lorenza de' Medici's 'ITALY The beautiful cookbook'.
Serves 6-8
6 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced in rings
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
3 peppers, yellow and red, sliced in rings
500 g aubergines, peeled and diced
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp capers
100 g black olives
3 anchovy fillets, chopped
Heat olive oil, add onion and garlic and fry for a while. Add peppers and aubergines and fry for 15 min on medium heat. Add tomatoes and oregano and let this simmer until peppers and aubergines are cooked. Stir regularly.
Add capers, olives and anchovy and remove from the heat. Add pepper and salt and let the caponata stand for a few hours.
As usual, I'll add photos later if I find the time ;-)
For starters we had raw vegetables, toasts with shrimp salad and blinis with smoked salmon and fish eggs.
After that another chicken broth.
Main course was meat loaf, served with baked potatoes, tomato sauce and caponata.
The potatoes were grenailles from the market. I didn't peel them but washed them, then cut them in 2-3 pieces if necessary, steamed them for 7 min, then baked them at 200° C with olive oil, rosemary, pepper and a lot of salt.
The tomato sauce was just tomato, dried basil, pepper and salt. It simmered for a long time and then we passed it through a sieve.
The caponata is from Lorenza de' Medici's 'ITALY The beautiful cookbook'.
Serves 6-8
6 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced in rings
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
3 peppers, yellow and red, sliced in rings
500 g aubergines, peeled and diced
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp capers
100 g black olives
3 anchovy fillets, chopped
Heat olive oil, add onion and garlic and fry for a while. Add peppers and aubergines and fry for 15 min on medium heat. Add tomatoes and oregano and let this simmer until peppers and aubergines are cooked. Stir regularly.
Add capers, olives and anchovy and remove from the heat. Add pepper and salt and let the caponata stand for a few hours.
As usual, I'll add photos later if I find the time ;-)
26 April 2009
Chocolate mousse
For another biologists' dinner, I brought dessert. As there were lots of kids, I made chocolate mousse, a suggestion of D. I don't eat chocolate myself so I also made an apple tart.
I found a recipe in the series 'La cuisine de A à Z' from 1970, belonging to my mother and before that to my grandparents I guess. When I started cooking as a kid, I often looked to these books.
Serves 4-5
200 g cooking chocolate
30 g butter
4 eggs
50 g sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
Heat chocolate and butter at very low heat until the mixture is molten.
Add egg yolks to sugar and vanilla sugar and whisk until creamy.
Take chocolate off heat and add egg yolk mixture. Stir well.
Beat egg whites until very stiff, then add them gently to the chocolate.
Keep in the fridge for a few hours.
Note: if there are no children you might add a bit of cognac
A photograph might follow, if I remember to take one of the few spoons that are left.
I found a recipe in the series 'La cuisine de A à Z' from 1970, belonging to my mother and before that to my grandparents I guess. When I started cooking as a kid, I often looked to these books.
Serves 4-5
200 g cooking chocolate
30 g butter
4 eggs
50 g sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
Heat chocolate and butter at very low heat until the mixture is molten.
Add egg yolks to sugar and vanilla sugar and whisk until creamy.
Take chocolate off heat and add egg yolk mixture. Stir well.
Beat egg whites until very stiff, then add them gently to the chocolate.
Keep in the fridge for a few hours.
Note: if there are no children you might add a bit of cognac
A photograph might follow, if I remember to take one of the few spoons that are left.
17 April 2009
at the seaside
Baie de Somme
Went to Baie de Somme in northern France for a weekend. Weather was misty at the beginning so we couldn't even see the spectacular landscape, but the last day made everything ok.
We saw seals when we went on a boat tour 
we had delicious mussels on the beach behind St-Valéry-sur-Somme
and across the bay you could see le Crotoy where we had stayed.
We saw seals when we went on a boat tour
we had delicious mussels on the beach behind St-Valéry-sur-Sommeand across the bay you could see le Crotoy where we had stayed.Rice pudding
Someone in my household loves rice pudding, so I've started making this again.
It's a very easy recipe from the Farmer's Wives' Association cookbook (Boerinnebond), which taught generations of Flemish to cook.
Serves 2-4
1/2 l milk
50 gr rice (special rice for dessert or for risotto)
25 gr sugar
1 cinnamon stick
Add rice and cinnamon to milk and bring to the boil. Stir regularly.
When it boils, cover the pan and turn down the heat. Let it simmer on very low heat for 40 min, again stirring regularly. Add sugar 5 min before the end of cooking. Pour into a bowl or different small bowls.
Note: Last time the taste of cinnamon was very strong, so now I only used half a stick and took it out after 5 min of boiling.
It's a very easy recipe from the Farmer's Wives' Association cookbook (Boerinnebond), which taught generations of Flemish to cook.
Serves 2-4
1/2 l milk
50 gr rice (special rice for dessert or for risotto)
25 gr sugar
1 cinnamon stick
Add rice and cinnamon to milk and bring to the boil. Stir regularly.
When it boils, cover the pan and turn down the heat. Let it simmer on very low heat for 40 min, again stirring regularly. Add sugar 5 min before the end of cooking. Pour into a bowl or different small bowls.
Note: Last time the taste of cinnamon was very strong, so now I only used half a stick and took it out after 5 min of boiling.
Tiramisu
I cooked another lunch at my new appartment, for starters we had another beef broth and as a main course chicken couscous according to Claudia Roden, served with raisins and chick peas in separate dishes.
For dessert I made tiramisu, a special version without eggs. I got the recipe from Annabel at PicNik, a great place for tasty vegetarian lunches.
Tiramisu, version 1 - serves 10
1 packet of boudoir biscuits (Delhaize)
1 packet of Lotus speculoos
1 small pot of coffee
500 gr mascarpone
400 ml whipping cream
10 tbsp sugar
1,5 tbsp spirit e.g. grappa, rum
1 tbsp cocoa powder
Whisk cream until stiff, mix it delicately with mascarpone, sugar and spirit.
Pour coffee in a deep plate, quickly turn over the boudoir biscuits in it and fill the bottom of a dish with the biscuits.
Add cream mixture.
Dip only 1 side of speculoos biscuits in the plate with coffee and put them on top of the cream.
Add another cream layer.
Sprinkle with cocoa powder just before serving.
Note: I used apricot pálinka as spirit, which I brought from Hungary. It went very well in this dish.
For my own reference: I used my largest oven dish.
Before I always used a Tuscan recipe which my mother got in Italy.
Tira Missou, version 2 - serves 10
3 packets of cuiller biscuits (3 x 100 gr = 300 gr)
1 small pot of coffee
500 gr mascarpone
5 eggs
10 tbsp sugar
1,5 tbsp spirit
cocoa powder
Add egg yolks and sugar to mascarpone. Whisk egg whites and add them to the mixture, then add spirit.
Turn cuiller biscuits over in coffee, put them in dish. Cover with mascarpone mixture. Alternate more layers of biscuits and mixture, ending with mixture.
Sprinkle cocoa powder over dish before serving.
I'll add a picture if I can find it. As a nomad between appartments, I guess it must be on another computer.
For dessert I made tiramisu, a special version without eggs. I got the recipe from Annabel at PicNik, a great place for tasty vegetarian lunches.
Tiramisu, version 1 - serves 10
1 packet of boudoir biscuits (Delhaize)
1 packet of Lotus speculoos
1 small pot of coffee
500 gr mascarpone
400 ml whipping cream
10 tbsp sugar
1,5 tbsp spirit e.g. grappa, rum
1 tbsp cocoa powder
Whisk cream until stiff, mix it delicately with mascarpone, sugar and spirit.
Pour coffee in a deep plate, quickly turn over the boudoir biscuits in it and fill the bottom of a dish with the biscuits.
Add cream mixture.
Dip only 1 side of speculoos biscuits in the plate with coffee and put them on top of the cream.
Add another cream layer.
Sprinkle with cocoa powder just before serving.
Note: I used apricot pálinka as spirit, which I brought from Hungary. It went very well in this dish.
For my own reference: I used my largest oven dish.
Before I always used a Tuscan recipe which my mother got in Italy.
Tira Missou, version 2 - serves 10
3 packets of cuiller biscuits (3 x 100 gr = 300 gr)
1 small pot of coffee
500 gr mascarpone
5 eggs
10 tbsp sugar
1,5 tbsp spirit
cocoa powder
Add egg yolks and sugar to mascarpone. Whisk egg whites and add them to the mixture, then add spirit.
Turn cuiller biscuits over in coffee, put them in dish. Cover with mascarpone mixture. Alternate more layers of biscuits and mixture, ending with mixture.
Sprinkle cocoa powder over dish before serving.
I'll add a picture if I can find it. As a nomad between appartments, I guess it must be on another computer.
24 March 2009
Baked apples version 2
I made baked apples before, but this time I used a recipe from Claudia Roden's book of Jewish food.
6 sweet or sour apples
3 tbsp butter
1,5 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp sugar
50 g walnuts, chopped finely
50 g dried raisins
Wash apples and remove the core. Make the opening inside big enough.
Place them in an oven dish.
Mix all other ingredients and fill the openings with the mixture.
Add a tiny bit of water to the dish (1-2 mm).
Bake them in the oven at 160 - 180°C for 45 min - 1,5 hr, until they are completely soft but have not fallen apart.
Note: 180°C was too hot in my oven, next time I will bake them at 160 °C.
I served them with vanilla ice cream.
Serves 6
6 sweet or sour apples
3 tbsp butter
1,5 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp sugar
50 g walnuts, chopped finely
50 g dried raisins
Wash apples and remove the core. Make the opening inside big enough.
Place them in an oven dish.
Mix all other ingredients and fill the openings with the mixture.
Add a tiny bit of water to the dish (1-2 mm).
Bake them in the oven at 160 - 180°C for 45 min - 1,5 hr, until they are completely soft but have not fallen apart.
Note: 180°C was too hot in my oven, next time I will bake them at 160 °C.
I served them with vanilla ice cream.
Lamb stew with Jerusalem artichoke and peas
I celebrated the start of Spring with the first dinner party in my new appartment.
It was a beautiful day and I went to butcher Frank in St-Gillis by bike. The friend who had tipped us on this butcher was there and gave me good purchasing advice and recommended me to the butcher. I took delicious meat home.
The dish I chose comes from the book of Jewish food by Claudia Roden and was inspired by a gift I received from a friend's garden.
Serves 6
1-1.5 kg lamb
3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
4 tbsp oil e.g. sunflower
500 g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled
juice of 1/2 lemon
500 g peas (I used frozen)
Fry the meat in oil until it's brown and add the garlic in the end. Add pepper and salt and cover with hot water. Bring to the boil, then cook on low heat for 1.5 hr.
Add big slices of Jerusalem artichoke, pepper and salt, lemon juice and more water if necessary.
Cook for 15 min and add peas.
Cook for another 5 min.
I served this with steamed potatoes.
Before we had a beef broth with finely cut vegetables and Hungarian soup pasta.
The dessert was baked apples.
The whole menu met with success.
14 March 2009
Enlarging my food horizon
In my new life I also get to experience new kinds of food. This work of art was carefully constructed and then devoured.
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