At Christmas I no more desire a rose Than wish a snow in May’s new-fangled shows
William Shakespeare
Ingredients (2 servings): – 2 conference pears – 50g Feta or Gorgonzola cheese – 6 walnuts – a few dill sprigs – 2 tsp acacia honey Method: 1 Pre-heat the oven to 180C 2 Wash the pears, half them and de-seed 3 Cut Feta cheese in cubes 4 Put Feta cubes in the de-seeded pears and bake for 5-7 minutes at 180C 5 Serve warm pears with walnuts, dill sprigs and acacia honey. 6 Enjoy and have a great Sunday!
Notes: be careful, this recipe has an aroma of a holiday season 😉
Ingredients (for 2 servings): – 2 Cubanelle peppers – 80g ham – 80g grated Cheddar – 2 eggs – 1/2 tsp black pepper – 1 tbsp olive oil Method: 1 Wash the beautiful Cubanelle peppers and accurately cut out the upper part to form the boats 🙂 2 Carefully de-seed the peppers 3 Boil in the water the peppers for 5 minutes under a lid at medium heat 4 Drain water 5 Pre-heat the pan with some olive oil for frying the peppers 6 Put the peppers in the pan 7 Put grated Cheddar and chopped ham inside the pepper boats 8 Carefully pour 1 egg in each pepper over the chopped ham and grated cheddar 9 Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes at medium heat 10 Serve and enjoy delicious breakfast ! Notes: many thanks to Jacques Pépin for the inspiration and for making my Saturday better !
Ingredients (for 6 sandwiches): – 6 Ciabatta slices – 60g Camembert – 30ml cranberry jam – a few miners lettuce leaves Method: 1 Slice 6 pieces of Ciabatta 2 Slice Camembert 3 Put Camembert slices over Ciabatta slices and sprinkle with cranberry jam 4 Serve for breakfast with miners lettuce leaves and a cup of black coffee ! 5 Have a great week !
Puree ingredients (2-3 servings): – 3 sweet potatoes (~1200g in total) – 100 ml 33% cream – 1/2 large onion (~75g) – 1 tsp salt
Fried champignons ingredients: – 7 champignons (~300g in total) – 1/2 large onion (~75g) – 1 tbsp olive oil Method: 1 Start cooking sweet potato puree (2) and champignons (3) simultaneously, then you will have a delicious lunch just in 30 minutes 2 Sweet potato puree 2.1 Peel sweet potatoes and cut them into 1cm cubes. 2.2 Chop onion 2.3 Put sweet potatoes cubes and onion into a pan: add 300-350ml water 2.4 Boil at medium heat for 15 minutes, add salt 2 minutes before ready 2.5 Remove the pan from the heat (do not drain water!) and pour in 33% cream 2.6 Mash vegetables with cream with an immersive blender until smooth 3 Fried champignons 3.1 Wash champignons and remove remaining dirt with a paper towel and cut out a small slice from their bottoms 3.2 Chop champignons and onion 3.3 Pre-heat a non-sticking skillet with some olive oil 3.4 Stew champignons and onion at medium heat for 10-15 minutes until golden 4 Serve sweet potato puree with champignons on top: decorate with a few leaves of miner lettuce 5 Enjoy the healthy lunch and have a great sunny Sunday !
Serving ingredients: – 30ml acacia honey – 100g smoked salmon – a few raspberries Method: 1 Wash spinach and squeeze it in a colander to get rid of extra water 2 Mash spinach in a puree with an immersive blender or in a food processor 3 Combine spinach puree, flour, Kefir, eggs, olive oil, sugar & salt: mix well until smooth 4 Pre-heat a non-sticking skillet with a small amount of olive oil (we need extra oil only for the first pancake!) 5 Fry pancakes until golden at medium heat 1-2 minutes each side 6 Serve the pancakes with smoked salmon, acacia honey and raspberries 7 Enjoy and have a great sunny Saturday !
Side note: These beautiful guys might be capricious as many beautiful creates are… That is why it is important to choose the right heat level when cooking them, but after a couple of failures you will be on the right road to their hearts 🙂
Without you I wouldn’t have moved this way, to speak the language of flowers.
Vladimir Nabokov
Ingredients (2 servings): – 2 chicken breasts – 1 large quince – salt and pepper
Serving ingredients: – small bunch of fresh rucola – 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar Method: 1 Preheat the oven to 180C 2 Wash well and de-seed quince. Then cut into 0.3-0.5cm width slices 3 Wash chicken breasts and dry with paper towel 4 Put the chicken breasts in the baking form and make wide cross cuts to fit in the quince slices 5 Pepper and salt the chicken 6 Put the quince slices into the cuts 7 Bake for 30 minutes at 180C 8 Serve with fresh rucola and do not forget to sprinkle with balsamic vinegar 😉 9 Have a wonderful day !
It was the middle of winter, and the snow-flakes were falling like feathers from the sky, and a queen sat at her window working, and her embroidery-frame was of ebony.
Method: 1 Sponge cake: 1.1 Pre-heat the oven to 180C 1.2 Whisk 3 eggs & 80g sugar 1.3 Add cocoa powder & flour: mix well 1.4 Add baking soda & vinegar: mix well 1.5 Transfer the batter into the buttered 25x25cm baking form 1.6 Distribute the cherries over the dough 1.7 Bake at 180C for 20-25 minutes (test whether it’s ready with a wooden stick) 1.8 Let it cool down 2 Mascarpone layer: 2.1 Combine mascarpone layer ingredients: mix them well with a fork! 🙂 2.2 Put the mixture in the fridge until the cake cools down 2.3 You will get so beautifulDonau Welle waves caused by the cherries sinking in the batter… I do not have them on the photo since I flipped the cake upside down, pity. :-b 3 Butter the mascarpone layer on the cake. I distributed mascarpone only on half a cake (see photo). Distribute it overall if you aim for a thinner layer 🙂 4 Chocolate icing: 4.1 Melt chocolate & butter in 33% cream constantly stirring the mixture 4.2 Pour the icing quickly but carefully over the Mascarpone layer 5 Put the cake in the fridge overnight 6 Enjoy the cake the next day if you have a special occasion for such a cake, of course 😉 Or if falling autumn leaves make you think about sunny days by the Danube…
He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen came into his dreams.
Filling ingredients: – 150g Camembert – 200ml sour cream – 50ml cranberry jam – a few sprigs of chives – a pinch of black pepper
Method: 1 Preheat the oven to 220C 2 Mix dough ingredients and knead the dough for 5 minutes 3 Roll out the dough into a 3mm height oval or rectangle 4 Put the dough on the baking paper: bake at 220C for 5-8 minutes without filling 5 Remove the baking tray from the oven, spread the sour cream over it, then put the Camembert slices 6 Bake Tarte-Flambée for another 3 minutes at 220C 7 Spread cranberry jam, chopped chives and black pepper over the Tarte Flambée 8 Serve hot !
Directions: 1 Marinated beef: 1.1 Wash beef, remove extra water with paper towels 1.2 Slice beef into 2-4mm width pieces: the thinner the better! 1.3 Mix in a large bowl beef slices, vinegar, salt, black pepper, sliced onion 1.4 Put the bowl in the fridge for 2 hours, then get rid of onion 🙂 2 Cook rice in salted water, keep it warm 🙂 3 Green beans: 3.1 Trim ends of washed green beans 3.2 Boil green beans in salted water for 5 minutes. Then drain extra water. 4 Cooking beef slices: 4.1 Pre-heat frying pan, add some olive oil 4.2 Fry beef slices for 10 minutes at medium heat, stirring occasionally 4.3 Add green beans and cook for another 5 minutes 4.4 Add grated garlic 🧄🧄🧄 and cook for another minute continuously stirring 5 Serve hot with rice and chopped parsley and green onions !
Serving ingredients: – 1/2 bunch of chopped chives – 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Directions: 1 Prepare the dough: 1.1 Pour warm (35C) water into the large bowl, add crusted fresh yeast and stir well with a whisk until smooth, let it rest for 15 minutes 1.2 Add salt+olive oil+150g wheat flour into the bowl: stir well with a whisk until smooth 1.3 Add remaining 150g flour into the bowl and knead the dough. It will be slightly sticky (add a bit more flour when needed): let the dough peacefully rest and rise for 1 hour in a warm place under a cloth 🙂 2 Prepare the filling meanwhile: 2.1 Wash and de-seed the beautiful Cubanelle peppers 🌶 Then cut them … in rings 🙂 2.2 Grate goat cheese 2.3 Wash leek well, trim the root of, slice the leek into rings 3 Cook the pizza: 3.1 Pre-heat the oven to 220C 3.2 Roll out the dough into the circle of baking form diameter (and a bit more if you want to make edges) 3.3 Transfer the dough to the oiled baking form 3.4 Distribute evenly sour cream over the dough 3.5 Distribute peppers and leek rings. Do it beautifully in an artistic manner. 3.5 Spread the grated goat cheese over the vegetables 🌶🌶🌶 3.6 Put the baking form in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 220C 3.7 Serve ! …with chopped chives & black pepper 4 Enjoy with a classic black & white detective movie !
… everything I felt a connection with a rectangle of framed sunlight was dominated by a single passion. If my first glance of the morning was for the sun, my first thought was for the butterflies it would engender.
Sour cream sauce ingredients: – 1/2 bunch dill – 200ml sour cream Directions: 1 Peel zucchini, grate them, place grated zucchini in the colander, cover with a plate to let them drain for 1 hour 2 Chop parsley and dill 3 Prepare a batter: combine milk+flour+sugar+salt+🌻 oil+eggs: mix well and whisk until batter is fully combined 4 Mix in the batter chopped parsley together with grated zucchini 5 Preheat a non-sticking skillet with a little bit of 🌻 oil (no more oil will be needed!) 6 For each pancake pour 1 soup ladle of batter into the skillet 7 Cook pancakes until golden ~2 minutes on each side 8 Make sour cream sauce: combine sour cream with chopped dill 9 Serve !
Method: 1 Cook pancakes with you favourite recipe! I like the following one: 1.1 Whisk 2 eggs with salt & sugar 1.2 Pour Kefir in the whisked eggs 1.3 Gradually add wheat and buckwheat flour continuously mixing 1.4 Mix in 1 tablespoon sunflower oil 1.5 Preheat the skillet with 1/2 tablespoon sunflower oil (no more oil will be needed!) 1.6 Pour 1 soup ladle of batter into the skillet for one pancake 1.7 Cook pancakes until golden ~2 minutes on each side 1.8 Keep the cooked pancakes warm covered with a lid on a separate plate 2 Mix blue cheese sauce ingredients in bowl 🙂 3 Serve pancakes with smoked salmon slices & the blue cheese sauce & chopped green onions 4 Enjoy ! … and let the black coffee flavour enter you room and inspire you for great doings 😉
Ingredients (4 small sandwiches): – 50g Roquefort cheese – 10 strawberries – 4 slices of rye bread – a few sprigs of greens onions
Method: 1 Slice and toast rye bread pieces 2 Wash and chop green onions 3 Wash and slice strawberries 4 Butter Roquefort cheese over the rye bread pieces, put over strawberries pieces & decorate with chopped green onions 5 Enjoy !
Tea is at four; but any of you are welcome at any time!
J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Hobbit”
Pancakes ingredients (10-12 pancakes): – 2 eggs – 1 cup (1 cup = 250ml) + 1 tablespoon wheat flour – 2 pinches of salt – 1 tablespoon sugar – 500ml Kefir (hint: Kefir makes the pancakes especially tender!) – 1 tablespoon sunflower oil for batter – 1/2 tablespoon sunflower oil for frying
Rhubarb compote ingredients: – 200g peeled chopped rhubarb – 4 tablespoons sugar – lemon juice from 1/3 lemon – 2 tablespoons water
Method: 1 Make rhubarb compote: 1.1 Wash, peel and chop rhubarb in 0.5cm width pieces, transfer them into a bowl 1.2 Add sugar & lemon juice into the bowl and let them stay for 20 minutes 1.3 Transfer rhubarb mixture to a pan, add water, cook for 5 minutes at middle heat 1.4 Cover the compote with a lid to keep it warm! 2 Cook pancakes with you favourite recipe! I like the following one: 2.1 Whisk 2 eggs with salt & sugar 2.2 Pour Kefir in the whisked eggs 2.3 Gradually add wheat flour continuously mixing 2.4 Mix in 1 tablespoon sunflower oil 2.5 Preheat the skillet with 1/2 tablespoon sunflower oil (no more oil will be needed!) 2.6 Pour 1 soup ladle of batter into the skillet for one pancake 2.7 Cook pancakes until golden ~2 minutes on each side 2.8 Keep the cooked pancakes warm covered with a lid on a separate plate 3 Serve hot, decorate with fresh mint & sugar powder and … enjoy!
Sitting with her on Sunday evening — a wet Sunday evening — the very time of all others when if a friend is at hand the heart must be opened, and every thing told…
Method: 1 Wash a cauliflower head and separate into florets 2 Boil the cauliflower florets in salty water for 10 minutes, then drain water 3 Mash the cauliflower florets with eggs, flour, species, finally mix in chopped green onions 4 Line a plate with paper towels to put there pancakes afterwards to get rid of extra oil 5 Put some olive oil on a skillet and set the medium-low heat 6 Put 1 tablespoon of cauliflower batter for 1 pancake on a skillet and flatten with a spatula (my 29cm diameter skillet allows cooking 3-4 pancakes simultaneously) 7 Cook pancakes for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden, then transfer them onto the paper towels 8 While cooking pancakes, make a Roquefort-garlic sauce: mash grated garlic with sour cream, Roquefort cheese and chopped parsley 9 Serve cauliflower pancakes hot with fresh baby spinach, chopped green onions and Roquefort-garlic sauce !
Show not what has been done, but what can be. How beautiful the world would be if there were a procedure for moving through labyrinths.
Umberto Eco
Ingredients (for 2 servings): – 180g salmon – 100ml 33% cream – 300g durum wheat semolina pasta (ideally, Italian Pasta Superior Semola) – 3 garlic clothes – 80g Parmesan – 1/2 teaspoon salt – 1/2 teaspoon pepper – 1/2 tablespoon olive oil for frying
Method: 1 Grate Parmesan into a bowl and put in the fridge for now 2 Cut salmon into 1.5cm cubes 3 Chop garlic into 0.5cm cubes 4 Simultaneously start boiling pasta (5) and cooking salmon (6) 5 Boil pasta in the salty water until ready and drain the water 6 Cook salmon for 5 minutes in olive oil with garlic, then add 33% cream and stew for another 5 minutes 7 Put the pasta in the frying pan with salmon for 1 minute, carefully mix and transfer to the serving plates 8 Sprinkle pasta with grated Parmesan, add black pepper and serve immediately !
You would not enjoy Nietzsche, sir. He is fundamentally unsound.
P.G. Wodehouse
Spinach Fatayer Dough ingredients: – 1 cup (1 cup=250ml) wheat flour – 1/4 cup warm water – 3 tbsp olive oil – 1/2 tsp salt
Spinach Fatayer filling ingredients: – 120g fresh baby spinach – 1/2 small chopped onion – 1/4 cup chopped walnuts – 2 tbsp lemon juice – 2 tsp olive oil – 1/2 tsp salt – 1/4 tsp black pepper
Method: 1 Preheat the oven at 220C ! 2 Combine flour+salt+warm water in a bowl: knead the dough well for 5-6 minutes 3 Make a filling: combine chopped spinach & onion & walnuts & oil & salt & pepper 4 Divide dough into 8 equal pieces and form balls out of them 5 Roll out each ball into a 8-10cm diameter circle: put 2 teaspoons of a filling in the centre of each circle 6 Lift up ends of each circle to the centre to form with your fingers rhombuses-like Fatayers 🙂 7 Put the Fatayers on a baking paper: bake for 15 minutes at 220C 8 Serve with a vegetable soup (see Leek-potato soup recipe here) or black coffee !
Method: 1 Preheat the oven to 180C 2 Whisk sugar with eggs for 3 minutes 3 Mix in flour and cocoa to whisked sugar&eggs, then add baking soda&vinegar 4 Pour the dough on the baking paper in a large baking form 5 Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes at 180C, remove it from the oven and let it cool down 6 Cut the cake with your favorite cookie cutters 😉 7 Make the Mascarpone cream: whisk 33% cream and sugar & Mascarpone 8 Put Mascarpone cream on the cakes and decorate with raspberries & mint leaves 9 Put the cakes in the fridge overnight 10 Enjoy it next morning with a cup of green tea and have a great day ! 🙂
‘Curiouser and curiouser!’ cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English)
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Ingredients (for 2 servings): – 100g du fromage de Roquefort – 6 prunes – 2 large slices of rye bread – 1 small onion – 1 tbsp olive oil – 1 tsp vinegar
Method: 1 Spread the cheese on the rye bread slices with a knife 2 Cut an onion into thin half rings and soak them in olive oil with vinegar for 5 minutes 3 Put the onion half rings over the cheese 4 Put the chopped prunes slices over the onion half rings 5 Serve with a vegetable soup !
Love... to cooking ! 