Mont Blanc Macaroons

Thanks Catherine de Medici or her pastry chefs ;)

A bit of history (thanks Wikipedia): The name of the cookie comes from an Italian word meaning paste, maccarone. About the origin, culinary historians claim that macaroons can be traced to an Italian monastery of the 9th century. The monks came to France in 1533, joined by the pastry chefs of Catherine de Medici, wife of King Henri II. Later, two Benedictine nuns, Sister Marguerite and Sister Marie-Elisabeth, came to Nancy seeking asylum during the French Revolution. The two women paid for their housing by baking and selling macaroon cookies, and thus became known as the "Macaroon Sisters". Recipes for macaroons (also spelled "mackaroon," "maccaroon" and "mackaroom") appear in recipe books at least as early as 1725 (Robert Smith's Court Cookery, or the Complete English Cook).

Never tried to make macaroons before but I am quite pleased on how they came out and this is just an indulgent recipe with my favourite autumn treat: chestnuts.

Recipe (x6) large

75g finely ground almonds

100g icing sugar

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 egg whites

50g caster sugar

Filling:

200ml whipping cream

4 tbsp chestnut puree

2 tbsp plain chocolate shavings

Put finely ground almonds, icing sugar and cocoa powder in a food processor and process for 20 sec or until well mixed/powdery. Sift the mixture into a bowl through a large sieve.

 

Whisk the egg whites (room temperature) in a large bowl until soft peaks then add gradually the caster sugar to make a glossy meringue.

Fold the almond mixture into the meringue one third at a time with a spatula. Fold the mixture until it forms a shiny batter, smooth and glossy that fall slowly from the spatula.

Pour the mixture into a piping bag and pipe 12 large rounds onto a prepared baking sheet. Tap the baking sheet firmly onto a work surface to remove air bubbles. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 160^oC.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. The macaroons are ready when they have a crispy shell and the foot at the base does not wobble. If the base is still soft and sticky, return the tray to the oven for few minutes.

Leave the macaroons to cool for 10 minutes then they are ready to be filled.

 

Filling:

Whip the cream and fold into the chestnut puree. Pipe the mixture onto half the macaroon, top with the remaining macaroons shells and serve dusted with icing sugar. Well this time I have just spread the chestnut puree and covered with whipped cream, bliss

Enjoy

Baba Ghanoush or Smoked Aubergine dip

Fabulous Aubergines I never get tired of them. This is a Levantine recipe for a dip.
Easy recipe with a unique smoky aubergine flavour.

Ingredients

2/3 aubergines
1/2 garlic clove or to taste
1 Lemon (juice)
3 tbsp of Tahini

½ tsp of salt or to taste   

Olive oil and fresh parsley for garnish

Method

Prick the fresh aubergine with a fork and put it either directly onto the flame on the gas hob (more authentic but messier) or on a baking tray under the grill in an oven. Grill each side for 10 minutes or until the skin is burnt and the flesh feel soft.

 

When they are ready, I usually put them in a plastic bag tightly closed for 10 minutes (this process helps in removing the skin). Then I place them under cold water (because they are still quite hot) holding them by the stalk when I peel the skin off. Don't worry if you have a few black bits stuck to the aubergine.

Squeeze the flesh to get rid of any excess water and place it on a chopping board. Cut off the stalk and chop the flesh to a pulp. Put the pulp in a large bowl with the crushed garlic, chopped parsley, salt, olive oil and the tahini sauce. With a fork mash the mixture until smooth and creamy. Taste and add the juice of a lemon and more salt and olive oil to taste.

 

Leave it in the fridge to chill or just let it cool down.

Garnish the Baba Ghanoush with more olive oil and parsley and serve it on toasted bread.

ENJOY

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roasted Aubergine Fan or The Vegetables Rainbow Recipe

I love Aubergine and this is an easy recipe that marries them with few other vegetables.

You can use any vegetable that you like and this time I have also used my last home grown courgette!

Recipe (x2)

2 aubergines

1 onion (red or white)

1 courgette

1 red pepper

2 tomatoes

Chestnut or Portobello mushrooms

Salt

Olive oil

Chilli flakes (optional)

Mozzarella for the topping

Cut the aubergine lengthwise keeping the top that will hold everything in place while cooking. Open them like a fan. Cut all the other vegetables in big chunky pieces.

 

 

Fill the aubergine with the other vegetables, sprinkle some salt on top a good splash of olive oil and chilli flakes if you like it.

 

 

Put in the oven covered for 1hr at 180^oC than remove the cover and put some mozzarella on top let it melt and enjoy

 

 

 

 

 

Tuna stuffed sweet long red peppers

FAST and EASY recipe with canned tuna!! If you want to use less tuna add some bread soften in milk.

Capers and fish is just the perfect marriage…and with the sweetness from the red peppers you have to try it ;)

Recipe x4

4 Sweet long red peppers

3x160g tuna can (2 in brine drained; 1 in sunflower oil)

Anchovy paste to taste

2/3 tbsp capers (in water NO VINEGAR, drained)

A nice bunch of parsley

2 garlic cloves or to taste

1 whole egg to bind the mixture

 

Wash and cut lengthwise the long peppers by removing the top, the seeds will come out all together if you are careful.

Mix well the drained tuna keeping the sunflower oil, anchovy paste, chopped parsley, garlic and capers then add the whole egg and if it is to runny add some breadcrumbs. Stuff the peppers

 

Put in the oven at 180^oC for 20/30 minutes

and ENJOY

 

 

Baklava…. chased by cinnamon

Traditional Greek sweet, made mainly with walnuts but I like to add pistachios (the Turkish way if just I could get hold of the fabulous Gaziantep pistachios), sesame seeds and almonds playing around with a sweet honey and cinnamon syrup.

Recipe

220g pack filo pastry (12 sheets)

4 tbsp chopped almonds

4 tbsp chopped walnuts

2 tbsp chopped pistachios

2 tbsp sesame seeds

4 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

200g melted butter to brush the filo pastry

Syrup:

250ml water

175g sugar

4 tbsp honey (best the greek one)

3 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 lemon

 

Melt the butter and let it aside.

Making the syrup:

Bring to boil the water and the sugar and let simmer 5 minutes. Add the honey, cloves, cinnamon stick and continue to simmer 5/10 minutes, add the lemon juice bring to boil than remove from heat and let it cool down.

Filling:

I use to crush the nuts in a mortar, it is a good work out and I feel closer to nature, but that just me…

 

Mix the crushed nuts with the sugar and cinnamon and mix

 

Now you are ready for ART

This is my version of painting in the kitchen, brushing butter on the filo pastry, I love it

 

Brush 3 layers of filo pastry with butter and add the mixture of nuts, sugar and cinnamon. Cover and brush 2 layers of filo, add the mix and cover again continuing this way for 3 layers, cover with the last 3 sheets of filo and make the characteristic diamond shape incision in the top layer

 

 

 

Now is ready for the oven 180^oC 30/40 min or until golden brown, wow now the perfume of cinnamon has pervaded every inch of your house and soul...

Remove from the oven and pour the syrup over it (remember to remove the cloves and the cinnamon stick)

 

 

IMPORTANT TIP: Either the pastry should be warm and the syrup cool (like I do), or else the pastry should have cooled and the syrup be warm so that the Baklava do not become too soft.

Enjoy

 

 

Stuffed meatloaf

Eat it warm or cold, good recipe to prepare in advance so that you need just to slice it and serve.

Recipe (x4/6)

Meatloaf:

500gr pork mince

150gr grated Parmigiano Reggiano

3 slice white bread softened with milk crust included

One egg

Garlic and parsley to taste

Breadcrumbs

No salt or pepper the stuffing is salty enough

Stuffing:

Parma Ham slices

Cheese slices (this time Edam)

2 boiled eggs

Work in a bowl the mince, parsley, garlic, parmigiano and the bread squeezed from excess milk until well mixed. That’s very important, everything must be well incorporated. Add one whole egg (will be very moist) then add some breadcrumbs so to get a good workable mixture, you need to be able to lift it from the bowl and put it on a surface (baking paper) without crumbling (not too dry not too moist, you’ll know). Then you can stuff it with anything really.

 

Now roll it in the baking paper, that’s fun ;)  (no oil the mince and ham have enough fat) and transfer on a fresh piece of paper.

Bake for 1h 30min/2h @ 180

 

After 1h open carefully the parcel and try to recover the juices and keep them aside.

They will be warmed up with some white wine and reduced before pour it on the final ready slices.

You can now continue to cook the loaf open turning it regularly to get a nice crust

Slice it and

 

Enjoy

Tzatziki

Inspired by my home grown cucumbers I have decided to make this traditional Greek dip.

EASY, FAST recipe.

From plant to plate ;)

Recipe

250 g cucumber

500g Greek yogurt

2/3 garlic cloves (to taste)

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Chilli flakes

Mint to garnish 

Peel the cucumber (although if you have your own you can keep the skin on it will give a nice green colours at the plate), I have kept some this time. Scoop the seeds off and finely grate the cucumber, leave them into a sieve with a sprinkle of salt on top to drain the excess water (5-10min is enough).

 

 

In a bowl mix well the yogurt, finely chopped garlic, olive oil and salt then add the drained cucumbers, mix well and add more salt or olive oil to taste. Chill in the fridge (1hr at least).

 

I like to put some chilli flakes and some mint on top before serving

ENJOY with fresh bread, barbecued meat or eat with vegetable crudités

Prawn and mango salad

Do you like prawn or mango? Is it a really hot day? Well this is a quick recipe, tasty and refreshing with a kick.

 

Recipe (x4)

250g prawns

200g bag of mixed salad

1 large mango

Olive oil

Salt

Chilli flakes

This time I have used already cooked prawn, but it takes two minutes to cook them from fresh.

The only time consuming step that this recipe require is the cutting and marinating (at least 30 min) of the mango.

What you want are very fine strips, so peel the mango and make longitudinal incision at one side then with a potato peeler make the strips. Turn to the other side and do the same.

 

 

Mix the strips with some olive oil and chilli flakes to taste and put in the fridge for at least for 30 min.

Wash and dry your mixed salad (if you grow your own even better) season with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt. Then add the chilled mango just out of the fridge mix well and plate with some prawns on top.

 

 

 

ENJOY

Courgette and Mint Frittata

Humble recipe inspired by home grown produce available: mint that is thriving in the garden (a gift from a friend along with the sweet basil pictured below)

 

and some courgette that have found their way also to this amazing place http://livingcourtyard.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/the-first-courtyard-courgettes.html

 

Recipe (x2)

3 eggs

2 Courgettes (or more it depends on their dimension)

Big bunch of mint

1 shallot

Pinch of salt

Olive oil

 

 

Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a pan, pour in the finely sliced shallot and courgettes and cook them for 2 minutes enough for the shallot to became translucent but for the courgette not to become mushy . Then sprinkle on top the chopped mint add the beaten eggs a pinch of salt and let it cook uncovered until set 1-2 minutes then cover to puff it up another 1-2 minutes.

Back

and front

ENJOY