Chocolate salami

This is a real caloric bomb, but a tradition for unforgettable birthday parties in our family. It is easy, fast and needs no oven.

Ingredients:

• 200gr dark chocolate
• 200gr pettit beurres or butter cookies
• 200gr sugar
• 125gr butter
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 calice água ardente or if you can't find some use rum

Crack the cookies into small pieces, not crumbs. The idea is that they will give the salami the white areas look.
Melt the chocolate with the butter and then add the liquor while it is still hot so the alcohol will evaporate.
Beat the yolks with the sugar until smooth and whitish.
Mix this with the chocolate and the cookies.
Then make a long roll of the mixture. Cut an aluminium foil with the length of the roll and spread a bit of sugar on its top surface. Set the dough on the top of the sugared area so you can roll it tight in the foil.
Let it get stiff on the fridge for at least 2hours and serve slices approximately 1cm thick with or without the foil.

based in a family recipe, should look like this:
Chocolate salami

Apple crumble tarte-tatin

Looking amazing, this inverted pie is healthy and gorgeous to fill a dessert table at Christmas or any cold party time.

Ingredients for the top:

• 100gr white sugar
• 100gr of butter (optional, makes the pie look better and the caramel less chewy but can be avoided)
• 4 apples peeled and cut into quarters
• cup of  raisins
• 1/2 cup of apple juice
• 1 banana peeled and cut into thick slices
• few drops of lemon juice
• 1 tea sp. of vanilla

Ingredients for the base:

• 1 cup of brown or muscovado sugar
• 2 cups of oat
• 2 cups of flour
• 1 cup of butter or margarine (again butter is best but for lactose-intolerant people the margarine will blend in without any after taste)

Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

1. Start by setting the sugar in a large pan and keeping it moving, let it to go brown, as in caramel. Be careful with the caramel, it goes hard very fast and it is very very hot.Spread the caramel in the surface of the form you will use to bake the pie in the oven.
2. Drawn the raisins in apple juice so they get soggy and won't dry in the oven.
3. Display the apples, arranging them so one of the flat cut surfaces is touching the caramel and the whole form is covered. Cover the form with aluminum foil and put it in the oven at 180C for over 30 min.
4. While the apples are cooking slow make the crumble by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl and then aggregating it with your hands.
5. Remove the apples from the oven and with care not to get burned set the raisins between the still existing gaps and spill the apple juice over the apples surface.
6. Spread the crumble over the apples and when the whole surface is covered with the whole amount press the surface down with your fingers, ever so careful not to touch the form that is still hot.
7. Put the pie back in the oven for at least 30 min, until the caramel has combined with the apple and bubbled up the edges from the form over the crumble and the crumble has a darker color. If margarine was used the color will not be too dark, just a paler brown.
8. Being very careful because again the whole thing is very hot, use a plate that is bigger than the form and turn the whole pie over it. You should have something looking somewhat like this, probably better since I skipped step 3:

based on tarte tartin

Apple Crumble Pie

 This is a nice warm apple pie with a very crunchy texture and juicy center. The amount of sugar is limited and the nutrients in the apples and oat might help make up for it. ;-)

Crumble ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup oat
• 1/2 cup muscovado sugar
• 100gr melted butter (or soy margarine to make lactose-free version)

Filling ingredients:

• 4 Apples of various types or even mixed with pears
• 6 tb. sp. of maple syrup
• 1 tb. sp. of cinnamon

Pie base:

•  shortcrust pastry

Pre-cook the pie base on the pie form until it makes a crust (10min at 180C).
Peel and cut the "apples" in thin slices, the thinner they are the fast they will cook. Involve the apples in the cinnamon and syrup and fill the pie with them as well spread as possible.
Mix the crumble ingredients and try to aggregate it in chunks that will fall apart. Then cover the pie with the crumble chunks as big as 1cm of diameter.
Put the pie back in the oven (at 180C) until the crumble is darker and hardly breaks dry to the touch, about 30min.

Salmon volcano with surprise spinach

This is an amazing dish that takes a bit of time but makes your mouth water with a gourmet arrangement.

Ingredients:

• 4 salmon fillets
• 1kgr tagliatelle (for 4)
• 1/2 onion
• 500gr of baby spinach
• 6 garlic cloves
• 500gr of cherry tomatoes
• 6 tb. sp.olive oil for the pesto + olive oil for the spinach
• 3 tb. sp. lime/lemon juice or wine vinegar
• A branch of coriander
• 50gr of peeled almond
• 4 pinches of salt

In a food processor make a pesto from the olive oil, vinegar, coriander (most of it keeping a bit to add to the top of the volcano), almond, a pinch of salt and 2 garlic cloves (if you are sure that you like your sauce spicy and don't mind a strong taste of garlic because this will not be cooked, otherwise use 1 or 1/2 of a garlic clove). Try the sauce to compensate to your taste.
Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half so the juice from the tomatoes can join the rest of the meal.
Get the water boiling on a pan for the tagliatelle. While the salmon fillets are grilled without any extra grease and 2 smashed garlic clove and pepper to taste.
On another pan add enough olive oil to fill the surface, the onion cut small and the 2 cloves of garlic sliced thin.

When the onion is clearer add the cleaned baby spinach. It looks like a lot, but as it cooks the spinach will become smaller and smaller. Keep turning the leafs from the bottom to the top to better cook it all.
When the water is boiling submerge the tagliatelle and a pinch of salt. Remove the tagliatelle as it becomes tender, leaving it a bit "al dente".
When the surface under the salmon fillet has caramelized into a crust that allows, turn it carefully to avoid breaking it.

When the spinach is dark green and smooth and reduced to a very small portion divide it in the center of the four plates and "sprinkle" it with the tomatoes to it. Add the pasta on top of it, hiding the whole spinach and making it look like a hill. Add the pesto to the top dropping to the sides like a volcano. Add the salmon to one side as if it were trying to go up the stream.

It is a perfect dish to impress that doesn't take that much expertise or time, but will leave you with three pans to wash so make sure you have an empty dish washer before your visits arrive and enjoy it with delight.

Chocolate Muffins

A not so healthy recipe that allows you to gorge on an intense chocolate flavor with emergency level calories.

Ingridients:

• 2 eggs
• 200gr sugar (as I said, not that healthy)
• 100gr flour
• 6 tb. sp. of powder cocoa
• 2 t. sp. of baking powder
• 2 t. sp. of vanilla
• 160ml milk
• 150gr unsalted melted butter (as I said... not healthiest)
• 120gr of chocolate chips

Beat the eggs with the sugar.  Separately mix all other ingredients and then add previous mix.
Set the dough into small cupcake forms in the oven at 180C for between 20-30 min.
The taste is dark, the texture is fluffy and the result is absolutely divine.
For true emergencies and chocolate lovers. Melt chocolate of your choice (white, milk or dark) and dip the muffins top on it and let the chocolate stiffen with cooling.

Fruit tiramisu

This recipe has two versions. The first uses Mascarpone and is closer to the original tiramisu. The second is healthier and uses Yogurt instead, which makes this a very nice dessert if it is not to set on the fridge for over 6h, otherwise it might begin to fall apart.

Ingredients:

• Juice of one orange
• Juice of one lemon
• Chalice of Porto wine
• either:
• 500gr of Mascarpone + 1/2 glass of milk
• 500gr of Greek yogurt
• Berry fruits to fill the surface (strawberries, blue berries, rasberries)
• Box of La Reine or Finger biscuits
• Dark chocolate

Mix together the fruit juices and wine.
Then fill the base of a long board with the biscuits.
Poor the liquid mix over the biscuits.
If you are using the mascarpone, mix it with the milk.
Poor the milk base over the wet biscuits.
Spread the fruits over the surface and with a knife grate long splinters of chocolate over it.

 It is a very fast and easy dessert that not only looks amazing but tastes fantastic and refreshing.
If the idea is to serve it to children substitute the Porto wine by some grapefruit juice.

Based on Jamie Oliver limoncello tiramisu.

Lemon Pie... Tartelette au citron

This pie is very common in France. It has a very sweet and acid (lemon or citron) taste and a delicious creamy feeling.


Dough:

• 125gr unsalted butter
• 1 package of pettit beurre, Maria or the simplest coockies you can find

Filling:

• 1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk
• juice of 3 lemons
• jest of one lemon
• 3 eggs
• pinch of salt
• 3 tb. sp. powder sugar

The recipe is not the simplest, nor will it be hard to make. But the pie is as intricate in flavors as the recipe takes time.

1. Crash the cookies until a fine dust, leaving some bigger crumbs for texture. Join the melted butter and aggregate until you can fill the base and sides of a tart cooking form.
2. In a bowl mix the egg yolks, the condensed milk and the lemons juice and jest. Poor the mix in the pie base.
3. In another bowl beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Then incorporate the sugar and keep beating the mix. Distribute the whites on top of the pie leaving it with nice peaks, without trying to make it even.
4. Put the pie in an oven at 180C for about 30min.

The pie will look gourmet and feel even more so.

Mango mousse

Simplest recipe for a mousse ever! And for mango lovers it just taste like it so much.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of mango or 1 very sweet and mature mango that has been through the food processor
• 125ml cream
• 3 tb. sp. sugar

Just take the cream out of the fridge (should always be cold to beat or they will beat into butter) and add the sugar to it in a bowl. Beat the cream into Chantilly and incorporate the mango. Let it rest in the fridge for about an hour.
It will be velvet smooth, rich in flavor and ready to serve.

Banana oat pancakes

Always buy bananas because of their unique properties and the fact that once in a while my husband will ask for them. But they tend to get old on the fridge waiting for someone to think of them. This is an amazing way to save bananas from getting too mature and to start a morning with a special breakfast. Specially for people like those in my family that have issues with milk, these do not taste like pancakes but are nutritious fluffy day starters. But most important of all, it takes but a second to make them, super easy and they are so healthy!


Dough (4 pancakes):

• 2 eggs
• 2 bananas
• 4 tb. sp. of oat
• (butter will be needed to fry if you don't have a ceramic pan)

Suggestions for topping (and it really needs it):

• maple syrup
• honney and grated almonds

Just put all the ingredients in a mixer and turn it on. I put the dough in a tall vase so it can be easily spilled into the pan. Don't forget the topping. Although these taste great there is just something definitely missing without the extra sweetness of the syrup or honey. This recipe will be enough for about 8 small pancakes.

My father, one of those that can't handle his milk, is coming to visit. I can't wait to introduce him to this perfect warm and spongy welcoming treat. I'll wait for breakfast though, it just feels that way.

Based on these pancakes.

Fruit cupcakes

Been looking for nice recipes that are healthy enough for my son to take as a snack to school, now that he is growing and leaving the comfort of the creche's food.
Found a few nice things I still need to test but I tried this Fruit cupcakes and they were so simple, soft and filled with richness I had to share.

Dough:

• 350gr self-raising flour
• 1 tb. sp. baking powder
• 1 tb. sp. ground ginger
• 2 tb. sp. ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch salt
•  80ml milk
• 120ml oil
• 200gr of muscovado sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 smashed banna

Suggestions for fruit:

• Skinned and Chopped (around 1 x 1 x 0.3 cm^3): pear or apple
• Pelled and grated: carrot or parsnip
• Blue berries
• Chopped Strawberries

Preheat the oven to 180C. Put all the dry ingredients, except sugar, together in a bowl and mix them. In another bowl mix the remaining ingredients and then introduce the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon (or equivalent), since this is a heavy dough.
Divide the dough in individual cupcake forms, add a pinch of sugar to the top that will make it look even more yummy.
Put the cupcakes in the oven, at 180C for about half an hour.

The end result is a dark cupcake which is moist and smooth. The fruit is completely cooked and soft and it's flavor is completely incorporated in the subtle cinnamon ginger dough. I would without any icing because it would only undermine the flavor of the cupcakes and make it less healthy. But a acid lemon based icing might make them pop to your liking. Maybe for more worrisome days. :-)

Based on the recipe of Fiona Cairns cupcakes.

Belgian choco mousse

When visiting Belgium you might notice their choco mousse is different from the one described in my previous post chocolate mousse cake. That is because there is an extra creamy and less light texture to it given by actual cream. Turns out the grass is greener on the other side and after several complains from my dear better half I found a recipe closer to what they serve in Belgium that he would appreciate.

Chocolate mousse for 6:

• 200gr Dark chocolate for backing - be sure to chose the one you like the taste the most, because the whole dish flavor will depend mostly on its flavor
• 3 eggs - I would say fresh, but that goes without saying
• 125gr of cold cream (out of the fridge so they don't warm while whisking and become butter)
• 100gr of sugar
• 1 tb. sp. of unsalted butter
• pinch of salt

Recipe:

1. Melt the chocolate. 
1. The butter keeps the chocolate from burning so put it in the bottom of the pan. 
2. Or just use the microwave and do not use the butter at all, but make sure to keep stopping to stir, it is very easy to get chocolate burned while it isn't melted when heating it on the microwave.
2. While that is happening whisk the cream with the sugar until you get a tough and creamy Chantilly. Put the Chantilly on the fridge.
3. By then the chocolate is melt but hot, so leave it to cool down a bit.
4. Whisk the eggs whites until they can stand upside down without falling from the boul. (You will need to add a pinch of salt for them to gain body.)
5. Move the spoon on the chocolate mixture to make sure it is still soft and liquid and check with your finger to see if it isn't too hot. Then whisk the chocolate with the egg yolk and butter you get it dissolved.
6. Incorporate the egg whites gently with a whisk. (The reason I use "incorporate" and not mix and mention that it has to be done with a whisk is because this egg whites construction is very delicate and will break down to liquid if violently stirred.)
7. Incorporate the cream gently with a whisk. 

It is a matter of taste however. I prefer the previous recipe and that one doesn't include milk which nowadays seems to be a good mark for any food presented to others not knowing up front of their allergies.

Waffels

Perfect Belgium waffels, fluffy and crusty.
This recipe was searched and improved for so long I no longer know what the original source was. If anyone does know, pleas add a comment so I can reference it. ;-)

Dough:

• 2 1/4 tea sp. east
• 710 ml milk
• 3 eggs
• 112gr butter
• 100gr sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 1/2 vanilla extract
• 500gr flour

As simple as one two three...
One: whisk or blend everything but the egg whites together;
Two: beat the egg whites until tough;
Three: involve the egg whites into the remaining dough.
Use a waffel maker, or a crock messieur if you don't have a waffel maker.
Et voila!Enjoy!

Crepes

This recipe takes me back to a time when weekends were slow and uneventful, when having company for tea time meant baking something delightfully rich in flavor as well as in nutrients and more so do it easily and fast because children are suddenly hungry.

Dough:

• 250gr flour
• 7.5 dl milk
• 6 eggs
• 6 tb. sp. sugar
• butter to fry

Suggestions for filling:

• melted chocolate
• marmalade
• lemon juice and honey
• honey and nuts or almonds
• banana, cinnamon and maple syrup
• plain chocolate and cinnamon because the dough already tastes so good it is a petty to not try it simple

Put all the ingredients in a blender and then let it rest from 5 to 10min. We never did wait, which meant the first crepes were flatter and drier than those after 5 min, but they tasted amazing even so. Then use a large flat frying pan melt enough butter on it so that tilting the pan one side and then the others you can make the butter slide and touch all the pan's surface. If you can do this without getting burned it is easiest to use a kitchen paper to spread the butter. Then use a soup ladle to dose the amount of dough you add to the pan and once again tilt the pan until the surface is covered by a thin layer of dough and let it fry until the dough lifts in bubbles. It is ready to turn with the help of spatula or with some training you can flip it with a push to the pan.

Since this dough has so many eggs and milk and most of all frying and eating it takes time, this recipe was a combination of tea time and dinner for the family. Usually this was followed by soup to introduce all the missing veggies, the kids (including me) would promise to eat the soup in exchange for this gorgeous starter that kept us all around the stove for 1 to 2 hours.