Sunday 26 August 2012

Crepes...Need I say more ;)

This time a come bearing a savoury brunch recipe :) One of my favourite dishes are crepes, mainly because they can be eaten in a variety of ways - both sweet and savoury. Today I prepared the healthier savoury alternative: whole wheat crepes with chanterelle sauce :)

Ingredients

Crepes

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tbsps butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt


Chanterelle sauce

2 tbsps canola oil
1 cup chanterelle
parsley
1/2 small onion
1/2 tsp salt





Directions

First, prepare the crepe mixture by mixing all the ingredients together. Put the mixture in a refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Prepare the crepes - pan-fry in canola oil until golden. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Saute the chanterelle in oil with the chopped onion for about 8 minutes or until brown.



Decorate the crepes with the sauce and sprinkle with parsley, enjoy :)

Wednesday 22 August 2012

The afternoon indulgence ;)


Hello again!:) The last few days were so hot that I decided to make something refreshing and I came up with an Italian Shakerato. I hope that it will bring you some comfort in this sizzling weather :)


Recipe


1 cup ice (crushed)
1 cup espresso
2 tbsps Baileys (for each portion)

*optional chocolate for decoration

Directions
First, crush the prepared ice cubes and put them in a cocktail shaker. Pour the prepared cup of espresso coffee into the shaker and shake vigorously. Pour 2 tbs of Baileys into cocktail glasses and add the prepared coffee mixture. Serve separately or with a dessert*;)





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*For the tart recipe go here :)








Sunday 19 August 2012

Raspberry Tiramisu goodies :)

Hello everyone! It's weekend time and I have decided to make something special ;) I'm still very much under the influence of my Italian adventure and my head is full of Italian style desserts :) For today I prepared a special recipe for a classic tiramisu dessert.


Ingredients


3 eggs, separated
250g mascarpone
1tbs vanilla extract
1 vanilla pod
espresso powder
Baileys
1 glass heavy whipping cream
cocoa powder
ladyfingers
50 g sugar
1 cup raspberry sauce

Directions

First, beat the egg yolks with 25g sugar. Add mascarpone, 1tbs vanilla extract, the seeds from 1 vanilla pod  and mix everything.
In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with 25g of sugar. In the third bowl whip the creama and then add it to the mascarpone mixture along with the egg whites. Mix everything with a spoon until combined.
The prepared mixture put in a fridge for at least 3 hours.
Next, soak few sponge fingers in the dissolved espresso and others in Baileys. The amount of the soaked sponge fingers depends on how many layers of tiramisu you want to have. I used 6 sponge fingers for two layers per portion.
Pour the raspberry sauce evenly to the 4 bowls, add the first layer of the ladyfingers, cover with a bit of the Mascarpone mixture, add another layer of  To the prepared bowls and pour the remaining mascarpone mixture. decorate the bowls with cocao powder and raspberries and put it in a refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving (the best option is to leave it in a refridgerator overnight). Enjoy :D





Monday 6 August 2012

Fruit tart in Italy :D

I'm in Italy now and I have decided to bake a fruit tart for my friends :)



Tarts are one of those desserts which are probably the easiest and fastest to prepare. I've already tried so many variations and so far they have always come out perfectly :)

Ingredients


Crust

2 tbsps heavy cream
150 g chilled butter, chopped
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsps brown/white sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg

Filling

1 bar of white chocolate
1 cup mascarpone
1 vanilla pod
2 tbsps honey
seasonal fruit of your choice:)


Directions


Place all the ingredients for the crust together and knead until fully incorporated. Form a ball, wrap it up in foil and put in a refrigerator for at least two hours. In the meantime, using a mixer, combine all the ingredients for the filling and place the mixture in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Take out the dough ball and spread it evenly on a 30 cm round baking tin (greased with butter). Prickle the centre of the pastry with a fork and bake for about 25-30 minutes. When the pastry shell is ready, you can spread the melted chocolate and set aside to cool. When the crust and chocolate have cooled, put the pastry shell for at least an hour in a refrigerator to chill. Finally, spread the previously prepared cream and decorate it with seasonal fruit of your choice (I used grapes and a kiwi).
As I said I'm in Italy and thus I just couldn't resist capturing the beautiful view from my window along with my sweet dessert ;P