A Cinnamon and Apple Crumble
This cake is a friend to keep! Crunchy, buttery cinnamon crumbles, a light and juicy base and lots of fruit! Depending on the season I use either apples, plums or rhubarb. The aromatic cinnamon fits perfectly to the three of them and adds the right flavour. I love this crumble all year round and I must confess that I actually bake it at least once a month. Either for tea time or for dessert together with vanilla ice cream or cinnamon whipped cream. It's also easy to prepare which is great when you have guests for a dinner party and it tastes so good! My friends love it as well and are always impressed by the "perfect" crumbles - it's not science, it's just about the right mixture.
Today, it's apple time! The sweetness of the cake and the sourness of my Boscoop apples are very well balanced. 10 people will sit at my dinner table tonight and I want a dessert which allows me to stay with my guests rather than in the kitchen. I bake my apple crumble in the morning, whip my cinnamon cream at night and I know that this dessert will tease lots of happy smiles!
Apple Cinnamon Crumble Cake
You need a 26cm /10" springform pan, buttered. Prepare the dough for the base first, cut your apples afterwards and prepare the crumbles at the end.
Set the oven to 180°C / 355°F.
The fruit
sour baking apples (like Boscoop) 5, peeled, cut in half and carved lengthwise around 6 times
For the base
I use spelt flour type 630 for the base and the crumbles but you can use any other plain flour.
butter 125g / 4.5 ounces
organic eggs 3
granulated sugar 125g / 4.5 ounces
plain flour 250g / 9 ounces
baking powder 2 teaspoons
vanilla sugar 1 teaspoon
a pinch of salt
Beat the butter till fluffy. Add the sugar, continue mixing and add the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour mixed with the baking powder, salt and the vanilla sugar and continue mixing until combined. Fill into your buttered springform.
Place the apples close to each other on the dough base in the springform and push them down a bit.
For the crumble
plain flour 200g / 7 ounces (you might need some more if the crumbles are too sticky)
granulated sugar 125g / 4.5 ounces
vanilla sugar 1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons
butter, melted, 125g / 4.5 ounces (plus more if the crumbles are too fine)
The crumbles need good preparation as you have to make sure that the mixture is neither too moist nor too dry. Have some extra flour and melted butter near at hand so that you can add some immediately if necessary.
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Pour the melted butter on top and mix quickly with the hooks of your mixer, this shouldn't take longer than 15-20 seconds. If the crumbles are too moist and sticky add a bit more flour (1-2 tablespoons). If they are too fine and don't form bigger crumbles add more melted butter. Stop immediately when the mixture starts to get crumbly and spread quickly on top of the apples. If you have bigger lumps of crumbles you might have to separate and spread them.
Bake in the oven for 50 minutes or until golden. Check with a skewer, it should come out clean, and let it cool.
Enjoy the crumble cake on its own or serve with vanilla ice cream or cinnamon whipped cream (200ml whipping cream, whipped with 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar).
Grown up Chocolate Cookies
This is already the beginning of my last cookie baking weekend before Christmas! I can't believe it, time flew - as always during Christmas season. I baked and ate so many cookies this year! Whenever friends came over we sat under our Christmas tree, enjoyed the festive mood and emptied the cookie boxes. But I can definitely take another round before closing the 2013 cookie season, so let's start!
If you don't really have a sweet tooth these will be your cookies! Bittersweet chocolate and lots of spices: cinnamon, coriander, cloves, aniseed and allspice. The texture is light and crumbly with a thin layer of melted dark chocolate on top. They taste grown up - dark, bittersweet and rich in flavours. I thought some foresty animal shapes would do them good.
Chocolate Spice Cookies
For around 80 cookies you need
plain flour 250g / 9 ounces
cocoa powder 50g / 2 ounces
icing sugar, 90g / 3 ounces
baking powder 1/4 teaspoon
butter, soft, 130g / 4.5 ounces
organic egg 1
cinnamon, ground, 1/2 teaspoon
cloves, ground, 8
coriander seeds, ground, 1 heaping teaspoon
aniseed, ground, 1/4 teaspoon
allspice berries, ground, 2
a pinch of salt
bittersweet chocolate, melted, to brush the cookies, 100g / 3.5 ounces, mixed with cinnamon (1/4 teaspoon) and Chinese 5 Spice (1/4 teaspoon) or some of your cookie spice mixture
Combine the dry ingredients (except the sugar). In a separate bowl, beat the butter till fluffy, add the sugar and continue mixing till combined. Add the egg and mix for another 2-3 minutes. Put the dry mixture into the bowl with the butter mixture and continue mixing with the hook of your mixer until you have a crumbly mixture. Form a disc, wrap in cling film and put in the freezer for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll the dough out thinly (about 3mm) between cling film and cut out your cookies in whatever shape you like. Place your cookies on a baking sheet and bake them for 6 minutes. Let them cool and brush with the melted chocolate.
Trout al Cartoccio
Today I found some beautiful, fresh trout and they reminded me of the region where I grew up. Of the forest and its little streams meandering between trees, passing by the trout ponds which are close to my mother's house. I decided to get two of them and cook them al cartoccio - in parchment paper - together with Tyrolean prosciutto, olives, capers, garlic and bay leaves.
Trout has a strong, earthy taste which makes it perfect to combine with other stand out flavours. The closed parchment paper package makes this union of tastes even more intense. As extreme as this combination may sound, it is a perfect match. The trout can take the smoky prosciutto, the bay leaf, the olives and capers without loosing any of its own qualities.
The best part is opening the hot paper package on your plate and smelling the different aromas. Dip some bread in the juices and enjoy with a glass of white wine!
Trout al Cartoccio with Tyrolean Prosciutto, Olives and Capers
For 2 people you need
whole trout, cleaned, 2 (each around 300g / 10.5 ounces)
Tyrolean prosciutto, thin slices, 6 (or any other Italian prosciutto)
green olives 8
capers 2 tablespoons
garlic, quartered, 2
bay leaves 4
white wine 100ml
olive oil 4 tablespoons plus more to brush the parchment paper
salt and pepper
a small loaf of Ciabatta, for serving
parchment paper, to wrap the trout
Set your oven to 180°C / 355°F.
Rinse and dry the fish, season with salt and pepper (inside and out).
You need to prepare 2 parchment paper packages for 2 trout: for each package put 2 layers of parchment paper on top of each other, each around 20cm / 8" longer than the fish. Brush the top layer with oil.
Wrap each trout in 3 slices of prosciutto and place it in the middle of your oiled parchment paper. Put one bay leaf in the fish and one below. Fold up the sides of your package, twisting the ends without closing the top and fill with half of the olives, capers, garlic, olive oil and white wine. Close the top and fold twice. Repeat with the second trout.
Place both bags in a baking dish or pan and put in the oven for 10-12 minutes (depending on the size of the fish). You can tell the fish is done when its earthy smell starts to fill the air. Carefully open one of your packages, if you can lift the flesh off the bone with a fork it's done.
A Mountain Bun
When I was a child we used to go to the Italian Dolomite Alps. Every year, in December, we stayed in a beautiful village in the Alta Badia region called Corvara. I loved being there as it looked like a wintery fairy tale (I always had a weak spot for places like this). Old wooden houses, trees packed with thick snow and the most amazing Tyrolean food - my childhood heaven. Yesterday I thought about how much I would love to be in the mountains again, in a wooden hut with an open fire and lots of snow outside. I would sit at a rustic old wooden table and eat rustic food.
Although I will not be visiting Corvara this winter, at least I have the wooden table and the hearty food. Therefore, my Wednesday Sandwich has to be a mountain sandwich - kind of - rich, with ham and cheese, homemade plum chutney and ground pepper. This morning, I baked my own buns with coriander and aniseed and I got some nice ham and cheese. I made a plum chutney with lots of spices a couple months ago which is great together with cold cuts and mountain cheese. You could also use any other chutney or even plum butter, you just need something that adds a bit of fruity sweetness to this sandwich.
A Mountain Bun
For 2 sandwiches you need
2 buns, or 4 thick slices of bread
slices of ham, 6
thin slices of aromatic mountain cheese, like Swiss Appenzeller
plum chutney
a few leaves of lettuce (I used field salad as I had some left)
crushed peppercorns
Set your oven to grill (highest temperature).
Cut the bun in half, spread the chutney thinly on one half and put a slice of ham on top. Cover with 3 slices of cheese and put in the oven until the cheese starts to melt. Take the bun out, sprinkle with pepper, add some lettuce and put the other half of your bun on top.
I know it's a bit of work, but baking your own bread or buns is definitely worth the effort and I'm sure you will agree after your first bite of the warm and fluffy buns. I prepared mine last night and let the dough rise overnight. Then you just have to put the buns into shape the next morning, let them rise for 40 minutes and bake them. If you want them plain just leave out the coriander and aniseed, they are still delicious!
For the Mountain Buns
This recipe makes 12 fabulous buns or milk rolls
plain four 550g / 1.1 pound
dry yeast 1 package (for 500g / 1 pound of flour)
milk, lukewarm, 300ml
butter, melted, 50g / 2 ounces
organic egg 1
sugar 1 teaspoon
salt 1 1/2 teaspoon
coriander, crushed, 1 teaspoon
aniseed, for the topping, 1 teaspoon
Combine the flour with the yeast, coriander, sugar and salt. Mix the milk with the melted butter and the egg. Mind the temperature as the mixture should be lukewarm. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour and start mixing with your dough hooks for around 10 minutes until you have an elastic dough ball. Put the dough on a floured working surface and continue kneading with your hands for a couple minutes.
When I prepare the dough in the evening I place it in a clean, buttered and covered bowl in the fridge and let it rise overnight. You will have to take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you can continue with the next steps.
In case I want to bake my buns the same day, I put the dough in a clean and buttered bowl, cover it with a tea towel and let it rise in the 35°C / 95°F warm oven for 60 minutes. This works really well but make sure that your oven is set to top/ bottom heat and not to fan.
Set your oven to 220°C / 430°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
When the dough is bigger and puffy punch it down and knead for 1-2 minutes. Cut into 12 pieces and roll them in your hands into a round shape. Place the buns on your baking sheet, sprinkle with anisseed and give them another 40 minutes in a warm place to rise again (covered with a tea towel).
Bake the buns for 6 minutes, take the temperature down to 200°C / 390°F and bake them for another 7-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool for a couple minutes.
Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Bittersweet Chocolate
It's cold outside and I see a bright orange pumpkin right in front of me telling me what I need - a warming pumpkin soup. I have played around with many pumpkin variations in the past, with bacon, curry mixtures, roasted onions and I also love my puristic version with pumpkin seed oil and pumpkin seeds. Over the years my pumpkin soups became more spicy. I tend to feel cold all the time in Winter and nothing beats a hot and spicy soup to warm up your body from the inside.
Today I want my soup really hot and I also feel like adding some bittersweet chocolate on top (I love the combination of bitter, sweet and spicy!). I mix the soup in a blender which gives it a smooth and velvety texture. Together with the chili and bittersweet chocolate sprinkles on top, it makes quite a sensual meal!
This recipe has been featured on Food52 Halfway To Dinner!
Pumpkin Soup with Chili and Bittersweet Chocolate
For 4 people you need
For the soup
pumpkin (squash), without the seeds and fibres, cut into cubes, 600g / 1.5 pounds (I like to use Hokkaido squash with skin, or peeled butternut or Musquée de Provence)
medium sized potato, cut into cubes, 1
medium sized leek, sliced thinly, 1/3
medium sized carrots, cut into small cubes, 2
medium sized onion, chopped, 1
garlic, quartered, 1 clove
bay leaf 1
small dried chili peppers 2
a pinch of mace or nutmeg
salt and pepper
olive oil
water around 1l / 2 pints
For the topping
fresh red hot chili pepper, chopped finely, 1
bittersweet chocolate, grated, 4 heaped teaspoons plus more to taste
In a large pot, heat a splash of olive oil and cook the onion for a few minutes until golden and soft. Add the garlic, leek and carrots and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the pumpkin and potato, cook for 2 minutes and cover with water. Add the bay leaf and the dried chili peppers and season with mace (or nutmeg), salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and cook for about 30 minutes (without a lid) or until the pumpkin is soft.
Take the pot off the heat and remove the bay leaf and dried chili peppers. Purée the soup with a stick mixer or in a blender until smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the soup between the plates and sprinkle with the fresh chili pepper and chocolate.
A Wintery Salad with Beetroot and Walnuts
I must confess that I literally lived in my cookie boxes the past weekend but - at least for today - I will take a sweet break (as much as I love them). My body needs something light and healthy, a salad. In winter I love to get boxes of organic field salad, its nutty taste is great to combine with roots, fruit and nuts. You just need to throw a handful of these little leaves in a bowl, add whatever you feel like and drizzle some olive oil and balsamico on top. It makes a great lunch or dinner even with some cheese and bread on the side. As this salad is so easy to prepare and looks and tastes so good, it is also a very nice starter for a wintery dinner party.
Sometimes I arrange this lettuce with mango or apple slices but my favourite combination is cooked beetroot and walnuts. I cooked a few beetroots a couple days ago and still have some left. I chop up one medium sized beet in little cubes and mix it with two handful of field salad. My dressing is simple but matches the beetroot perfectly: 3 tablespoons of olive oil mixed with 2 tablespoons of balsamico vinegar, seasoned with salt and pepper, that's all it needs. I pour the thick dressing on top of the salad and drizzle 5 chopped walnuts on top. Today there are two of us enjoying this tasty and healthy treat!
We eat beetroot quite often, I buy 3 or 4 of them every week and cook them with 2 bay leaves in salted water for 45 minutes (more or less depending on their size). This way they keep their strong and unique taste. I love them sliced thinly as a carpaccio or cut into cubes in wintery salads.
The Family Cookies
My mother started the tradition of these precious stacked Christmas cookies. They are little divas, very delicate, you have to be gentle with them as they are a bit fragile but they are worth all the effort - trust me! Apart from the fact that they look simply stunning, the buttery short crust of these cookies is one of the best I ever had. Just perfect, buttery but still light, flaky - they will melt in your mouth.
The dough isn't much work at all. It needs to sit for half an hour and then you can start cutting out your cookies, baking and assembling them, with redcurrant jam or jelly in between. Some sugar dusting on top and they are done. You should just handle them with care and appreciate that you have something very precious and delicate between your fingers.
Linzer Cookies
For 60 sandwich cookies you need
plain flour 250g / 9 ounces
butter, cold 150g / 5 ounces
egg yolks 2
granulated sugar 2 tablespoons
a pinch of salt
cold water, 3 tablespoons
redcurrant jam or jelly
icing sugar, for dusting
You need round cookie cutters in 2 or 3 different sizes (mine are 3.5cm / 1 1/2" and 4.5cm / 1 3/4").
Combine the flour with the sugar and salt. Cut the butter with a knife into the flour until there are just little pieces of butter left. Continue with your fingers and quickly work the butter into the flour until combined. Add the egg yolks and the water, continue mixing with the hook of your mixer until you have a crumbly mixture. Form a disc, wrap in cling film and put in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll the dough out thinly (about 2-3mm) between cling film and cut out your cookies with a floured cookie cutter. If you want to have 2 different sizes cut out an equal amount of cookies with each cookie cutter. Place your cookies on a baking sheet and bake them for 8 minutes or until golden but not dark. Let them cool for a minute or two. Place 1/4 teaspoon of jam on a bigger cookie and put a smaller one on top. Press a little bit but not too much as they might break. Let them cool completely and dust with icing sugar.
Enjoy their beauty and - when you're ready - pile them up carefully in a cookie box.
Gianduja and Chocolate Cookies
When I made these cookies the first time many Christmases ago I knew that a tradition was born. Every year, in December, I need a box of these crescent shaped cookies stuffed with Gianduja, which is also known as nougat in Germany and Austria and gives them their name: Nougat Kipferl. This nougat is made of chocolate and hazelnuts - different to the white nougat (or "Turkish honey") which is made of almonds and honey.
Another weekend, another Kipferl! These aren't as tender as the Vanilla Kipferl which I made last week, they are more dense, but still crumbly. I add lots of Gianduja to the dough because I want more than just a hint of this taste. The bittersweet chocolate on the Kipferl's feet isn't just for decoration - it takes away a bit of the sweetness. The amounts I use in my recipe aim for a bigger batch of 90 cookies as I enjoy this pleasure just once a year.
Gianduja and Chocolate Cookies - Nougat Kipferl
For 90 cookies you need
butter, soft, 100g / 3.5 ounces
Gianduja / nougat for baking, soft, 250g / 9 ounces
organic egg 1
plain flour 320g / 11 ounces
baking powder 3/4 teaspoon
vanilla sugar 1 tablespoon
a pinch of salt
bittersweet chocolate 70g / 2.5 ounces
Mix the butter together with the nougat, this works best with dough hooks. Add the egg and continue mixing. Add the flour, vanilla sugar, baking powder and the salt and mix to a dough ball. Form a thick disc, wrap in cling film and put in the freezer for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 355°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate.
Take the dough out of the freezer. Cut thick slices off the disc and cut these slices in walnut sized pieces. Roll your cookies into the Kipferl shape between your hands. Mind that the ends don't get too thin as they would burn. Place your cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Don't let them get too dark. Let them cool completely before you start dipping their two tips into the melted chocolate.
Spaghetti with Baked Ricotta, Salsiccia and Sage
I love simple pasta recipes which allow you to create a great dinner in just a few minutes - no matter if it is a romantic dinner for two or a dinner party for eight. This is definitely one of them! You just need baked ricotta, Salsiccia, sage (I'm lucky, my sage plant still has a few leaves) and spaghetti. You can use any other coarse-cut sausage but the strong herbs of the Italian sausage fir perfectly to the milky ricotta. The mixture of garlic, fennel, coriander and nutmeg which is used for Salsiccia adds a nice variety of flavours.
If you prefer a vegetarian version you can just melt some butter in a pan and fry a few sage leaves for 1-2 minutes (they should become crisp but not dark otherwise they will taste bitter). Together with spaghetti and sprinkled with slices of baked ricotta, this makes a delicious dinner as well!
Spaghetti with Baked Ricotta, Salsiccia and Sage
For 2 people you need
pasta, around 200g / 7 ounces
baked ricotta, around 100g / 3.5 ounces
Salsiccia, or any other spiced and coarse sausage, 2
a few fresh sage leaves
olive oil for frying
butter for frying, 20g / 3/4 ounce
white wine for deglazing
garlic, one clove, cut in half
pasta water
salt and pepper
Slice the baked ricotta thinly with a cheese slicer.
Rinse and dry the sage leaves and fry them in a small pan in hot butter for 1-2 minutes until crisp but still light in colour.
Cook the pasta and take out a cup of the pasta water after it has been cooking for a few minutes as we need some of this liquid for the sauce.Heat some oil in a pan, add the garlic, and fry the sausages until golden brown. Deglaze with a dash of white wine and add a good splash of your pasta water. Leave the liquid in the pan but take the sausages out and cut them in pieces. Put them back into the pan together with the spaghetti and add the sage leaves with their butter. Mix and season with salt and pepper.
Divide everything between two big plates and sprinkle with the slices of baked ricotta. Buon Appetito!
Couscous with Orange, Ginger and 6 Spices
Two days ago I filmed a live session at a recording studio. As there were five of us and we had to work till late, I wanted to prepare something nice for us to eat, and to feed our energetic mood.
I didn't have much time to prepare, so a box of couscous caught my attention (5 minutes and it's done!). My mother had just sent it to me a couple days before because, I think, something that has to sit rather than cook for just a few minutes didn't quite satisfy her idea of cooking. I had half an hour to enhance it a bit so I decided to mix it with slices of leek and carrot and to add some strong exotic flavors - a homemade curry mixture with orange zest, ginger, turmeric, black pepper, cumin, cardamom, cayenne pepper and cinnamon. I mixed in some raisins to add some sweetness to the fruity spiciness of the curry mixture. Quick and easy - perfect food to wake you up (exactly what we needed at 11pm)!
A Couscous with Orange, Ginger and 6 Spices
For 6 people you need
couscous 360g / 12.5 ounces
water 540ml (mixed with 1 teaspoon of salt)
1/2 a medium sized leek, thinly sliced
spring onion, thinly sliced, 2
carrots, cut in small cubes, 4
raisins, a handful
olive oil, 3 tablespoons plus more for frying
butter, 2 tablespoons
sour cream, 3 tablespoons
For the spice mixture
ginger, grated, 2 teaspoons
zest of an orange, 2 teaspoons
turmeric, ground, 1 teaspoon
black peppercorns, ground, 1 teaspoon
cinnamon, ground, 1 teaspoon
cardamom, ground, 1 teaspoon
cayenne pepper, ground, 1 teaspoon
cumin, ground, 1 teaspoon
Let the raisins soak in a cup of hot water.
Bring the salted water to the boil. Take the pot off the heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the water, add the couscous and mix immediately, cover with a lid (but leave the pot off the heat). Let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the butter, mix and separate the grains with a fork.
Mix all your spices for the spice mixture (including the ginger and orange zest) and grind in a mortar. Warm some olive oil in a large pan and add the leek, spring onions and the carrots. Push the vegetables to the side after a couple minutes, pour some more oil in the middle of the pan and fry 3 teaspoons of your curry mixture for a minute on medium heat. Mix everything together and fry for another 1o minutes (keep in mind that the carrots shouldn't become too soft). Season with salt.
Mix the couscous and the fried vegetables in a big bowl, add the sour cream and more of your curry mixture until you find the right balance of spiciness (I added another 3 teaspoons of the spices at that point, so 6 teaspoons in all). When you are happy with the result, take the raisins out of the water and sprinkle on top of your couscous.
My Pastrami, Turnip and Winter Purslane Sandwich
It's Wednesday again, time for another sandwich!
At the moment I am really hooked on roots so my sandwich today can't do without them. My choice is a German turnip called "Teltower Rübchen". It tastes similar to horseradish, just a bit softer. I also have some winter purslane (sometimes known as miner's lettuce), its flavor is quite mild and sits well with the turnip. I must admit that I chose the winter purslane because it looks really cute. The centre piece of this sandwich is Pastrami but I wouldn't dare calling it a "Pastrami Sandwich" as, traditionally, this sandwich is literally piled up with slices of meat which is too much for me. This is lighter, on ciabatta bread, with a bit of olive oil, crushed pepper - delicious.
A Sandwich with Pastrami, Turnip and Winter Purslane
For 2 people you need
a small loaf of ciabatta
Pastrami, 6-8 slices
Teltower Rübchen, thinly sliced (or horseradish, grated)
winter purslane, a handful (or rucola/ rocket, a few leaves)
olive oil
crushed peppercorns
Cut your bread and slice it in half. Drizzle some olive oil on the inside, line with the pastrami and put either the turnip slices or a bit of grated horseradish on top. Garnish with a few leaves of winter purslane or rucola and enjoy a big bite!
Sicilian Memories with my Tangerine Jam
Last year I went to Sicily for the first time in my life. We stayed at a beautiful farm close to Noto located in soft hills between lemon, orange and tangerine trees. Every morning we got the most delicious breakfast served under pine trees with the old city of Noto in the distance. Freshly baked cakes, fruit, white bread fried in olive oil together with oregano (from the farm as well, the best oregano in the world!), it was heaven!
One of my many breakfast discoveries was a jam which looked like the golden sun and tasted so sweet and refreshing, with a hint of sourness and bitterness. Just divine! This jam was made of tangerines and I think I must have emptied jars of it during our holiday. As soon as I got home and tangerines were available I made my own! This year, I have to refill my pantry with my Sicilian jam.
Sicilian Tangerine Jam
For 4 medium sized jam jars you need
organic tangerines, rinsed, 1200g / 2 1/2 pounds
sugar 600g / 1 1/4 pounds
juice and seeds of 2 lemons
spirit to sterilise the rims of the jars
Sterilise the 4 jam jars in boiling water for 5 minutes.
Fill a large pan with water and bring to the boil. Put the tangerines in the water and let them boil for 20 minutes. Take the tangerines out and keep some of the water.
Quarter the cooked tangerines (don't peel them, you use the whole tangerine!), take out their seeds and put them aside. Cut the lemons in half and keep their seeds as well. Heat up some of the tangerine cooking water in a small pan (it should come up to 2cm / 3/4"), add the lemon and tangerine seeds and let them cook for 5 minutes.
Shred the quartered tangerines in a food processor for a few seconds. Put them in a large pan, add the sugar, the lemon juice and the water used to boil the seeds. Bring to the boil gently (the sugar has to dissolve first) and boil everything for 18-20 minutes.
Dip the rim of your jars in the spirit and wash out the lids of the jars with the alcohol as well. Fill your jars with the jam and close well immediately.
Let the jars cool off and enjoy their amazing color - and the taste after a day or two as the jam has to sit a bit!
A Celebration of Roots, Garlicky Potatoes and Gingery Rutabaga
This meal celebrates roots in all their variety. On one side, mashed potatoes which are absolutely addictive, combined with garlic and lemon. The mash is fluffy, it is tasty and it is so good that you don't really need anything else with it but I want another root on the plate: rutabaga (also known as swede). This root gets spiced up with ginger as the two flavors combine perfectly.
Winter is the time for roots and I love to try out different variations otherwise I wouldn't be able to eat it for so many months. But there is so much you can do with it! You just have to be a bit brave and play around with it. The potato-garlic-lemon idea came up because we love mash potatoes (also in the very basic version) but I thought it would be nice to add some favors to make it more suitable for other, more extreme combinations like the gingery rutabaga for example. Together with garlic and lemon we can still have our mash on the plate even when there are more exotic roots involved!
Mashed Potatoes with Garlic and Lemon and Gingery Rutabaga
For two people you need
For the mash (the amounts are a rough guideline)
medium potatoes, cooked, 6
clove of garlic, crushed, 1
juice of half a lemon
olive oil, 2-3 tablespoons
butter, 30g / 1 ounce
milk, around 150-200ml
salt and pepper
Heat up all the ingredients in a pot on medium heat and mash. If the mixture becomes too dry add more milk, if it is too liquid let it cook a bit more. Season with salt and pepper.
For the rutabaga
small rutabaga, peeled, 1
ginger, grated, a thumbnail sized piece
olive oil for frying
white wine for deglazing
salt and pepper
Cut the rutabaga in very thin slices (about 2mm). Cut these slices in strips (1cm / 1/2") and cut these strips in 2-3cm / 1" pieces (see my first picture for the shape).
Heat up the oil in a pan, add the rutabaga and let it become golden. Add the ginger, fry for a minute and deglaze with the wine. Add salt and pepper and a splash of water if necessary (the liquid should come up to 2cm / 1"), close with a lid and let it cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Check the rutabaga in between as it shouldn't get too soft and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
Dark Chocolate and sweet Apricot Cookies
John Fahey's Christmas songs are playing in the background, the tree is lit up and my second Christmas cooking baking session can start. Happy Advent!
Today's cookies are a lovely combination of dark chocolate and sweet apricot jam. The texture is light and crumbly enriched with the juiciness of the jam. The dough is made with ground hazelnuts which adds a nice nuttiness and - like yesterday's Kipferl - they are so easy to prepare!
These cookies put me in a real time warp. I used to love them as a child and I gobbled up boxes of them. But as I tried out so many different recipes over the years I forgot about them. But now they are back in my cookie boxes!
Update, December 2023: Today, 10 years after I posted this recipe, a friend pointed out that these cookies taste like the famous Austrian Sachertorte. It’s true!
Chocolate Cookies with Apricot Jam
For 70 double cookies you need
plain flour 350g / 12 ounces
hazelnuts, ground, 100g / 3.5 ounces
sugar 100g / 3.5 ounces
butter, soft, 250g / 9 ounces
bittersweet chocolate, melted, 200g / 7 ounces (100g / 3.5 ounces for the dough and the rest for topping)
a pinch of salt
apricot jam for the filling
You need a round cookie cutter (about 3,5 cm / 1 1/2").
Melt half of the chocolate. Combine the flour with the ground hazelnuts and the salt. Mix the butter together with the sugar till fluffy, add the melted chocolate and mix again. Mix the butter mixture together with the flour mixture. Form a ball, wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for 60 - 90 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F, prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and melt the rest of the chocolate.
Roll the dough out thinly (about 2-3mm) between cling film and cut out your cookies with a floured cookie cutter. Bake them for 7-9 minutes, they shouldn't get too dark. Let them cool.
Brush half of your cookies with the melted chocolate.
Cover each of the remaining cookies with 1/4 teaspoon of jam and place a chocolate topped cookie on top. Let the chocolate dry completely and then: fill your cookie boxes!
Vanilla Kipferl take over my kitchen
The kitchen smells amazing. As soon as the Vanilla Kipferl are out of the oven they spread their sweetest, buttery smell. These small, crescent shaped cookies are perfect for the Advent season. They taste and look absolutely wonderful and the vanilla icing sugar dusting on top fits to the weather perfectly - it just started snowing!
Kipferl traditionally come from the South of Germany and their pastry is light and crumbly. A Vanilla Kipferl is a very delicate cookie with a buttery taste and a hint of vanilla. Don't be deceived by their look, elegant as they may appear they are very easy to prepare. All you need is flour, butter, ground hazelnuts (or almonds) and sugar for the dough and icing sugar - enhanced with vanilla - for the dusting.
Update: Click here for more Christmas baking recipes!
Vanilla Kipferl
Makes about 60 kipferl
all-purpose flour 280g / 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons
ground hazelnuts or ground almonds 100g / 1 cup
granulated sugar 70g / 1/3 cup
fine sea salt 1/8 teaspoon
unsalted butter, cold, 200g / 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
confectioners' sugar 100g / 1 cup
vanilla sugar 3 tablespoons (you can make your own vanilla sugar by mixing the scraped out seeds of 1/4 vanilla pod with 50g / 1/4 cup of granulated sugar)
Combine the flour, hazelnuts, granulated sugar and salt. Add the butter and use a knife to cut the butter into the flour until there are just small pieces left. Continue with your fingers and quickly rub the butter into the flour until combined then mix, using the dough hooks, with an electric mixer until crumbly. Form the dough into a 3 cm / 1 1/4" thick disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until relatively firm, or freeze for about 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (preferably convection setting) and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift and mix the confectioners' sugar and vanilla sugar.
Take the dough out of the fridge and cut off a 2.5 cm / 1" thick slice, keep the remaining dough in the fridge. Cut the slice of dough into 1.25 cm / 1/2" thick pieces. Use your hands to quickly roll each piece of dough into a ball then shape it into a roughly 9 cm / 3 1/2" long kipferl (see the last picture). Continue shaping the remaining dough and arrange the kipferl generously spaced on the lined baking sheets.
Bake, 1 baking sheet at a time, for 11 to 12 minutes or until golden. Let the kipferl cool for 1-2 minutes. When they are too hot they might break but when they are completely cooled off the icing sugar won't stick so well.
Turn the warm kipferl gently in the vanilla confectioners' sugar mixture or sift the sugar over the kipferl. Once the kipferl are completely cool, store them in an airtight container.
A Salad with White Beans, Orange and Thyme
This salad is quite extraordinary in its combination but quick and easy to prepare. The first time I made it, I used dry beans which involved pre-soaking and cooking but I use tinned beans when I need a quick lunch like today. White beans are great to combine with other strong flavours and in this salad they still manage to stand out next to the strong tastes of orange peel, thyme and spring onions. They create a perfect match.
For a lunch for two people you just need a big tin of white beans (rinsed), 1 orange, 4 spring onions, a sprig of thyme and salt and pepper. Maybe a few slices of bread to go with it and your lunch will be ready in a few minutes.
Cut fine strips of orange peel (I chop up four strips of peel, each 1x6cm / 1/2"x2 1/4") and cut the spring onions thinly. Mix the beans with the leaves of the thyme sprig. For your sauce mix 3 tablespoons of olive oil together with 5 tablespoons of orange juice and season with salt and pepper. Mix everything together and you will have a beautiful lunch.
A trusted companion, my beloved Quiche
This recipe has been with me for a very long time. I think I cooked it for the first time nearly twenty years ago. And since then it has made lots of people very happy (including myself). My time trusted companion is a quiche with a wonderful crisp and buttery short crust base and a simple but perfect filling of leek, tomatoes and thyme. What I also like about it is that the egg and cream filling isn't as high and heavy as in many other versions of this famous French dish. There is still something light about mine.
In past years I tried out different fillings with spinach or broccoli but I still prefer the combination of leek and tomatoes. The taste is just perfect. I once covered the base with slices of pear and crumbled Stilton for a party, very nice too, and perfect finger food.
Quiche
Usually I double the amount and make two quiches, one to eat warm straight away, the other to eat cold the next day. I can't say which I prefer as the different flavours come through very strongly when the quiche has cooled down.
For one quiche you need a 27cm / 10.5" baking dish or tart pan. I use spelt flour type 630 (but you can use any other plain flour) and organic eggs.
For the short crust base
flour 250g / 8.5 ounces
butter, cold 125g / 4.5 ounces
egg, organic 1
salt 1 teaspoon
Combine the flour with the salt and cut the butter with a knife into the flour until there are just little pieces of butter left. Continue with your fingers and work the butter into the flour until combined (there shouldn't be any lumps of butter left). Add the egg and continue mixing with the hook of your mixer until you have a crumbly mixture. Form a disc, wrap in cling film and put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
For the filling
medium leek, thinly sliced, 1
tomato, cut into cubes, 1
thyme, leaves of a few sprigs
eggs, organic, 3
heavy cream 125ml
crème fraiche or sour cream 125ml
salt 1 heaping teaspoon
pepper
nutmeg, best freshly grated, a generous amount
Set your oven to 210°C / 410°F.
Mix the eggs with the heavy cream, crème fraiche, salt, pepper, nutmeg and thyme.
Roll out the dough between cling film and line your baking dish with the flat pastry. Prick it with a fork and blind-bake in the hot oven for 10 minutes. Take your baking dish out of the oven and set the temperature down to 175°C / 350°F.
Spread the leek slices and tomato cubes over your pre-baked pastry base and pour the egg / cream mixture over. Put the quiche carefully on a baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes or until golden. Let it cool for about 10 minutes before you eat.
Bon appétit!
Tomato, Leek and Cream Cheese Bagel
Today has been a busy day so we are going to keep it simple and make some sandwiches. I love trying out new variations as there are so many great things one can place between two slices of bread - or, in our case today, in a bagel.
Even though my bagels are really good (my recipe will follow soon), I must admit the true star of this snack is the filling of sour cream cheese together with spicy chilli, fried leek rings and fresh slices of tomato. Some salt and pepper on top and you have a most satisfying meal.
When I make bagels I bake them in bigger batches because it is very convenient to have a few of them in the freezer and you just have to warm them up in the oven for a few minutes whenever you feel like. For our sandwiches today I prepare two bagels which I had baked with spelt flour (my favorite flour). But four thick slices of any other nice, fresh white bread will work as well. While the bagels are defrosting in the oven, I gently fry thinly sliced leek (a thumb length piece) in some butter and cut a fresh chili pepper (4 cm) in very thin slices as well. Then I spread the cold cream cheese on the warm bagels, layer this with thinly sliced tomatoes (I use four cherry tomatoes) and scatter the leek and chili on top. Seasoned with some sea salt and pepper, this makes you feel like you never want to eat anything else ever again!
A drunken Fruit Cake
I love fruit cakes - all year round. Every day in the afternoon, I have my cup of tea and I need something to nibble with it. Cookies are great but fruit cakes are richer. Quite often I bake my Irish tea brack (a butter free fruit cake) with ginger and orange but at Christmas time I follow the English tradition.
English Christmas cake is a very dense and rich fruit cake which has to sit for a few weeks. During this time it is your job to take care that the cake can soak some brandy and get drunk. Therefore, you brush its top with liquor once a week and then you wrap it up again. It is a bit like a plant that you have to look after. But your effort will be rewarded. You have taken real care of this special cake and that makes it taste even better.
My Christmas cake lets the spices come through quite strongly and I also add stem ginger and marmalade. I like it when fruit cakes have a very intense taste. When its time has come around Christmas day I cut thick slices of the heavy cake and spread on some butter. I will sit next to our Christmas tree with a cup of tea or mulled wine and just enjoy every buttered, fruity bite!
Traditionally this cake gets some fancy decoration with marzipan and fondant but I leave it naked. I love its rustic look. You can also put some icing sugar on top if you feel like. But you should give it at least 3 weeks to sit so it is time to start now to be able to enjoy it on Christmas day.
Christmas Cake
It is best to let the fruit soak overnight together with the sugar, zest and brandy.
For the fruit
raisins 350g / 12.5 ounces
currants 50g / 2 ounces
prunes, finely chopped, 140g / 5 ounces
caramelized stem ginger, finely chopped, 50g / 2 ounces
candied peel, chopped, 40g / 1.5 ounces
sugar 100g / 3.5 ounces
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1/2 lemon
brandy 70ml, plus more for brushing the cake
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, cover and let the mixture soak for a few hours or overnight.
For the cake
butter, soft, 120g / 4 ounces
marmalade 1 1/2 tablespoons
organic eggs 2
plain flour 230g / 8 ounces
mixed spice 1 1/2 teaspoons
ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon
ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon
a pinch of salt
For this recipe you will need a 17,5cm/ 7" round cake tin, baking parchment and brown paper. You can also work with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 140°C/ 285°F and line your tin with double brown paper and a layer of baking parchment on the inside so that you have three layers, all to come straight up around 10cm / 4" above the top of your cake tin.
Cream the butter and marmalade till fluffy and add the eggs one at a time, still beating well. Mix the dry ingredients together (flour and spices). Now fold the dry ingredients alternately with the soaked fruit mixture into the butter mixture, roughly 1/3 of each - dry and fruit - mixture at a time. Mix carefully with a spoon.
Scrape the cake mixture into your prepared tin, smooth the surface a bit and bake for 2 hours. Check with a skewer if it comes out clean it is done. Take your cake out of the oven but leave it still in its tin. Push your parchment paper construction down a bit and wrap the tin with the cake in aluminum foil immediately and let it cool. After a few hours you can remove it from its tin, rewrap it in paper and foil and store it in an airtight cake tin. Brush the cake with brandy once a week and look forward to your first bite!
Bitter Radicchio and Spicy Mustard Butter Pasta
Pasta dishes are one of my favorite dinners as they are very easy to prepare but they always give me the feeling that I have created something special. It's always a little feast. My friend Judith told me about this wonderful combination of spaghetti, radicchio, dijon mustard butter and chicken liver (for those who don't fancy liver this recipe also works very well without). I fell in love with the combination of spicy mustard butter and bitter radicchio which makes a very nice, velvety sauce for the pasta. Together with a glass of red wine this puts me in a cozy, relaxed mood, a perfect December evening dinner.
Once in a while I feel a strong appetite for liver so I bought some organic chicken liver today. When I was a child, my mother used to fry liver together with onion rings and thick apple slices and I loved it. I have a real weak spot for traditional comfort food. The recipe today will be lighter but still comfortable. I choose Linguine made by Delverde for our dinner, the most delicious pasta made with water from the Verde river in the Abruzzi region in Italy. Another family recommendation. Linguine fits very well when you want to mix your pasta with vegetables or meat and not only with a sauce as they have more bite than spaghetti.
Linguine with Radicchio, Mustard Butter and Chicken Liver
For a generous dinner for 2 people you need
pasta for 2, around 200g / 7 ounces
radicchio, quartered and cut into 1cm slices, 300g / 10.5 ounces
butter 30g / 1 ounce plus for frying
smooth Dijon mustard 4-6 teaspoons
organic chicken liver, rinsed, dried and cleaned of their thicker skins, 150g / 5 ounces
brandy or red wine for deglazing
oil for frying
flour for dusting the liver
pasta water
salt and pepper
It doesn't take long to prepare this meal but you will have to coordinate everything within 10 minutes. It is easiest to prepare as much as possible in advance before you start cooking.
Cook the pasta and take out a cup of the pasta water after it has been cooking for a few minutes as we need some of this liquid for the sauce.
Melt the butter in a sauce pan on low heat and mix in the mustard, it might curdle a bit, don't worry. Add a good splash of the pasta water to get a more liquid sauce. Taste to see if the mustard comes through strong enough, you can make it quite tasty as it will get mixed with lots of pasta.
At the same time heat up some butter with a dash of oil in a frying pan. Mix a few tablespoons of flour with salt and pepper on a plate to turn the liver in. Fry the liver for a few minutes on medium heat but watch them as they don't need long and dry out quickly. Deglaze with a tiny dash of brandy or wine, it should cook down straight away. Take the liver out and keep warm under a plate.
Pour some oil in the used but dry pan (wipe it with kitchen roll if necessary) and fry the sliced radicchio for a few minutes, turn and watch, it won't need long either. Mix the cooked pasta in the pan together with the radiocchio and your mustard butter sauce. Season with salt and pepper and arrange on plates with the liver on top. Have a sip of your wine and relax!
