Little and delicious pastry puffs - mini, sexy eclairs

Long time no see!!!!
I have been lazy and busy at the same time, I haven't given enough love to my blog and my dear friends.
So I promised myself it won't happen again!
I feel very bad about the culinary gap I made here, so the only way to make it up is to try to bribe you a little with a dessert.
I really have to catch up with all delicious the things I have made during the summer, post it and hope you will forgive my silence.

I will start with pastry puffs filled with blueberry cream and dipped in chocolate, it's a yummmy twist on a classic eclairs.
The recipe is easy like 1-2-3 and versatile, so as always sky is the limit!!
Make it sweet, make it savory, make it small or big, make it classic or add your own spin. Use the ingredients you have on hand or plan it ahead. Doesn't really matter as long as you : make it, share it and enjoy it! 

you need:
2 small saucepans
whisk or wooden spoon
2 storage bags or piping bag with round plain tip
cooling rack
2 bowls
2 baking sheets
parchment paper

ingredients:


pastry puffs:
1 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 eggs
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt

blueberry cream:
1/2 cup heavy cream
2-3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups fresh blueberries
1-2 tablespoons blueberry jam

chocolate ganache:
1,1/2 cup bitter-sweet chocolate
2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter


Start with the pastry. Preheat oven to 425°F (~220° C ). In a small saucepan bring the water to a boil, add the butter and let it melt next add sugar and pinch of salt. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup flour. Make sure there is no lumps and the mixture holds together.

Add eggs, one by one, mixing very well after each addition.

At this point batter will become more sticky and gooey.

Transfer the batter to a storage bag, cut the corner with scissors, or use a professional piping bag with a big, round, plain tip, or combine a storage bag with the removable piping tip (I'm using this trick to fill up the puffs with cream). Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and begin piping! Shape is really up to you, I made little balls for a one bite-sized treat.

Place them in rows like little soldiers, remember to leave some ''puffing'' space about 1 inch.

Use a bit of cold water on your finger to smooth and shape the tops of your little ''soon- to-be-golden puffs''.

Bake them for 10 minutes at 425°F (~220° C ), next reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (~ 180° C) and bake until golden-brown for another 20-25 minutes. If  you decide to bake both batches at the same time make sure to switch the trays during the 2nd  stage of baking, so they will get golden-brown evenly.

When ready, let cool on a wire rack before filling them up. Puffs should feel light and empty inside.

Now when your tiny, golden goodies are cooling down, time to make the blueberry cream. It's very easy and the filling can be made from almost any fruits, or jams, chocolate creams, or just classic whipped cream . You can fill them up with savory fillings f.e: salmon and cream cheese, or cream cheese and herbs, or duck pate with cranberry sauce! Again use your favorite ingredients to make this tasty treat the way YOU like the most!

Ok, so back to the buisness. In a small saucepan bring blueberries and the jam to a boil, reduce the heat and make most of the water evaporate, creating a deep colored jam. Let it cool. 

In a bowl whisk the heavy cream and sugar until stiff. Slowly add blueberry jam folding gently, until cream blends together.

Transfer into piping bag with a round, small tip.

Squeeze a teaspoon (more or less, you will feel when the puff is full) of this delicious cream into each puff,  I think best place to do it is actually the top, because later on you will dip it in the chocolate ganache, covering the little hole.

Last but not least is to make the chocolate ganache. I make it 2 different ways... both extremely easy. The only difference is the thickness. You can use a method called double boiling : set a heat-proof bowl on top of a saucepan with a boiling water at the bottom, add chocolate and stir it with silicon spatula until it melts. Add a tablespoon or two of butter to prevent curdling and keep it shiny.

Instead of  saucepan and stove, the easy way is to put the bowl with chocolate pieces into microwave, and set the timer for 2-2.5 minutes, add butter and during the cooking time open the microwave and stir the chocolate several times, tempering it, this way the chocolate will stay glossy and shiny. 

the second  method is to add almost boiling heavy cream to a bowl with chocolate and melt it this way, stirring constantly. It's up to you which method to gonna use.

When the chocolate ganache is ready start dipping, the pastry puffs in it! It's a lot of fun and gives that gourmet finish to the dessert. The glossy look, the creamy filling, the little puffy texture, that is seriously heaven. You really MUST try this!

Strawberry Shortcake with a twist!

OK, I was totally lazy last couple of weeks and didn't post anything here. But it doesn't mean I wasn't cooking or taking pictures, so one day I can share all with you.

I was pretty busy and made many deliciously scrumptious meals!!

It's a glorious strawberry season, so we try to get most of it.

Yes, yes now it's time to buy them, eat them, freeze them, jar them, ENJOY them!

So we've gone wild.. not 100% but still, instead of buying them in the supermarket or farmer's market, we decided to go to a farm, pick them ourselves straight from the bush. By the way they should weight people before and after and charged them by that too, not only for what they have in the baskets.

So big part of our harvest ended up in the freezer ( perfect for frozen fruity smoothies we drink all summer long, and with a dash of milk transforms into super home-made shake ).

All the others ended up in an american classic Strawberry Shortcake but with a herbal twist (that I did first time in my life).

I have to say I didn't expect it to be a hit but it really is, considering that it's made in less than an hour, tastes wonderfully fresh and I cut the sugar in half, letting the natural sweetness of strawberries shine through.

you need:

8 inch ( about 20 cm) round cake pan, can be pie dish 

food processor with the blades ( if u don't have it use a big bowl and a knife or your hands )

mixer or whisk

bowl

cutting board and knife to trim and cut strawberries

cooling rack (not necessary)

ingredients:

3 cups fresh strawberries

2-3 teaspoons of fresh thyme

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup butter or shortening (lard)

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon sugar

1 container (170-200g)  light vanilla yogurt

The process to make a shortcake is very easy and fast, can be used for desserts but also savory dishes.

To make it super easy and mess- free I use a food processor to make the dough ( this is the easiest way to mix shortbread dough as well as any kind of pie or tart dough ).

If you don't have a food processor use a big bowl and a knife to cut the ingredients, this way combining them together.

So, to my food processor with the blades I added the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Pulse it for few seconds to combine. Next add the butter or shortening and again pulse until little crumbs start to form.

Whisk in the separate bowl a room temperature egg with vanilla extract and slowly add to your flour mixture.

And later add the milk ( you can use whole milk as well as skim milk ), mix it until just combine.

The dough should be sticky but not wet, pretty fluffy and easy to form.

Grease the cake pan and sprinkle it with the flour so the shortcake will not stick to it and get burned. Press the dough in, making an even layer.

Bake in a preheated oven at 425° F ( 220° C ) for 15-20 min. until golden brown on top.

Let it cool down on a cooling rack before cutting in half.

While your cake is cooling down a slowly resting on a rack. Start cutting and timing the strawberries and whipping the heavy cream with the vanilla yogurt and a tablespoon of sugar. Use cold heavy cream and yogurt this way they whip better becoming stiff but fluffy. Use it cool, so once whipped put back the the fridge.

Strawberries can be cut in any shape you like, I mix them with fresh thyme, it gives a one of the kind fragrance and taste. It brings a good strawberry shortcake into totally different level of lusciousness. You can use also mint or lemon zest for the extra ZING! 

Assemble the cake once it's totally cool, by adding layers of goodness forming your own sweet sculpture.

Imperfection is what gives this cake the home-made feeling. So build it and make it your own.
Enjoy making it, it's so easy but looks and tastes like a cake from best bakery in town.

Sunday breakfast or maybe lunch ?

Here's again slow and lazy sunday. Time to sleep off the saturday's night extravaganza, or maybe time for an easy morning in some comfy pajamas.
Doesn't really matter, sunday is the most breakfasty day of the week!
It's really the only day we have time to  relax after waking up, because sunday afternoon is usually disturbed by the annoying thought of monday morning. That's why let's enjoy the morning as much as we can and really recharge, what a better way than with a great breakfast.
Take you time, prepare it the way you and your family like it. Make it special.

My propositions are made with a breakfast staple: EGG.
Two variations sweet and savoury, to knock the hangover out or to keep you satisfied during sunday's walk in the park or until a late lunch.

 Breakfast quiche with creamy cheese, onion and mushrooms
It's a form of quiche, but this one doesn't have the classic pastry. Made a bit like Italian frittata, but again I use heavy cream to make it and I bake it instead of frying it in a pan.

Sweet egg cup with crumbly ginger cookie
It's really a sweet cousin of the savoury pastryless- breakfast quiche. Can be a sweet start of a day or even a dessert.

you need:
round baking dish
4 oven-safe ramekins
2 mixing bowls
whisk
cuttingboard
sharp knife

ingredients :

for the breakfast quiche with creamy cheese, onion and mushrooms:
4-5 large eggs
4-5 champignons or baby bella
3/4 cup heavy cream or milk
1/2 cup Gruyère cheese or creamy Havarti or Emmental or Monterey Jack
1/2 medium onion
2-3 tablespoons fresh chives
1/2 tablespoon fresh parsley
2-4 strips of bacon
salt
pepper
cooking spray or butter for the dish


Start with preheating oven to 380° F (180-190° C).
Dice the onion, clean mushrooms and cut into slices (remember don't soak the mushrooms in the water, they tend to absorb liquids very fast, just rinse them fast and dry with paper towel). Fry the bacon strips, until golden brown and crispy, let them cool on the paper towel that will trap all the excess fat. Cut the bacon into small pieces (you don't have to use bacon for this dish, can be ham or even hot-dogs).

Into the mixing bowl crack the eggs, add heavy cream or milk and whisk it together. Chop chives and parsley and add to the egg mixture. Shave half a cup of the cheese inside, add a bit of salt and fresh ground pepper (cheese should be creamy and not to strong). Mix it all delicately together.

Grease the baking dish, best is the kind you use to bake pie or tarts. Pour the liquid inside the dish, make it max till 3/4 of the dish high. Rememer the quiche will puff a bit.
Now its time to sprinkle the goodies on top, I prefer to do it this way, rather than to mix it all together. The mushrooms, onions and bacon, or any other ingredients you will use will be pushed down by the force of gravity, thats why I sprinkle them on top and let them drown a bit while it bakes. Makes it even layer and looks very nice when you serve it.

I prefer when the egg mixture is not the main ''player'', I really like when the other ingredients shine through the dish, almost overcrowding it. That makes it tasty and colorful.

Note that you can use with the same base (eggs, heavy cream. cheese, salt, pepper + herbs) hundreds of different combinations of flavors and ingredients (spinach, tomatoes, artichokes, zucchini, bell peppers, asparagus, olives, anchovies, chicken, speck, ham feta...etc..etc...) Use what you have on hand or what you like the most, play with it and enjoy your creation!
Put it in the preheated oven for 20 -25 minutes, depends on how thick is your layer of quiche. The easiest way to check if it's done, is to stick the knife in the center of it, if the knife comes out clean and the center is nice and firm means its ready.

ingredients :

Sweet egg cup with crumbly ginger cookie:

3 eggs

1/2 cup of heavy cream

2 tablespoons of vanilla sugar or normal sugar plus vanilla extract

1 middle size peach or nectarine

1 banana

6-8 ginger cookies or graham crackers

butter or cooking spray for ramekins

Start with preheating oven to 380° F (180-190° C).
In a mixing bowl add eggs, heavy cream and vanilla sugar, whisk it until it's combined very well.

Cut your fruit into small pieces, more or less the same size (if you dont have peaches try with strawberries or blueberries). Add to the egg and cream mixture.

Grease the ramekins and carefuly pour the velvety liquid inside. Fill it out max till 3/4 of the ramekins height, so it won't bubble out. Crumble a ginger cookie or two on each portion. Instead of ginger cookies or graham crackers try nutty granola on top.

It's gonna be like a little suprise and unexpected twist. 

Bake them for 20-25 minutes, or until firm in the center and golden- brown on the edges. They are perfect for a sweet breakfast, dessert or maybe a mid-day snack. What is really good about it, you can really taste the fruit inside. Sweet and strength giving an alternative for those who only like sweet breakfasts.







Salmon, Spinach, Potatoes

I promised to make more fish dishes.
I like my fish simple, fresh and delicious.
I have already given some simple tips how to pick up seafood, so I'm not gonna repeat myself, just keep in mind that wild caught salmon or any other fish is healthier and better than the farmed one. That's why i strongly advise you to spend a few more bucks and get the good stuff.

I'm serving today baked salmon with a crunchy crust, simple potatoes and a warm spinach salad.
Will satisfy you body and soul and it's super healthy.

you need:

deep baking dish

aluminum foil

saute skillet

cutting board

sharp knife

mixing bowl

ingredients: 

salmon fillet 1-1,5 lb. (0,5-3/4 kg)  preferably fresh not frozen, wild caught 

2 cups panko breadcrumbs 

2 tablespoons french grainy mustard

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

1 tablespoon capers

2-3 anchovies 

3 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 sweet onion

2-3 cups fresh baby spinach

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

4 potatoes

salt

pepper

Start with cleaning and patting dry the salmon with a paper towel. Cut  the fillet into even pieces. I leave the skin on so it naturally keeps the moisture inside the fish while cooking. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt and fresh ground, black pepper.

Measure 2 cups of panko breadcrumbs and add them to a mixing bowl. On the cutting board chop parsley, capers, and anchovies, add them to the panko.

Next, add the 2 tablespoons of a good french mustard and a drizzle of olive oil.

Mix it good until combined. 

Don't be scared to use anchovies, they will give a nice salty, nutty flavor (not fishy at all! ) to your crusty salmon. They are also very good in many salad dressings, sauces and even on pizza!

To your baking dish add 2 tablespoons of oil. Place the pieces of salmon and carefully cover them with the panko mixture, creating a blanket on the top of each piece.

This will prevent the fish from drying out and will add a distinct crunchy texture and a great taste.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake the fish for 15-20 min. in a preheated oven at 360°-380°F (180°-200°C).

In the meantime, peel your potatoes and simply cook them in a salted water until fork tender. 

In a saute pan add the rest of the olive oil, thinly sliced sweet onion and chopped garlic. Saute them until fragrant and translucent, on medium-low heat. 

Next add baby spinach, salt , pepper and a tablespoon of white wine vinegar.

Keep it on the skillet until warm, mix but try not to mash the spinach to much. You can use lemon instead of white wine vinegar and  a spoon of good butter instead of olive oil.

Serve all together warm with a glass of a red wine for the contrast. The crunchy fragrant crust will enhance the simple, sweet taste of the salmon, earthy spinach and simple potatoes go just perfect with it.

I'm sure everyone's gonna enjoy this fast, easy and healthy dish.